Rest In Peace, Bicskei

Former national coach, Bertalan Bicskei passed away on Saturday (16/7/11) in Budapest, Hungary. He was 67.

Born on 17 September 1944, Bicskei was Malaysia’s national and youth development coach from 2004 until 2005.

As a youth player, he played for the most famous Hungarian club side, Ferencvaros, and he also honed his skills in Honved and MTK Budapest, both Premier Division Hungarian sides.

As a talented goalkeeper, he played many matches with the Hungarian national youth and senior teams. After his playing days were over, he devoted much of his time to coaching and teaching young soccer players on the highest level.

From 1977 to 1982, he worked as the coaching director for the MTK Budapes’s youth programme, and from 1982 to 1986 he was the Hungary’sYouth Coach Director.

One of his greatest achievements on that level, under his coaching and guidance, the national u-18 team of Hungary captured the European Youth Championship in Moscow in 1984.

Before moving on to the senior level, Bicskei successfully completed and graduated at the world renowned soccer academy in Cologne, Germany in 1986.

In 1987/88 Bicskei become head coach of Honved Budapest and he became the national coah in 1990 and a year later he became the head coach Daewoo Royals in South Korea.

Under his direction, the club won the national title, national cup, and he was voted, coach of the year in South Korea.

The other clubs which he coached included FC Luzern (Switzerland) and Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
Between 1998 and 2001 he served his second stint as the national coach of Hungary,later becoming the technical director of the Hungarian Football Federation between 2006 and mid-2008.

In the second half of 2004, the Football Association of Malaysia selected Bicskei, to succeed Allan Harris.Bicskei led the national side to third place at the regional Tiger Cup competition. Later he was tasked to do youth development in Malaysia.

Bicksei left Malaysia in 2005 and was given the job of Liberia’s national coach in July 2010 on a four-year contract, but had to take a leave of absence in February 2011 after an incident where he ate a poisoned biscuit.

-Sumber dari http://fam.org.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=313&catid=54&Itemid=120&lang=en