China coach Guanghu calls it quits

BEIJING: The much-maligned coach of China’s national football team, Zhu Guanghu (pic), has handed in his formal resignation after a humiliating first-round Asian Cup exit, Chinese state media reported yesterday. 

Guanghu’s faxed resignation to the Chinese FA, coming after his initial refusal to quit, sets the stage for the search for his successor, who is very likely to be a foreigner, the Beijing Youth Daily said. 

“I did not complete my task, failing to live up to the hopes of the fans and the trust of the leaders, and I would like here to express my apology to the fans,” it quoted Guanghu’s fax, sent last week, as saying.