Tehran: Bernd Stange insists he will look back fondly on his reign as Singapore coach despite losing to Afghanistan in what is expected to be his final game at the helm.
The Lions were unable to finish off their 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifying campaign on a high after a 2-1 defeat to the Afghans at the Takhti Stadium on Tuesday.
Goals from Khaibar Amani and Josef Shirdel were enough to hand Afghanistan the win, although Fazrul Nawaz scored with a poacher’s finish late on to hand Singapore a consolation.
The Singaporeans, despite the defeat, are through to the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers after finishing third in Group E behind Japan and Syria.
While the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) are yet to issue an official statement on his future, Stange (pictured, left) had last week announced that he would not be continuing on after his current contract expires in April.
However, the German claims he is proud of what Singapore have achieved under him in the past three years.
“We have ended the second qualifying round with ten points and I would like to thank our players and backroom staff for their total commitment, dedication and focus,” he said in a press release by the FAS following Tuesday’s loss.
“The support from the management has been amazing and helped to motivate our boys throughout the campaign.
“I am proud of our boys and officials and I am very optimistic that this team will make history by qualifying for the 2019 Asian Cup – if we keep the team, including players and backroom staff, together and also if we provide more support, especially in terms of training facilities.
“I have full optimism on the future of Singapore football but we need everyone to come together and provide full support on this journey towards success.”
In the same statement, Singapore captain Shahril Ishak (right), who is his country’s most-capped player with 128 appearances, thanked Stange for his contribution to the Lions.
“On behalf of my national team mates, I also want to express our gratitude to coach Bernd for his guidance over the past three years,” said the Johor Darul Ta’zim II forward.
“Coach Bernd is a fatherly figure and he has brought many young players into the national setup. Under his guidance, these young players have improved and will be the core members of our national team in the coming years.
“We have full respect and appreciation towards coach Bernd, who is always protective of us, and we want to thank him for all that he has done for us.
“Today’s (Tuesday’s) result was not how we wanted to end this qualifying campaign, but now we will look ahead to the rest of 2016.”
Stange’s only major tournament in charge of Singapore was the 2014 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship, where they were eliminated in the group stage despite being defending champions and co-hosts.
Photo: AFP
Source: the-afc.com