Jason Dasey
THE death of former Australia international Darren Stewart at the age of just 52 sent shockwaves through Asian football circles.
The body of the highly respected coach was found in his Singapore apartment last week.
Stewart was known as the inspirational captain of a successful Johor side in Malaysia in the 1990s before turning to management in Singapore where he finished his playing career.
In more recent years, he coached the Maldives national team.
“Everyone was devastated by the news of Darren’s passing,” said his former Johor coach Steve Darby.
“I’d spoken to him only three days before. He was a players’ coach and a top-class football professional who always had great empathy and understanding of his players.’’
Asia had been Stewart’s home for a quarter of a century after he’d built his reputation in Australia’s National Soccer League.
After five seasons with his hometown club Newcastle Rosebud, Stewart headed to Sydney to join the Apia-Leichhardt, an Italian club with a rich tradition.
He played four times for the Socceroos, including three full internationals.
He made his debut against Croatia in a 3-1 victory in Adelaide in 1992 as a member of a team that included current Malaysia Super League coach Mehmet Durakovic.
That year, he also faced Indonesia, a junior Thailand side and Solomon Islands.
On the back of his strong international form, Stewart among the first waves of Australian imports to head to Southeast Asia, along with the likes of Alistair Edwards, Alan Davidson and Scott Ollerenshaw.
Former Thailand national coach Darby remembers Stewart’s strong leadership and fearless defensive skills after he took over as Johor coach in 1998 when they were bottom of the second division.
Another Australian Milan Blagojevic and injury-prone Hungarian Freddie Turboly were the other import players.
With hard man Stewart leading the way, Johor would embark on an unbeaten run that saw them finish second in the league and become the first second division team to win the Malaysia FA Cup.
“Darren was a tough player who took no prisoners. But he was a far better footballer than many believed.
“I played him as a sweeper in a back three at Johor. As well as defending, his job was to bring the ball out from the back,” Darby said.
“Our first game together was against Perlis who had a skinny Thai winger whom I would have loved to have signed. It turned to be Kiatisuk ‘Zico’ Senamuang who, in future years, would be my assistant as Thailand national boss and then become a brilliant manager in his own right.
“In the Malaysia FA Cup final, we beat a Sabah side who were coached by Chelsea legend Ken Shelito and had former Arsenal player David Rocastle as their star import. We pulled off a shock 1-0 victory with captain Darren magnificent in defence.
“Darren was also a great off-field captain and took the time and effort to mix with the local lads and adapt to their culture. The local lads treated him as one of their own and with great respect.’’
It was that empathy that Stewart would carry into his Singapore S.League coaching career with unfashionable Gombak United and Balestier Khalsa, having served as assistant to fellow Australian Scott O’Donell for two seasons at Geylang United.
In 2013, Stewart won the Goal.com S.League coach of the year award after guiding Balestier to their first piece of major silverware – the Singapore League Cup – and their highest-ever league finish of fourth.
The following year, Stewart was shortlisted for the A-League head coach role at the Newcastle Jets for the 2014-15 season, with the job eventually going to Englishman Phil Stubbins.
My last contact with Darren came in 2016 when I interviewed him for ESPN FC when he was appointed head coach of the Maldives national team for their 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign, succeeding ex-New Zealand World Cup boss Ricki Herbert.
In true modest style, he admitted that the offer came completely out of the blue.
“Somebody recommended me… I am not sure who it was, but when the job was offered I accepted it straight away because chances like this don’t come along very often,” Stewart told me in July 2016.
After a 5-1 victory over two legs against Laos in a playoff to make the final round, Maldives outperformed both Malaysia and Singapore in terms of qualification matches won, but fell short as Oman and Palestine progressed from their group.
His contract wasn’t renewed and he left at the end of 2017, taking full responsibility for the island nation’s failure to qualify.
“Darren had an enthusiasm and deep love for the game. We often spoke on WhatsApp about football and coaching. We will all miss him,” Darby said.
Stewart, who was divorced, is survived by his two adult children Melanie and Matthew.
His body was cremated last Sunday in Singapore where a wake was held.
Jason Dasey hosts Weekend Mornings on Singapore’s Money FM 89.3 and is CEO of Cockatoo Media. Twitter: @JasonDasey