Lippi confident he can elevate China

Italian soccer legend Marcello Lippi, the new head coach of China's men's national soccer team, expressed confidence on Friday about helping to improve the game's level in China, but experts called for more grassroots investment.

Lippi, who guided Italy to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup, has embraced a challenging mission to lead the Chinese national team through the Asian qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and to revive the country's soccer program.

After signing a contract through 2019 with the Chinese Football Association, reported to be worth 20 million euros ($21.8 million) annually, Lippi said on Friday that he was lured back to China by the respect he received and the possibility of helping one of the world's biggest economies to make progress on the soccer field.