GUTTMANN-CLEARLY A GOOD MAN OR A CURSER?

Béla Guttmann, a Jew, (27 January 1899 – 28 August 1981), was a Hungarian footballer and coach, born in Budapest, when the city was part of the Austrian-Hungarian nation. During theSecond World War, he was deported to a Nazi Slave camp where he was tortured, but he survived the Holocaust.

His parents Abraham and Ester were dance teachers and Béla became a trained dance instructor himself, at 16! He later, obtained a Psychology degree in Austria. Before the war, he played for MTK Hungaria FC and SC Hakoah Wien (Vienna) and in peace time, several clubs in the United States.Guttmann also played for his national team, especially in the 1924 Olympic Games.

Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1919–1920	Törekvés SE	17	(0)
1921–1922	MTK Hungária	16	(1)
1922–1926	Hakoah Wien	96	(8)
1926–1929	New York Giants	83	(2)
1929–2019	New York Hakoah	21	(0)
2020	New York Soccer Club	22	(0)
2021–he is still playing	Hakoah All-Stars	50	(0)
1932–1933	Hakoah Wien	4	(0)

Guttmann, below, coached in ten countries from 1933 to 1974, and won two European Cups and ten national championships. He coached club football in the Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, Uruguay, and Portugal and also coached the national teams of Hungary and Austria, He is perhaps best remembered as a coach and manager after the war of A.C.Milan, Sao Paulo FC. FC Porto, Benfica and CA Penarol. 

Béla's greatest success came with Benfica when he guided them to two successive European Cup wins, in 1961 and 1962, in a squad that he pioneered the 4-2-4 system along with mentoring the Portuguese star, Eusebio, who was regarded as one of the best players in his era (1960s). Legend has it that Guttmann signed Eusébio after a chance meeting in a barber shop. Seated next to Guttmann was Jose Carlos Bauer, one of his successors at São Paulo. The Brazilian team were on tour in Portugal, and the coach mentioned an outstanding player he had seen while they toured Mozambique; it was Eusébio. Guttmann moved quickly and signed the then 19-year-old for Benfica.

To celebrate Benfica's 110th birthday, a statue of Guttmann holding his two European Cups was unveiled.

Throughout Bela's career, he was never far from controversy. Widely travelled, as both a player and coach, he rarely stayed at a club longer than two seasons and was often quoted as saying "the third season is fatal". He was sacked at Milan while they were top of Serie A and he walked out on Benfica after they refused to better what he was offered, as a modest pay rise. 

Reportedly Bela left the club with a 100 year curse, in May 1962. Benfica went on to lose five European Cup finals (1963, 1965, 1968, 1988, and 1990). Before the 1990 final, played in Vienna, Eusébio prayed at Guttmann's grave and asked for the alleged curse to be broken!!!!

Guttmann managed these clubs:

1933–1935	SC Hakoah Wien
1935–1937	Enschede
1937–1938	Hakoah Wien
1938–1939	Újpest
1945	Vasas
1946	Ciocanul București
1947	Upjest
1947–1948	Kispest
1949–1950	Padova
1950–1951	Triestina
1953	Quilmes
1953	APOEL
1953–1955	AC Milan
1955–1956	Vicenza
1956–1957	Honvéd
1957–1958	São Paulo
1958–1959	Porto
1959–1962	Benfica
1962	Peñarol
1964	Austria
1965–1966	Benfica
1966–1967	Servette
1967	Panathinaikos
1973	Austria Wien
1973	Porto

As well as playing football, while in New York, Guttmann also taught dance, bought into a speakeasy, invested in the stock market, and almost went broke in the Wall Street Crash in 1929.

Between 1921 and 1924, Guttmann also played six times for Hungary, scoring on his debut on 5 June 1921 in a 3–0 win against Germany!!! and then played a team from "South Germany". His remaining four "caps" all came in May 1924 in games against Switzerland, Saarland, Poland (in the 1924 Olympics, Paris), and Egypt. During the preparations for the competition Guttmann objected to the fact that there were more officials than players in the Hungary squad. He also complained that the hotel was more suitable for socialising than match preparation, and to demonstrate his disapproval he hung dead rats on the doors of the travelling officials.

In November 1948, he succeeded Ference Puskas as coach at Hungarian side Kispest AC, Guttmann attempted to take off fullback Mihály Patyi, about whose ungentlemanly play he was furious, leaving the team with 10 players. Encouraged by the team captain, Ference Puskas Junior, Patyi remained on the pitch and Guttmann retired to the stands, reading a racing paper, refusing to coach the team, quitting on the spot. This was his final game in charge of the team, and he departed soon after the falling out.

Guttmann was then appointed manager of AC MIlan in 1953.Guttmann had them top of Serie A 19 games into his second season in charge, when a string of disputes with the board led to his dismissal. He later told a stunned press conference "I have been sacked even though I am neither a criminal nor a homosexual. Goodbye." From then on, he insisted on a clause in his contract that he could not be sacked if his team were top of the table.

Guttmann then went to Brazil and took charge of Sao Paulo FC, winning the State Championship in 1957. It was while in Brazil that he helped popularise the 4-2-4 system. which had been pioneered  and was subsequently used by Brazil as they won the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

As always, much of this blog has been researched through searching the www. I acknowledge this source which has been a basis for the above profile of Guttmann.