By Guan Xiaomeng (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-10-18 16:55

The China Football Association (CFA) didn’t hear anything from Marika Domanski about extending her contract until midnight on Wednesday. But when the CFA contacted her, the head coach of the women’s soccer team said she needed 10 more days to think about it.

China's coach Marika Domanski-Lyfors of Sweden (in blue), comforts her player Han Duan after their loss to Norway at the quarter final match of the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup soccer tournament in Wuhan, China Sunday Sept. 23, 2007. Norway defeated China 1-0. [Xinhua]

To coach or not to coach – the well-known Sweden-born coach is hesitating whether to extend her leadership of the national team after it failed to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup last month.

The “Steel Roses”, dubbed by Chinese fans because of their peak performance in the 1990s was blown away by Norway 0-1 in the quarter-final clash to end their first World Cup on home soil.

Domanski took the helm of the Chinese national team in March this year when the team was bogged down in low ebb. Fans pinned high hopes on the Swedish coach to help China to regain its glory in 1990s, when China stormed to the finals of the 1999 World Cup and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, both finishing as runner-ups.

The team has improved significantly under Domanski’s watch, celebrating a string of victories in several friendly games and clinched the title of the four-nation International Women's Soccer Invitational Tournament 2007 in July, boosting its 2008 Olympic chances.

The Swede avoided replying back to the CFA when her contract was up earlier this month, saying that her aide was not in good health. But she said on Wednesday she wanted to spend “the most important days” with her husband and son.

Despite not having their coach’s contract settled yet, her players gave strong support to their “mother”.

"Domanski has taught us many new things, which has helped a lot. All of us love our coach. We treat her as our mother," said midfielder Bi Yan after the World Cup quarter-final elimination.

Striker Han Duan agreed: "She made us play as a team and encouraged us to keep upbeat for the future. We are very happy and we hope she will stay."

During the group stage, China beat Denmark 3-2 with late winning goal, lost 4-0 to Athens Olympic runner-up Brazil, and won 2-0 over underdogs New Zealand to be the runners-up of Group D.

"She made us feel we are becoming a strong team again. We all like her so much. I hope she will stay and take us to the Olympics," said Wang Kun, who was blamed for losing concentration in the goal box that resulted in the winning goal for Norway.

CFA officials were reported to do everything they can to keep the Swede in order to stabilize the team before next year’s Olympics. Previous frequent change of coaches left the team in disarray as five head coaches left the team in the past two years.