Former Fulham and Monaco boss Jean Tigana said Sunday his move to coach Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenua was not about money but about "sport and life".
The 56-year-old joins his countryman Nicolas Anelka at Shenua, after the Chelsea striker last week agreed to a two-year deal starting in January worth a reported £200,000 ($313,000) a week.
"I have been lucky to coach in England and Turkey, and this will be an incredible adventure -- another culture, another nationality", Tigana said at a news conference in Shanghai.
"My choice is not financial, it is for sport and life."
Tigana will be one of China's most respected coaches alongside Shenzhen Ruby's Philippe Troussier and Takeshi Okada, who took Japan to the knockout stages of last year's World Cup in South Africa.
The signing of Anelka, 32, was by far the biggest coup for China's scandal-hit Super League, where Shenua finished 11th last season.
"He is a quality player he will be an advantage to the club,", Tigana said of the ex-Arsenal and Real Madrid man.
Tigana played alongside French football great Michel Platini for the national side and went on to coach at Lyon, Monaco, Fulham and Besiktas. He quit his job at Bordeaux in France in May after a disappointing run of results.
Tigana said winning was in his character, but called on fans and staff to get behind him: "I will do the maximum, but alone you can not win. I need the whole club to be behind me to have this winning mentality."
Chinese football has long been mired in scandal, but clubs enriched by the country's industrial boom are suddenly spending big on players, starting with $10 million Argentine midfielder Dario Conca in July.
Source: AFP
