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TIANJIN, China, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Tianjin Quanjian confirmed the appointment of Fabio Cannavaro as the Chinese Division A club's head coach on Wednesday.
The Chinese Division A Club wished the former World Footballer of the Year will "lead the side powerfully to rebound from its current underperformance."
Quanjian has been struggling and now sits at ninth of the 16-team Division A standings after 11 rounds, which may lead to Brazilian coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo's sack.
The Italian arrived in Beijing on Thursday morning and will take over the Tianjin side on Friday for the preparation of the 12th round.
Cannavaro was "eager to accept the invitation from Quanjian" and he had believed in his return to China someday after having been sacked by the two-time Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande last summer.
The 42-year-old was installed at Guangzhou in November 2014 and was sacked last June, replaced by Brazil's Felipe Scolari. Under Cannavaro's charge, Guangzhou had 11 wins, six draws and six losses in 23 matches.
After leaving China, Cannavaro went on to coach Saudi Arabian champion Al Nass last October, only to be sacked for "bad results" after four months.
As a player, Cannavaro won the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards after having captained Italy to lift the 2006 World Cup.
