Aussie McKinna to coach in China

Australian Lawrie McKinna has signed a one-year deal to manage Chongqing Lifan FC in China's League One, his Central Coast Mariners club said on Friday. After a spell coaching Chengdu Blades in the Chinese Super League earlier this year, McKinna recently returned to the Mariners to work in the club's football operations. But the desire to coach on a full-time basis again and a sense of unfinished business in Chinese football prompted McKinna to take up Chongqing's offer for the 2012 season, the Mariners said. "I really enjoyed my experience living in China and Chongqing Lifan have given me a fantastic opportunity to finish what I started with Chengdu," McKinna said in a statement. "Chongqing put together an appealing proposal that first and foremost gave me the opportunity to coach again." McKinna will help with the Mariners' 2012 AFC Champions League campaign before taking up the Chongqing job.