Quick Facts
Biography
Bernd Walter Stange (born 14 March 1948 in Gnaschwitz, Doberschau-Gaußig) is a former German football manager.
Stange was born in a Sorbian town of Saxony. He started playing at an early age and was called into the East German youth team. He continued to play for Chemie Gnaschwitz in the lower divisions until 1965 and later a year at Vorwärts Bautzen before joining HSD DHfK Leipzig, playing until retiring in 1970.
Coaching career
1970–91: Carl Zeiss Jena and East German national team
Stange went into coaching with Carl Zeiss Jena, winning the GDR league title twice in 1972 & 1975 and the GDR Cup in 1973 and 1974.
In 1982, he was appointed head coach of East Germany after years working as assistant coach and head coach of the Under 21s.
After a successful six-year spell with the national team, Stange returned to FC Carl Zeiss Jena, now in the unified German Bundesliga
1991–94: Hertha BSC and VfB Leipzig
Stange moved to coach Hertha BSC where his old ties as an informant for the East German police, the Stasi, surfaced. He was an 'Inoffizieller Mitarbeiter', which translates as 'unofficial employee'. His code name was 'IM Kurt Wegner'. His tasks included informing the Stasi about his players' views of the government and whether any of them were breaking the law by making contact with West Germans. He was sacked after these allegations surfaced.
1995–2001: Coaching abroad and third stint at Jena
In 1994, after losing his job at VfB Leipzig, he decided to travel abroad and in 1995 he joined FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. After the 1995–96 season Stange joined CSKA Kiev.
In 1998, he joined Perth Glory in the Australian National Soccer League. Glory under Stange in 2000 won the NSL league title however failed in the Grand Final, losing on penalties to the Wollongong Wolves after leading 3–0 at half-time. Stange was very popular among supporters in Perth to the point where a demonstration was held to prevent him from being sacked. However, his abrupt nature with players and other club officials made him a number of enemies, leading to his departure at the completion of his contract.
2001–04: Return to international management
In 2001, he was given the opportunity to guide Oman to the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan but was fired after less than three months in the job, just enough time for the German to attract the attentions of Iraqi sports officials, after his team beat Iraq 1–0.
Amid threats from the US President George W. Bush of a possible military conflict with Iraq, he arrived in Baghdad in October 2002 and put pen to paper to a 4-year contract that included two clauses allowing him to leave in the event of war and to refuse any political comment.
2005–16: Final years and retirement
In 2005 Stange joined Apollon Limassol in Cyprus and helped them to avoid relegation. The following season Apollon won unbeaten the Cypriot Championship after 12 years. Also, Apollon won the Super Cup a few months later for the first time. Stange had indicated that he would not be continuing in Cyprus after the end of the 2005–06 regardless of results. However, after the success he had with the club, he continued for the 2006–07 season but resigned in the middle of that season because his team was not doing well and lost its chance to win the Championship again.
On 30 July 2007, Stange was appointed by the Belarus Football Federation to coach the national team after previous manager Yuri Puntus resigned the month before due to a poor performance in the Euro 2008 qualifying. For his first game on 22 August, against Israel, Stange, to the surprise of fans and media called up many young players from the domestic league, leaving veterans such as Denis Kovba out of the rosters for the game. His debut ended in a 2–1 impressive victory despite questionable positioning of players on the field (e.g. Dmitri Mozolevski, striker, playing as a defender). With Stange, Belarus achieved its highest FIFA rating in its history, currently being ranked at 55th.
On 7 October 2011, Belarus coach Bernd Stange stood down from his post after the end of the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying campaign.
Bernd Stange has often commented on his desire to eventually settle in Perth with his wife Dorothea.
On 15 May 2013, he was unveiled as the head coach of Singapore national football team. He ends his stint with Singapore on April 2016.
Stange retired on 14 July 2016.
Current manager statistical summary
The following table provides a summary of Bernd Stange as the Singapore manager, including his progress in friendlies and competitive matches.
- Statistics correct as of 17 November 2014.
| Manager | Singapore career | P | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Stange, BerndBernd Stange | 2013 – 2016 | 7001190000000000000♠19 | 7000800000000000000♠8 | 7000200000000000000♠2 | 7000900000000000000♠9 | 07001421100000000000♠42.11 |
Key: P–games played, W–games won, D–games drawn; L–games lost, %–win percentage