Evergrande has been front and center of Chinese soccer over the past three years; especially since winning last year's Asian Champions League trophy.
Frenchman Alain Perrin has been appointed China coach, a position that has been vacant since the sacking of Jose Antonio Camacho last year, Chinese media reported on Wednesday.
Widespread gossip that Italian coach Marcello Lippi would take over the Chinese national team after his stint with Guangzhou Evergrande was dismissed when the Chinese Football Association announced the new coach on Wednesday.
Former Lyon manager Alain Perrin takes over the helm from interim coach Fu Bo, who has been in the post since departure of Camacho in June.
Marcello Lippi and his Guangzhou Evergrande desire for a winning start ahead of the game on Wednesday against Australian side Melbourne Victory in Group G in AFC Champions league.
Cai Zhenhua is a much-loved figure in China, both as a former world table tennis champion and coach of the national team. Before he took over as coach, the Chinese men's table tennis team had been pushed by European players to play second fiddle in international competitions. His leadership, from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, however, ensured that the Chinese squad regained its unconquerable position.
China has passed institutional reforms to improve the sport, including adopting a more market-oriented approach and separating supervisory and management powers.
China's newly elected soccer governing body is making the development of young talent its priority for the next decade.
"I would like to be a paving stone for the Chinese Football Association (CFA)," Cai Zhenhua, China's vice sports minister and ex-table tennis player, said after being elected president of CFA at a conference held in Xianghe, Hebei province, on Tuesday.
Vice-sports minister and table tennis legend Cai Zhenhua elected president of scandal-prone Chinese Football Association.
Zhang Meng washed his tea set, prepared snacks and set the alarm clock to 3 am before taking a nap on Tuesday night, following his routine for watching live European soccer games in other world time zones on many early mornings.
Guangzhou Evergrande have raised China's appetite for soccer glories despite a lopsided loss to Bayern Munich that followed the Asian champions' victory over the African winners in their Club World Cup debut.
Guangzhou Evergrande of China beat Egyptian team Al-Ahly 2-0 in the Club World Cup on Saturday to set up a semifinal encounter against Bayern Munich.
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