Elek Schwartz

{{Short description|Romanian footballer and manager (1908–2000)}}

{{Distinguish|Sándor Schwartz{{!}}Alexandru "Sándor" Schwartz}}

{{Infobox football biography

|name = Elek Schwartz

|image = Elek Schwartz 1972.jpg

|image_size = 230

|caption = Schwartz in 1972

|fullname = Alexandru Schwartz

|birth_date = {{birth date|1908|10|23|df=yes}}

|birth_place = Temesrékas, Austria-Hungary
(today Recaş, Romania)

|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2000|10|2|1908|10|23}}

|death_place = Haguenau, France

|height = 1.78 m{{Cite web |url=https://racingstub.com/persons/199/statistics|title=Alexander Schwartz. Statistiques au club RCS|website=racingstub.com|date=23 October 1908 |language=fr|access-date=23 August 2021}}

|position = Defender

|youthyears1 = CA Timișoara

|youthclubs1 =

|years1 = 1926–1930

|clubs1 = Kadima Timișoara

|caps1 =

|goals1 =

|years2 = 1930–1932

|clubs2 = CA Timişoara

|caps2 =

|goals2 =

|years3 = 1932–1934

|clubs3 = Hyères FC

|caps3 =

|goals3 =

|years4 = 1934–1936

|clubs4 = Cannes

|caps4 =

|goals4 =

|years5 = 1936–1938

|clubs5 = Strasbourg

|caps5 = 57

|goals5 = 0

|years6 = 1938–1939

|clubs6 = Red Star Olympique

|nationalyears1 = 1931–1932

|nationalteam1 = Romania B

|nationalcaps1 = 2

|nationalgoals1 = 0

|manageryears1 = 1948–1949

|managerclubs1 = Cannes

|manageryears2 = 1950–1952

|managerclubs2 = Monaco

|manageryears3 = 1952–1953

|managerclubs3 = Le Havre

|manageryears4 = 1953–1955

|managerclubs4 = SF Hamborn 07

|manageryears5 = 1955–1957

|managerclubs5 = Rot-Weiss Essen

|manageryears6 = 1957–1964

|managerclubs6 = Netherlands

|manageryears7 = 1964–1965

|managerclubs7 = Benfica

|manageryears8 = 1965–1968

|managerclubs8 = Eintracht Frankfurt

|manageryears9 = 1969–1970

|managerclubs9 = Porto

|manageryears10 = 1970–1971

|managerclubs10 = Dordrecht

|manageryears11 = 1971–1972

|managerclubs11 = Sparta Rotterdam

|manageryears12 = 1972–1973

|managerclubs12 = 1860 Munich

|manageryears13 = 1976–1977

|managerclubs13 = Strasbourg

|manageryears14 = 1978–1979

|managerclubs14 = SR Haguenau

}}

Alexandru "Elek" Schwartz (23 October 1908 – 2 October 2000) was a Romanian professional footballer and coach of the Netherlands national team.[http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4324/Nieuws/article/detail/1328868/2007/09/12/Van-Basten-streeft-Guus-Hiddink-voorbij.dhtml Van Basten streeft Guus Hiddink voorbij] trouw.nl (in Dutch) With S.L. Benfica he won the national Championship and Cup trophies of 1965 and led the club into the final of the European Champion Clubs' Cup.[https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/62037--inter-vs-benfica/ Inter – Benfica Final 1965] UEFA.com

Playing career

File:RC Strasbourg - Finale de Coupe de France 1937.png finalist with RC Strasbourg in 1937.]]

Elek Schwartz initially started playing near his hometown Recaş, in Timişoara. Later he played professional football in the French Ligue 1 with FC Hyères (1932–1934), AS Cannes (1934–36), Racing Strasbourg (1936–38) and Red Star Olympique (1938–39).[http://www.romanialibera.ro/aldine/history/mister-schwartz--banateanul-care-l-a-antrenat-pe-eusebio-322011 Mister Schwartz, bănăţeanul care l-a antrenat pe Eusebio] romanialibera.ro (in Romanian)

Coaching career

= Beginnings as coach on the Côte d'Azur =

He started his coaching career in France with AS Cannes (1948–49) and from there continued to AS Monaco (1950–1952) and Le Havre AC (1952–53).

= Early years in West Germany =

In 1953 he was hired by SF Hamborn 07. In his second season with the club from the suburb of Duisburg he led the club to promotion to the western division of the five ways split first division of Germany, the Oberliga West.

In 1955, he was appointed as manager by then German champions, Rot-Weiss Essen coaching among others Helmut Rahn there. In the next couple of years he led the team to ranks 4 and 8 in the Oberliga West.

= Manager of the Netherlands national team =

File:Training Nederlands elftal in Den Bosch . Elek Schwarz met Ouderland (r.) en Han, Bestanddeelnr 912-4675.jpg

After leaving Rot-Weiss Essen, Schwartz joined the Netherlands football association, the KNVB and took on the reins of the Netherlands national football team. He guided the team through 49 matches.

However, this was in an era when Dutch football had yet to achieve the standing it has held since the 1970s. Results varied extremely

and included 7–0 defeat to Germany in 1959 in Cologne, as well as back to back 1–0 wins against France and world champions Brazil in 1963. He held the position of national coach until 1964, when Denis Neville replaced him.

= European Cup Final with Benfica =

In 1964–65, he coached Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, then with Eusébio. There he led them to their first third-consecutive league title.[http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/Nacional/1a_liga/Benfica/interior.aspx?content_id=920627 Goleada com o selo de Yaúca] Record (in Portuguese)

After this, Benfica overcame Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the European Cup of Champions and eventually even made it all the way to the final, where Benfica had to yield to the masters of the Catenaccio, the Helenio Herrera coached team of Inter Milan, who won 1–0, thus failing what would be Benfica's third European Cup title.

= Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Porto spell =

From July 1965 to June 1968 Schwartz coached – as successor to Ivica Horvat – Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga. There he introduced the 4–2–4 system. Nevertheless, place 4 was as good as it got in the league. During the 1966–67 season he won the International Football Cup and the Coppa delle Alpi. In the same year he led his side to the semifinals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

In 1969–70, he coached FC Porto. Not only that the Dragons exited already in the first round of the national cup competition and in the second round of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – in the end Porto was only ninth in the league, the club's worst finishing ever.

= End of the career in Munich and Strasbourg =

In the 1972–73 season, Schwartz coached TSV 1860 Munich, but he could not help them to fulfill their aspirations to return to the Bundesliga after then three years of absence.

He had more luck in 1976–77, when in the course of his last professional engagement he led Racing Strasbourg to promotion to the French Ligue 1.

After this he guided the Alsatian amateur side SR Haguenau, today's FCSR Haguenau, through the 1978–79 season.

Haguenau, he decided, was also a nice place for him to spend the rest of his life.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}

= Tribute =

In 1996, he was invited by the Royal Dutch Football Association to the inauguration of the Amsterdam Arena.

References

External links

[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=dirigeant&id=38 Data about Elek Schwartz] racingstub.com {{in lang|fr}}
[http://www.eintracht-archiv.de/schwartz.html Elek Schwartz at eintracht-archiv.de] {{in lang|de}}
{{WorldFootball.net|elek-schwartz}}

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Category:1908 births

Category:2000 deaths

Category:Footballers from Timișoara

Category:People from the Kingdom of Hungary

Category:Romanian men's footballers

Category:Romanian football managers

Category:Jewish Romanian sportspeople

Category:Jews from Austria-Hungary