The Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced on Wednesday that 45-year-old Shao Jiayi has been appointed as the new head coach of China's men's national football team, Xinhua reported.
Born in 1980, Shao represented China at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan and played for several seasons in the German Bundesliga. After retiring, he once served as assistant coach of the national team and worked with various Chinese youth national teams as team leader and assistant coach.
Shao took charge of Chinese Super League (CSL) side Qingdao West Coast in July 2024. This season, the team currently sits ninth in the CSL with nine wins, ten draws and ten losses, according to Xinhua.