The Chinese professional football team Qingdao FC has announced the appointment of new head coach, with the club's sporting director taking on the role.
The new head coach is Guangdong Evergrande assistant coach and former Guangzhou Evergrande player Li Hongbin, who will take charge of the team from August 25th.
Li Hongbin, who was appointed as Guangdong Evergrande assistant coach in May this year, has previously worked with several other top-tier clubs including Shanghai SIPG and Jiangsu Sainty.
In his first season at Qingdao FC, Li Hongbin led the team to the league championship, securing promotion to the top tier for the first time since its establishment in 1994.
He also helped the team reach the semi-finals of the AFC Cup, where they were eliminated by eventual champions Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia.
"I am very excited to be joining Qingdao FC," said Li Hongbin. "I have been following the team's progress over the past few seasons and I believe that we can achieve great things together."
Qingdao FC manager Zhang Jie said: "We are delighted to have Li Hongbin join our coaching staff. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from his previous coaching roles, which will help us to improve our performance and compete at the highest level."
The announcement comes after the departure of former head coach Guan Zhenghe, who left the team in June due to personal reasons.
With Li Hongbin now in place, Qingdao FC will hope to build on their recent success and continue their upward trajectory in the Chinese Super League.