Bernd Stange named new coach of Soccer Singapore

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http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3883/features/2013/05/16/3981548/new-singapore-coach-bernd-stange-a-man-with-a-storied-past?ICID=HP_TS_5

Bernd Stange has been appointed as the new Singapore coach on Wednesday evening.

The 65-year-old might not be the big name many craved, but his decent track record with unfashionable teams should means he deserves the backing of the Singapore supporters for now.

Lions supporters also appear to have got themselves one of the most interesting coaches in international football to lead their national team.

There are those who are already aware that the German brings more than just his footballing credentials to the sunny island.

A cursory search on the Internet reveals that the former Belarus manager has been linked with the communist regime of the old East Germany’s official state security service, more commonly known as the Stasi.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, previously confidential Stasi documents revealed Stange’s role in the state: he was code-named "Kurt Wegner", and was tasked by the state with informing on his players. The then-Hertha Berlin and ex-East Germany manager stepped down after such allegations surfaced, but that didn’t stop him from going to take on controversial roles in his storied managerial career.

After he was fired as Oman coach in 2001, he took on the Iraq job in 2002 and guided them into the top 50 of the Fifa rankings, the 2004 Asian Cup quarter-finals and a fourth-place finish in the Athen Olympics in 2004.

For those achievements, he was subsequently presented with the Fifa Presidential Award from president Sepp Blatter for helping to rebuild Iraqi football.

Stange’s next notable role was at Cypriot top-flight side Apollon Limassol, whom he led to league glory in the 2005-06 season, in which they finished unbeaten having battled relegation only the year before. That was their first title in 12 years, and he also brought them the 2006 Cypriot Super Cup, which remains their only one to date.

Europe was his next port of call as he took over the reins at Belarus in July 2007, where he revamped the national team with a heavy emphasis on youth and building the team around former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb. Belarus eventually moved from 94th to 36th in the Fifa rankings.

Stange left after his Belarus contract was up at the end of their unsuccessful Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, and has now ended up in the hot seat of the reigning Southeast Asian champions.

He has made it clear that despite having worked in communist regimes, with dictators, capitalists and teams with limited budgets, he was always focused on his footballing tasks.

“I have coached so many teams in countries with different political systems... These are all different systems, but don’t forget that you have to put the ball in the net, and everywhere it is the same. My job is football and to try to win matches, which is the most important thing.”

Bernd Stange on Wikipedia