Pal Csernai, who coached Bayern Munich to a couple of Bundesliga titles in the early 1980s, has died. He was 80.
Csernai died Sunday after an undisclosed illness. His death was announced Monday by Bayern Munich and the Hungarian Football Federation.
Csernai was a midfielder and played briefly for Hungary before defecting in 1955 while his homeland was under communist rule.
After retiring as a player in 1964, Csernai earned a coaching diploma in Germany and coached there and in Belgium before working with Bayern Munich between 1978 and 1983. Later, he also coached in teams in Greece and Portugal, among other countries.
While coaching North Korea in 1991, the team earned a politically charged 2-1 victory over the United States in a friendly in Washington, D.C.
