BEIJING - Former France head coach Elisabeth Loisel has emerged as the favorite to take the helm of the Chinese women's football national team, which were left rudderless after Marika Domanski-Lyfors declined to come back to China and extend her contract.

China's coach Marika Domanski-Lyfors of Sweden (C) comforts her player Han Duan after their loss to Norway at the quarterfinal match of the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup soccer tournament in Wuhan, China Sunday Sept. 23, 2007. Norway defeated China 1-0. [Xinhua] Though Domanski-Lyfors failed to meet her own pre-tournament target of leading the hosts into the top four of the FIFA Women's World Cup, she won universal approval with the local press and fans. The Chinese Football Association (CFA) had expressed their wish to keep everything stay put and the Swede could remain with the Chinese side in preparation for next year's Olympic Games.

But Domanski-Lyfors thought otherwise and chose to stay with her family.

"I am happy in China and like the job, but my family comes first," Domanski-Lyfors was quoted as telling Swedish media.

With the Olympics less than 300 days away, the Chinese football governing body has to set off a frantic hunt for a new coach for the "Steel Roses". They have fixed their target on three candidates with Loisel tipped as the best-equipped one.

"We have to fast-track our selection process as there is not so much time left. We hope the new coach would be in position by the end of this month," said a CFA insider.

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