Gao Hongbo, China's former coach and current assistant coach of Dutch side ADO Den Haag, has been appointed to take over the national men's football squad of China for the second time on an interim basis, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said on Wednesday.

Gao is a retired Chinese football striker who managed the national football team of China from year 2009 to 2011. Appointed in May 2009, Gao became the youngest man to take the helm in 30 years. He is now 50 years old.

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He will be tasked with the big responsibility of bringing good results in the country's 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.

"Gao will take charge of the national team for the next two World Cup qualifiers," the CFA said in a statement.

Frenchman Alain Perrin was fired the CFA following the team's poor performance. China is currently in the third place in its World Cup qualifying group.

In 2007, Gao made a big achievement as a coach, as he led Changchun Yatai to claim the Chinese Super League title.

China won 23 games, drew 11 and lost four matches under Gao's incumbency at the national coaching post. He led the national team to qualify for the 2011 Asia Cup. In his watch, China won the East Asian Football Championship in 2010.

Other contenders that were recently reported to have joined the race for the position are, current Guangzhou Evergrande manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Spaniard Gregorio Manzano of the Shanghai Shenhua, former Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, Argentine coach Bielsa, the football great Zico of Brazil, former Chile manager Jorge Sampaoli and coach Walter Mazzarri of Inter Milan and former Portugal coach Paulo Bento.

China will next face Maldives on March 24 at home and that will be followed by a match against the Qatar national team on 29^th of the same month. The Chinese men's national football team registered a 3-0 victory against Maldives in September last year.

TagsChinese Football Association, Gao Hongbo, Luiz Felipe Scolari