Haan confident he can help China to second World Cup

In an interview with FIFA.COM, new Chinese coach Arie Haan has expressed confidence in preparing his squad well to qualify for the World Cup in 2006.

However when asked about his knowledge of the Chinese game he revealed he knew very little of it. "I had watched the China-Brazil and China-Turkey games during last year’s World Cup but precious little else." he told FIFA.COM

That is not to say he wasn't impressed. The courage of the Chinese were the main feature according to Haan, in matches against the teams that would eventually finish champions and third respectively. Haan would have become more impressed since however, his first two matches resulting in a 0-0 draw against world champions Brazil and a 1-0 win over Estonia.

However Haan isn't going over te top just yet with expectations. While he has said he's confident, he also acknowledged the competition in Korea, Japan, Iran and Saudi Arabia being the main threats.

Haan has replaced Bora Milutinovic after he resigned following China's three defeats at the FIFA World Cup in 2002.

Sunday, 8 June, 2003

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