View source for Pál Csernai

{{short description|Hungarian football player and manager}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Eastern name order|Csernai Pál}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name           = Pál Csernai
|image          = 
|caption        = 
|fullname       = 
|birth_date     = {{birth date|1932|10|21|df=y}}
|birth_place    = [[Pilis]], [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)|Kingdom of Hungary]]
|death_date     = {{death date and age|2013|9|1|1932|10|21|df=y}}
|death_place    = 
|height         = 
|position       = [[Midfielder]]
|youthyears1    = 
|youthclubs1    = 
|years1         = 1952–1953
|clubs1         = [[Budapesti Postás SE|Budapesti Postás]]
|caps1          = 46
|goals1         = 2
|years2         = 1954–1955
|clubs2         = [[Csepel SC|Csepeli Vasas]]
|caps2          = 46
|goals2         = 0
|years3         = 1956–1958
|clubs3         = [[Karlsruher SC]]
|caps3          = 
|goals3         = 
|years4         = 1958–1959
|clubs4         = [[FC La Chaux-de-Fonds|La Chaux-de-Fonds]]
|caps4          = 
|goals4         = 
|years5         = 1959–1965
|clubs5         = [[Stuttgarter Kickers]]
|caps5          = 
|goals5         = 
|totalcaps      = 
|totalgoals     = 
|nationalyears1 = 1955
|nationalteam1  = [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]]
|nationalcaps1  = 2
|nationalgoals1 = 0
|manageryears1  = 1968–1970
|managerclubs1  = [[Wacker 04 Berlin]]
|manageryears2  = 1970–1971
|managerclubs2  = [[SSV Reutlingen 05]]
|manageryears3  = 1971–1972
|managerclubs3  = [[Royal Antwerp F.C.|Royal Antwerp]]
|manageryears4  = 1973–1977
|managerclubs4  = North Baden FA
|manageryears5  = 1978–1983
|managerclubs5  = [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]]
|manageryears6  = 1983–1984
|managerclubs6  = [[P.A.O.K. F.C.|PAOK]]
|manageryears7  = 1984–1985
|managerclubs7  = [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]]
|manageryears8  = 1985–1986
|managerclubs8  = [[Borussia Dortmund]]
|manageryears9  = 1987–1988
|managerclubs9  = [[Fenerbahçe S.K.|Fenerbahçe]]
|manageryears10 = 1988
|managerclubs10 = [[Eintracht Frankfurt]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eintracht-archiv.de/csernai.html|title=Profile|language=de|publisher=Eintracht Archiv}}</ref>
|manageryears11 = 1990
|managerclubs11 = [[BSC Young Boys|Young Boys]]
|manageryears12 = 1990–1991
|managerclubs12 = [[Hertha BSC]]
|manageryears13 = 1993
|managerclubs13 = [[North Korea national football team|North Korea]]
|manageryears14 = 1994–1995
|managerclubs14 = [[FC Sopron|Sopron]]
}}

'''Pál Csernai''' (21 October 1932 – 1 September 2013) was a Hungarian [[association football|football]] player and manager.

==Career==

===Playing career===
Born in [[Pilis]], [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)|Kingdom of Hungary]], Csernai played club football in Hungary, Germany and Switzerland for [[Budapesti Postás SE|Budapesti Postás]],<ref>[http://www.nela.hu/nb_jatekos.php?id=5404 Pál Csernai] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113122/http://www.nela.hu/nb_jatekos.php?id=5404 |date=16 March 2017 }} at nela.hu</ref> [[Csepel SC|Csepeli Vasas]], [[Karlsruher SC]], [[FC La Chaux-de-Fonds|La Chaux-de-Fonds]] and [[Stuttgarter Kickers]].<ref name = "NFT">{{NFT player|id=43606}}</ref>

He also earned two caps for [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]] in 1955.<ref name = "NFT"/>

===Management career===
After retiring as a player, Csernai managed clubs in Germany, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Switzerland and Hungary.

