The future of Singapore national coach Bernd Stange has been the subject of much speculation after Singapore’s unsuccessful defence of their ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup title on home soil last November.
But in the biggest indication yet that the German will be offered a new contract, Football Association of Singapore (FAS) President Zainudin Nordin said Stange’s work has been positive for the local game since he was recruited in May 2013. More specifically, he has injected new life into the Lions with younger players, upping their technical skills and guided younger coaches.
Zainudin was speaking to TODAY after the launch of PlayPal yesterday, a local app that helps football enthusiasts search for players and locate places they can get together for kickabouts.
After Singapore failed to reach their semi-final target in the AFF Suzuki Cup, the FAS announced on Dec 29 that Stange’s two-year contract, which was to have originally expired in May, had been extended until after the SEA Games.
This is to allow the 67-year-old to guide national under-23 coach Aide Iskandar at the biennial event, which Singapore will host from Jun 5 to 16. TODAY understands the FAS is likely to enter talks with him on a two-year extension to his existing deal.
Pointing to the target the FAS gave Stange when hiring him in 2013, Zainudin said: “The KPI (key performance indicators) we set for Bernd is very simple: Focus on revitalising the team, which he has done and a lot of players have been brought into the team, improving technical expertise and guiding young coaches such as Fandi, Aide and Richard Bok.
“If you ask me, I am very clear that the objectives and the work he has done have been very positive for Singapore football and we need to look at this from a more holistic perspective in moving on subsequently.”
NO “KNEE-JERK” REACTION FOR “RESPONSIBLE” FAS
Last year’s AFF Suzuki Cup was the first major senior international tournament for Stange as Singapore coach, but the Lions did not get past the group stage after losses to Thailand and Malaysia. There were calls for Stange to step down, while the FAS also came under fire in the aftermath of the exit.
But Zainudin stressed that as a “responsible organisation”, the FAS could not resort to a “knee-jerk” reaction.
“People were also asking for Raddy’s (former national coach Radojko Avramovic) head in 2010, after Singapore also failed to get past the AFF group stage,” he said. “This is not our style; we don’t hire and fire people for one tournament because we have a role for Bernd to play and there are KPIs for him to meet and I think this is how we should handle human resource.”
Since the tournament, Stange has kept a low profile, but even if the FAS is extending its hand for a new deal, it needs his nod to continue their partnership.
“That is his choice, but we believe we need to sit down subsequently to see what more can be done,” said Zainudin.
“Now, he has a duty to carry on until after the SEA Games is over and we have to make sure we respect this. Bernd is still with us and it is important to give him the stability and ensure he is able to do his job well.”
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
