NANNING, China, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Fabio Cannavaro left more questions than answers when he said on Wednesday that he was only certain to act as head coach of the Chinese national football team for the upcoming China Cup Tournament.

The former Italy skipper, who serves as head coach of Chinese Guangzhou Evergrande club, was appointed as China's head coach last Friday amid controversy.

He was tasked to manage the national team to play the China Cup which will kick off on Thursday, and seemed unsure about his future after the tournament.

"I can tell you without doubt that I am the head coach of Guangzhou Evergrande. But for the time being that is unrelated, now during the China Cup period I am the head coach of China," he said.

"After the tournament, we will have further talk and negotiations," he said. "And what we can say now is assumption to which I cannot give any answer."

China will play its opening match of the China Cup against Thailand on Thursday before meeting Uraguay or Uzbekistan next Monday.

Cannavaro insisted that the results of these two matches cannot be used to assess his performance.

"These two matches will not decide whether I will continue to act as the head coach of China," he said.

"I am here not to be assessed. I have nothing to show now as I can change nothing during four or five days with the national team," the 45-year-old Italian said.He hit back at his critics who questioned his capability to manage China.

"Some people said I am too young and lack experience, but I had a career as Italian national player for 15 years, I played six finals with Italy and won four of them," said Cannavaro, who captained Italy as it won the 2006 World Cup title.

"I knew far more about major international tournaments than those who have criticised me," he said.