Football Association of Singapore (FAS) are already on the hunt for a new coach with Bernd Stange reportedly set to leave his post as the national team head coach in July.
The 68 year-old has been charge of Singapore since 2013, though it now appears that he is ready to end his tenure, though FAS remain adamant that an announcement will only be made in April.
Speaking to TODAY, a spokesperson from FAS said: “Like any other organisation, we have in place employment regulations, including contract renewal review processes. We have discussed with Coach Bernd on his future and we will announce this decision in April.”
Stange’s stint with the Lions has had mixed outcomes thus far. They’ve had disappointing moments, particularly their shambolic group stage exit at the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup, besides Singapore’s struggles at the SEA Games last year.
But at the same time, Stange was arguably the mastermind behind their fantastic 2-1 victory over Syria, besides guiding them to an unprecedented 0-0 draw with Japan last year.
The German will still be in the dugout when Singapore face Myanmar on the 24th of March, though their World Cup qualifiers tie against Afghanistan, five days later, is expected to be his farewell match.
According to reports in multiple Singaporean dailies, FAS has developed a shortlist of potential replacements for Stange, and it includes current Tampines Rovers boss V. Sundramoorthy, as well as ex-LionsXII head coach, Fandi Ahmad.
That being said, a final decision is only likely to be made after the FAS General Election, which is scheduled to take place in June.
WHAT DO WE THINK
Right now, there’s almost no point in questioning Stange’s decision. It’s easy to say that he’s been doing a decent job, but Stange visibly wanted to change Singaporean football when he took charge – something he hasn’t been able to do entirely. The question now becomes, who will replace him? On one side, fans are calling for local names to be given the role. The likes of Fandi and Sundramoorthy are vastly experienced within the Southeast Asia region and they will certainly earn the respect of players. But as Stange often proved during his tenure, you can never go wrong with a little foreign flavour when it comes to big international matches. Singapore’s ability to defeat Syria and hold the mighty Japanese to a 0-0 draw, was due in no small part to Stange’s experience. FAS, the ball is in your court.
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