Chinese Super League team Hangzhou Greentown have recruited Frenchman Philippe Troussier, who led Japan to the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup, as their new head coach, the club said Tuesday.
Much-travelled Troussier, 59, is known as the “White Witchdoctor” for his coaching stints in Africa, including the national teams of Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and South Africa.
Philippe-Troussier
Philippe-Troussier
He joins his compatriot Alain Perrin, who coaches China’s national side, in the country, where several former high-profile managers ply their trade.
Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson recently parted company with Guangzhou R&F and joined Shanghai East Asia, where the former England boss is reportedly paid $6 million, which would place him among the top 20 best paid managers in the world according to the latest study by France Football magazine.
Italy’s World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi is the director of Guangzhou Evergrande, which is also managed from 2012 until this year.
It is Troussier’s second stint in China after leading Shenzhen Ruby from 2011 to 2013. He most recently coached Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien but left in September after the team failed to reach the CAF Champions League final.
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