China's football body announced the sacking of national coach Alain Perrin on Friday after a disappointing run of results left their World Cup qualifying campaign hanging by a thread. The Chinese Football Association (CFA) said the decision had been made "out of consideration for the performance of the Chinese national team" and "the needs of future team-building".
After "sincere consultations" the two sides had decided Perrin "will no longer work as the head coach of China's national team", a statement on the CFA website said, adding that the search for a replacement would start immediately. The news comes just a year after the ex-Lyon and Marseille boss led China to the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup in Australia, in their best performance in more than a decade.