The CTFA has announced the reappointment of Englishman Gary White as head coach of Taiwan’s men’s national squad, who are preparing for an international friendly against Thailand on June 16 at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung.
White was previously in charge from September 2017 to September 2018 when Taiwan rose from the 140s to 121st in the FIFA world rankings.
Although there has been some negative reaction, the players have in the main welcomed White’s return, saying that he has good international experience from coaching in other nations and the team previously played well under him.
Photo: AFP
Michael Chandler, co-owner of Master Football Academy in Taipei, was positive about the reappointment.
“I believe Gary White’s reappointment as national team head coach makes sense. During his previous tenure, White had an immediate impact on Taiwan’s FIFA ranking, which is a promising sign of his ability to develop the team and bring out their potential,” Chandler said.
“As an experienced and successful coach, he can bring valuable knowledge and experience to the team, and contribute to the overall professionalization of football in Taiwan,” said Chandler, who has been a prominent figure in the promotion and development of grassroots soccer in Taiwan since 1999.
However, these are turbulent times for the CTFA after new chairman Wang Lin-hsiang cut its youth programs and secondary-level competitions due to financial shortcomings, reportedly NT$90 million (US$2.93 million) of debt.
The money problems got worse this week when the director for the women’s players’ union told reporters that the CTFA still owes it NT$1.25 million for travel and other expenses incurred when attending the qualifiers for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand in February.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Pei-yu is helping with the negotiations and yesterday the Sports Administration said it would assist and expedite the payment.
Meanwhile, in the Taiwan Football Premier League, Leopard Cat and AC Taipei are among the front-runners to challenge reigning champions Taiwan Steel Group (TSG).
Leopard Cat (formerly Tatung) in Taoyuan on Wednesday were held to a draw when Taichung Futuro grabbed a late goal to level the match at 2-2.
Leopard Cat forward Chen Po-hao dribbled past two defenders and the goalkeeper to fire home an equalizer on the hour mark after Futuro striker Lee Mao had opened the scoring in the first half.
Japanese midfielder Naoyuki Yamazaki gave Leopard Cat the lead from the penalty spot in the 74th minute, before former Japan international Takayuki Morimoto scored a well-timed header in the dying minutes.
AC Taipei had their three-game winning streak snapped, slumping to a 1-0 loss to Ming Chuan University, with the lone goal early in the second half a volley by midfielder Hsiung Yuan-kuang.
Leopard Cat FC and AC Taipei are in second and third place on 14 and 12 points respectively, behind leaders TSG on 21 points, after they picked up their seventh win of the season.
TSG fell behind at the end of the first half when South Korean striker Joo Ik-seong smashed in a fierce shot for Hang Yuan to take a 1-0 lead.
However, TSG forward Marc Fenelus notched two second-half goals, the first from a free-kick shortly after the break, then pocketed all three points with a thumping header with only three minutes remaining.
The other midweek result saw Taipower pick up just their second win of the season, a 3-1 victory over the Taipei Dragons.
In the women’s league, four teams are locked in a close race for the title after four matches, with Hang Yuan level on seven points with Taichung Blue Whale and Kaohsiung Sunny Bank, while Taipei Bravo PlayOne are only a point behind in fourth.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
The Golden State Warriors on Wednesday withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference leading Thunder 116-109. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory. “We just stayed solid,” said Curry, who entered the contest mired in a shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. “Just all-around effort.” The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
RSS