Reports on Thursday coming out of Italy were suggesting that Marcello Lippi was on the verge of being named as the new manager of the Chinese national team, maybe even as early as next week. His reward for taking on what might be the most difficult role in the game? A cool 17 million pounds ($20 million) per year. After tax.
A 3-year contract, said to be worth 54 million pounds after tax by some sources, is meant to be on the table for the Italian, which would make him the best compensated manager in the history of the game. Predictably, the money has ensured that the social media commentators have been getting lippy about Lippi's impending appointment but money aside, it is a move that makes sense for the former Guangzhou Evergrande gaffer, who just so happens to be the most successful manager in recent Chinese -soccer history.
Earlier reports had suggested that Lippi would return to Evergrande to replace Luis Felipe Scolari during the close-season, again the figures mentioned would have made him the best-paid boss on the planet. Taking on the Chinese national job is one that has the possibility to bring Lippi more glory than even continental success with a Chinese club side, but it is an altogether more difficult challenge than returning to a side that are about to wrap up their sixth Chinese league title in a row.
Lippi appears to be in a position to make the choice. It's clear that he is held in high regard in China, no doubt as much for his three Chinese -Super League titles, Chinese FA Cup success and Asian Champions League victory in his time at Guangzhou as for winning the 2006 World Cup with the Italian national team.
Lippi certainly ticks all the right boxes for the Chinese Football Association, even more so than the other two names in the frame with CSL and international experience: Evegrande incumbent Big Phil and Shanghai SIPG's Sven-Goran Eriksson. He is a serial winner, he's brought success at both domestic and continental level with club sides on two -different continents, he has been successful with Chinese players and he has won the -holiest of grails in the eyes of the CFA: He knows what it takes to win the World Cup.
To start with he needs to get China to qualify for the next one. There are six more games in this group stage with a place in Russia in 2018 on offer to the top two. China have one point from four games so far, nine off pacesetters Iran. It's not quite Mission Impossible but -sneaking out of this situation, even making third place and the playoffs, would rank up there with everything else Lippi has achieved and no one in China would begrudge him his cash.
