Football: Singapore's Stange gets second short-term extension till April

The Football Association of Singapore on Friday announced an extension of national coach Bernd Stange's contract to April 15, 2016.

FAS general secretary Winston Lee said: "As we continue to strive towards our aim of qualifying for the Asian Cup 2019, extending Bernd's contract ensures continuity and leadership for the national team which has performed well in the ongoing World Cup/Asian Cup joint qualifying campaign.

"The exco and management remain confident in Bernd's leadership and capabilities to further raise our standards and we will continue to support him and the national team fully as we prepare for the remaining five matches in the round two qualifying campaign. We will review the performance of the national team after the conclusion of the qualifying campaign."

Stange said: "I've always emphasised my desire to remain and lead the national team through the World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers and I deeply appreciate the level of trust and confidence the (FAS) have in me. I will continue to do my best for Singapore.

"I will also continue to work closely with, and guide, my coaching colleagues Fandi Ahmad and V. Sundramoorthy - who have demonstrated team work, respect, humility and a genuine desire to keep learning and raising their standards."

Singapore football icon Fandi said: "Coach Stange's extension is a plus for the team. We are heading in the right direction and I will continue to support coach Stange and the team to the best of my abilities. I am optimistic that we will achieve good results in the upcoming qualifying matches which will be played on our home ground."

This article was first published on September 18, 2015.
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