According to a Beijing Television report, Wang abruptly collapsed on Thursday morning while playing tennis with friends.

He was sent to a local hospital in Shenyang where doctors gave him emergency treatment, unfortunately attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

A doctor of the First Hospital of China Medical University, in charge of the treatment, announced at 9:37 a.m. that Wang had died from sudden cardiac arrest, possibly caused by an overload of exercise.

Born in 1946, Wang contributed most of his energy to the Liaoning team, once a Chinese football super power but later declined after the professional league kicked off in 1994.

Wang, nicknamed "fireman of the team" by locals, helped the team bail out of many plights until 2005 when he finally stepped down from the head coach post in lieu of spiralling losses.