Jason Dasey
HE’S coached all over Asia and Europe, including a spell in his native East Germany when he was a secret informant on his own players to the notorious Stasi police.
And, now former Singapore manager Bernd Stange hopes to bring Asian Cup glory to war-torn Syria.
With the regional showpiece in the United Arab Emirates less than three months away, Stange oversaw some mixed warm-up results in friendlies during the recent international break.
After an impressive 1-0 victory on the road against Bahrain on Oct 11, the Syrians fell to a 2-0 defeat to China in Nanjing on Tuesday night.
Stange signed a one-year contract in January to fill the void left by Ayman al-Hakim who quit after Syria narrowly lost an AFC World Cup play-off against Australia last October.
And the 70-year-old is no stranger to working in conflict-ridden countries, having guided Iraq between 2002 and 2004 when Saddam Hussein was toppled from the presidency.
His appointment with the talented Qasioun Eagles raised some eyebrows, given that he had announced his retirement in 2016 after a patchy three years with Singapore. He won only eight of 19 games, and oversaw an embarrassing group-stage exit as hosts for the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup when the Lions lost their final match to arch-rivals Malaysia.
But Stange did enjoy a couple of high points. An heroic 0-0 World Cup qualifying draw away to Japan in June 2015 followed a 2-1 Asian Cup qualifying victory over Syria at Jalan Besar Stadium in 2013 after goals from Hariss Harun and Gabriel Quak.
It was probably that result which prompted the Syrians to take a gamble on the former defender.
The assignment is Stange’s fifth in charge of a national team. In addition to Syria, Singapore and Iraq, Stange managed Oman (2001) and his native East Germany (1984-88).
The flamboyant Stange tends to divide opinion. While some of his fellow coaches are surprised that he continues to get sought-after jobs, he remains a darling of the fans and the media, with his headline-friendly rhetoric and colourful comments.
Supporters of Australia’s Perth Glory held a rally to prevent him from being sacked during his three years at the club between 1998 and 2001. Perth won the minor premiership in the 1999-2001 season, only to lose the Grand Final to Wollongong Wolves on penalties after an AC Milan-like collapse, having led 3-0 at half-time.
His infamous period helping the Stasi was revealed when he was at Hertha Berlin in the early 1990s. Years earlier, before the Berlin Wall came down, while working in East German club football, Stange was an “unofficial Stasi employee”, with the code name of Kurt Wegner. He reportedly spied on players holding anti-government views, or those who showed an inclination to defect to the West.
When the scandal was uncovered, Stange was forced out by Hertha and cast into the football wilderness.
Years later, Stange told The Telegraph: “What happened in East Germany is all in the past now. I’m a football coach, not a politician.”
Stange would re-build his career back in East Germany, Ukraine, Australia and Belarus, where he enjoyed some of his best results in a relatively lengthy spell as national coach between 2007 and 2011.
In his first game in charge, Belarus defeated Israel 2-1 in Euro 2008 qualifying. He would take them from 90th in the world to a FIFA-best ranking of 37th in 2011. However, despite bold promises to ensure a similar climb with Singapore, Stange wasn’t able to replicate the same kind of rankings’ improvement for the Southeast Asian nation.
With Syria, Stange has a team loaded with talent who came close to upsetting Asian champions Australia in last year’s AFC World Cup playoff over two legs last October.
After riding their luck in a 1-1 draw on neutral soil in Melaka, Syria forced extra-time in the second leg in Sydney, following another 1-1 scoreline.
And after Tim Cahill got the go-ahead goal for the Socceroos in the 109th minute, the 10-man Syrians almost forced a 2-all draw, which would have allowed them to progress on away goals, when Omar Al Somah’s last-gasp free-kick beat keeper Mat Ryan, only to see the ball kept out by the post.
Australia advanced to Russia 2018 after beating Honduras 3-1 over two legs in a subsequent playoff, but the Syrians had given the Socceroos a far more difficult assignment.
The nations will be reunited in January’s Asian Cup in the U.A.E, with Jordan and Palestine also making up Group B. Australia and Syria will be favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.
Stange admits that working from his base in Damascus holds similar challenges to his days in Baghdad a decade and half ago.
He’s passed by Ghouta and Douma, Syrian sites of suspected chemical attacks, in a country where more than 400,000 people have been killed or reported missing over seven years of civil war.
But as he did in his Iraqi chapter, Stange simply wants to concentrate on ensuring success on the sporting field for the masses to enjoy.
“I believe we should bring back a smile to Syrian people who have suffered for such a long time,” Stange told the BBC. “They love football.”
Syria’s Asian Cup campaign begins against Palestine in Sharjah on Jan. 6.
– Jason Dasey hosts Weekend Mornings on Singapore’s Money FM 89.3 and is CEO of Cockatoo Media. Twitter: @JasonDasey