China to extend Bruno Bini's contract to 2019

Frenchman Bruno Bini's contract as the coach of Chinese women soccer team is set to be extended to 2019, according to Yu Hongchen, the deputy of Chinese Football Association (CFA).

When the Frenchman, who led the French women's team to a fourth finish at the 2011 World Cup as well as the 2012 London Olympics, had helped the Chinese team to fix a berth for the Rio Olympics with one game remaining on Monday.

"Chinese fans and media would be very disappointed if we don't renew Bruno's contract," said Yu on Wednesday.

Bruno signed a one-year contract with CFA last September. According to the deal, CFA would extend his contract for three more years before the current contract expires. Yu said that the advanced qualification for Rio Olympics was a little lucky for China, but the luck was only for those who had been prepared.

"Compared to our rivals in Rio, our ranking is much lower. So we won't set any specific goals for the team, we would like to see Bruno and his players give us some happy surprises," Yu added.

China, 17th in the world rankings, had failed to get the London 2012 ticket and was not a favorite in the Rio 2016 qualifications as compared to former world champions Japan, traditional powerhouses Australia and DPR Korea. But China have collected three wins and one draw to secure an Olympic slot in advance, beating Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, tying DPR Korea in Asian qualifiers.

"We built up more confidence under Bini's lead, and we can play in perfect solidarity just like family members," said Chinese player Ren Guixin. Endit