Scolari shortlisted for Chi coaching job

Rio de Janeiro, Feb 1: Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning mager Luiz Felipe Scolari is among the front-runners to take charge of Chi’s tiol football team.

The 67-year-old has been shortlisted alongside Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi and former Atletico Madrid mager Gregorio Manzano.

The position has been made vacant by the sacking of Frenchman Alain Perrin in January following a poor run of results. Scolari has enjoyed instant success after being appointed mager of Chinese Super League (CSL) outfit Guangzhou Evergrande in June.

Under the Brazilian’s stewardship, Evergrande have won the tiol league and the Asian Champions League as well as securing the fourth place at the FIFA Club World Cup. Though Scolari is one of the “leading candidates” for the Chi job, current Shanghai Shenhua coach Manzano is also a favourite. Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, who led Shanghai SIPG to second place in last year’s CSL standings, is said to have ruled himself out of the running. Chi are currently third in their group in the second phase of the Asia confederation’s World Cup qualifiers, behind Qatar and Hong Kong. IANS