Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Perak's 80 Year Old Coach
I gotta say I am impressed by Perak's new coach. Karl-Heinz Weigang is 80 years old and it is fair to say he has been there and done that when it comes to coaching.
He was born in Germany in 1935 which probably means he is one of the few coaches active today who lived through the Second World War and has some memories of it. He started his career with bibs, balls and cones in Sri Lanka in 1964 when it was still known as Ceylon before moving to South Vietnam in 1966 and stayed there until 1968. Not bad when you consider the Vietnam War was ongoing!
South Vietnam of course no longer exists, it is part of Vietnam but Weigang will probably stay in the record books for ever as he would have been at the helm when they defeated Philippines 10-0 in Tokyo in 1967.
He first moved to Malaysia in 1979 to coach the national team. At that time I was a spotty goofy teenager devoting my energies to the last days of punk and following a poor Arsenal team when the money permitted and never thought about football beyond London unless it was trips north to be greeted by bottles and bricks. Yet here was Weigang 15 years into a coaching career.
In 1982 he had moved to West Africa where he stayed for 12 years or so before returning to Asia and this time a unified Vietnam.
He is back now with Perak after previous stints with Johor and Perak and I tell you what. Stuff your Jose Mourinho books where the sun don't shine, ig Weigang has penned his memoirs they would be worth reading!
He was born in Germany in 1935 which probably means he is one of the few coaches active today who lived through the Second World War and has some memories of it. He started his career with bibs, balls and cones in Sri Lanka in 1964 when it was still known as Ceylon before moving to South Vietnam in 1966 and stayed there until 1968. Not bad when you consider the Vietnam War was ongoing!
South Vietnam of course no longer exists, it is part of Vietnam but Weigang will probably stay in the record books for ever as he would have been at the helm when they defeated Philippines 10-0 in Tokyo in 1967.
He first moved to Malaysia in 1979 to coach the national team. At that time I was a spotty goofy teenager devoting my energies to the last days of punk and following a poor Arsenal team when the money permitted and never thought about football beyond London unless it was trips north to be greeted by bottles and bricks. Yet here was Weigang 15 years into a coaching career.
In 1982 he had moved to West Africa where he stayed for 12 years or so before returning to Asia and this time a unified Vietnam.
He is back now with Perak after previous stints with Johor and Perak and I tell you what. Stuff your Jose Mourinho books where the sun don't shine, ig Weigang has penned his memoirs they would be worth reading!
# posted by Me @ 12:28 PM 
