Former Team China captain Zheng Zhi has been appointed head coach of Guangzhou FC as the eight-time Chinese Super League champion battles to avoid relegation.

"The club decided to hire Zheng Zhi as the head coach of the senior team," Guangzhou FC said in a brief statement on Saturday.

Zheng's appointment came after Guangzhou's 2-1 defeat at home to Chengdu Rongcheng on Friday. The loss left Guangzhou mired in the CSL relegation zone with just six points from 12 matches, four points away from safety.

Guangzhou will host Dalian Pro on Sunday.

Zheng, 42, enjoyed a glittering playing career with Guangzhou FC.After joining the club in 2010－then known as Guangzhou Evergrande－he went on to captain the team to eight CSL titles and also won the Asian Champions League trophy twice.

His contract with the financially stricken club expired at the end of last year. Zheng then began a teaching post at Guangzhou Sport University.

Meanwhile, Henan Songshan Longmen defender Luo Xin has apologized for his overzealous tackle which injured Meizhou Hakka player Chen Zhechao in a CSL game on Saturday.

Luo was red-carded for the 10th-minute foul, with Chen forced to withdraw from the game with an ankle injury.

"I offer my deepest apologies for the tackle which injured the opposing team's No 15 (Chen) in the game against Meizhou," Luo wrote on social media on Sunday.

Henan's Wang Shangyuan said Luo's sending-off was the main reason for Henan's 1-0 loss.

"The red card changed the whole course of the match, as we had to fight with one man fewer just 10 minutes into the first half," he said.

"Those who watched the game can see that we have given all we had," he added.

Henan, which currently sits third in the CSL standings, will face league leader Wuhan Three Towns on Wednesday.

Xinhua