In the early 1990s, he was involved with the [[North Korea national football team|North Korean national team]]. In June 1991, he signed a six-month contract with the [[DPR Korea Football Association|PRKFA]], acting as a technical adviser to manager Hong Hyon-chol.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1991/10/18/us-and-north-korea-get-the-ball-rolling/076a18b9-330a-432b-a51b-a5a5927b8312/|title=U.S. AND NORTH KOREA GET THE BALL ROLLING|first=Steven|last=Goff|work=The Washington Post|date=18 October 1991|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=94564989|title=Hungary's Pal Csernai recalls 1990s stint as North Korea's soccer coach|date=21 May 2010|first=Pablo|last=Gorondi|publisher=Star Tribune}}</ref> During this time, North Korea beat the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] 2–1 in a friendly match.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/20/sports/soccer-north-korea-sprints-past-united-states.html|title=SOCCER; North Korea Sprints Past United States|first=Flip|last=Bondy|work=The New York Times|date=20 October 1991|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref> After Hong's sacking in October 1993, the PRKFA turned to Csernai to become the national team's manager. The team left for Qatar to participate in the [[1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Final round|final round]] of the [[1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|Asian qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup]]. They started positively, with a 3–2 win over [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]], but lost the other four matches, with the final one being a 3–0 loss to [[North Korea–South Korea football rivalry|rivals]] [[South Korea national football team|South Korea]]. Despite the North Korean authorities' insistence for him to stay on as manager, Csernai returned to Hungary, concerned over their efforts to have him acquire citizenship.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/pal-csernai-title-winning-coach-of-bayern-munich-8842453.html|title=Pal Csernai: Title-winning coach of Bayern Munich|work=The Independent|date=26 September 2013|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref>

Known for wearing his trade mark silk scarf, he is considered to be the inventor of the so-called "Pal system", a combination of the [[Man-to-man defense|man-to-man]] and the [[Zone defense|zone]] defenses.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/bundesliga/fc-bayern-muenchen/article119622845/Bayerns-Meister-Trainer-Pal-Csernai-ist-tot.html|title=Bayerns Meister-Trainer Pal Csernai ist tot|newspaper=[[Die Welt]]|date=2 September 2013|language=de|access-date=3 December 2018}}</ref>

==Later life and death==
Csernai died on 1 September 2013, after a long illness.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/fc-bayern-muenchen-pal-csernai-ist-tot-a-919885.html|title=Früherer Bayern-Trainer: Pal Csernai ist tot|date=2 September 2013|access-date=2 September 2013|language=de|work=Der Spiegel}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Navboxes
|title= Awards
|bg = gold
|fg = navy
|list1=
{{Bundesliga winning managers}}
{{DFB-Pokal winning managers}}
{{Taça de Portugal winning managers}}
}}
{{Navboxes
|title= Managerial positions
|list1=
{{Royal Antwerp FC managers}}
{{Bayern Munich managers}}
{{PAOK F.C. managers}}
{{S.L. Benfica managers}}
{{Borussia Dortmund managers}}
{{Fenerbahçe SK managers}}
{{Eintracht Frankfurt managers}}
{{BSC Young Boys managers}}
{{Hertha BSC Berlin managers}}
{{North Korea national football team managers}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Csernai, Pal}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Pilis]]
[[Category:Hungarian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Hungary men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Csepel SC footballers]]
[[Category:Hungarian expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in West Germany]]
[[Category:Karlsruher SC players]]
[[Category:Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in West Germany]]
[[Category:Stuttgarter Kickers players]]
[[Category:Hungarian football managers]]
[[Category:Hungarian expatriate football managers]]
[[Category:Royal Antwerp F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Belgium]]
[[Category:Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium]]
[[Category:Bundesliga managers]]
[[Category:FC Bayern Munich managers]]
[[Category:FC Bayern Munich non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in West Germany]]
[[Category:PAOK FC managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Greece]]
[[Category:Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Greece]]
[[Category:S.L. Benfica managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Portugal]]
[[Category:Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal]]
[[Category:Borussia Dortmund managers]]
[[Category:Fenerbahçe S.K. (football) managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Turkey]]
[[Category:Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey]]
[[Category:Eintracht Frankfurt managers]]
[[Category:BSC Young Boys managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Hertha BSC managers]]
[[Category:FC Sopron managers]]
[[Category:North Korea national football team managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in North Korea]]
[[Category:Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in North Korea]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Footballers from Pest County]]
[[Category:20th-century Hungarian sportsmen]]