KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Jozef Venglos, who transformed Kuala Lumpur into a football power in the 1980s, died at the age of 84 yesterday.
The Slovakian was the first person from outside the United Kingdom to take charge of a club in the English top-flight when he was appointed Aston Villa manager in 1990.
Venglos was the assistant coach when Czechoslovakia won the 1976 European crown. As manager, he took his country to third place in the 1980 European Championship and the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals.
He was Slovakia's first national team manager after it achieved independence in 1993. He had also coached the national teams of Australia, Czech Republic Oman and Malaysia.
The Slovakia FA, who announced his death, said: "Venglos is one of Sloavakia's greatest football personalities."
Venglos was known for introducing modern football techniques into Kuala Lumpur, then known as Federal Territory, in 1985.
Under him, KL rose from being the minnows of Malaysian football to becoming the mightiest.
After reaching the Malaysia Cup in 1985, Venglos coached the city side to the national league title the following year, finishing ahead of Singapore, Selangor and Johor.
He implemented a playing style of short passing, starting from the defence, and this paved the way for KL to win 10 major trophies, including three FA Cup titles and two Asean club crowns.
Expecting his players to behave like professionals, Venglos set three rules for the KL team – no late nights, players to discuss team play; and, players to take a lot of vitamins and have a good diet.
After Venglos left KL to become Malaysia's national coach in 1986, Chow Kwai Lam continued the Slovakian's good work by guiding KL to three consecutive Malaysia Cup titles from 1987-1989.
Mat Zan Mat Aris, who was one of KL's key players under Venglos, said: "Venglos brought a different kind of coaching, which was scientific, to Kuala Lumpur in those days. I really learned a lot from him."
He said the much travelled and very knowledgeable Venglos also had the ability to communicate well with the KL players.