Shui dumped as China women's coach after Olympic qualifying failure

BEIJING – China women’s coach Shui Qingxia has been sacked following the team’s failure to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

The squad will be led by “temporary” staff for upcoming friendlies against the United States, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said, without providing details.

“Due to China failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics … Shui Qingxia will no longer be head coach,” the CFA said in a statement.

Shui was under pressure after China were knocked out of the group stage of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, courtesy of a 6-1 humiliation by England.

China took bronze at their home Asian Games in Hangzhou in October but a 1-1 draw with South Korea in Xiamen three weeks ago condemned them to missing the Olympics for the first time since 2012.

The Xiamen setback was on the same night Shui won the Asian Football Confederation’s Coach of the Year award for 2022, having led China to the Women’s Asian Cup title in India.

The CFA included under-20 women’s coach Wang Jun on a roster of staff to manage the national squad at a three-day training camp at their Xianghe base in northern China from Saturday.

China travel to the United States next week for their first internationals against the U.S. women since 2018.

They play at Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Dec. 2 before a second friendly at Frisco, Texas three days later. REUTERS