Chinese soccer fans and insiders were shocked on Friday by the sacking of Fabio Cannavaro as head coach of big-spending Guangzhou Evergrande.

Shortly after a 2-2 draw with Tianjin Teda in a domestic league match on Thursday evening, the club said it had hired World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to replace Cannavaro.

Peng Weiguo, a retired Chinese national team player, said, "The change of coaches reflects some Chinese clubs' strategy - to achieve quick success and benefits by introducing big international names, either in playing or coaching positions."