Jo Bonfrere
Encyclopedia
Johannes Bonfrere or Jo Bonfrere (born 15 June 1946 in Maastricht
, Limburg
) is a Dutch
football coach, and a former striker, who played for MVV Maastricht
and K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot. He is currently the manager of Henan Construction F.C. in the Chinese Super League
.
to the 1996 Summer Olympics
gold medal in Atlanta, Georgia
. He was the coach of Al-Ahly
in Egypt in 2002/03 where he lost the league at the very last match with a difference of two points. His contract was terminated after that.
He also led Nigeria
to the 2000 African Cup of Nations
co-hosted by Nigeria
and Ghana
. Bonfrere led the Nigerian team to the finals, where they lost to Cameroon
by penalties.
in a FIFA World Cup qualification
. The Dutch coach got off to a promising start by crushing a highly-rated German squad of World Cup stars such as Michael Ballack
and Oliver Kahn
, 3-1, with a young Korean team in a friendly match in December 2004. In 2005, South Korea qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
under him, but a string of disappointing losses thereafter fueled fan and media ire against Bonfrere. He resigned on August 23 that year after poor results in the East Asian Football Championship and a World Cup qualifier loss against Saudi Arabia
. Korea Football Association
then hired Dick Advocaat
as its third Dutch coach, and Advocaat angered his predecessor by saying he will be another Guus Hiddink
, not Bonfrere.
Bonfrere joined former Chinese Super League
champions Dalian Shide on a one-year contract in the 2007 league season. Despite the team finishing fifth in the league, they were never in contention to win the title and opted not to extend his contract. On June 29, 2011, another Chinese Super League
club Henan Construction F.C. announced that Bonfrere would lead the team on a 1+1 contract and fight for staying in the Super League.
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
, Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
football coach, and a former striker, who played for MVV Maastricht
MVV Maastricht
MVV Maastricht is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Maastricht, founded on April 2, 1902...
and K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot. He is currently the manager of Henan Construction F.C. in the Chinese Super League
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League , commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the Pirelli Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the...
.
Nigeria
Bonfrere led Nigeria national football teamNigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
to the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
gold medal in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. He was the coach of Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly Sports Club , commonly known as simply Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian sporting club. Founded in April 1907, Al-Ahly was named in 2000 by the Confederation of African Football as the "African Club of the Century"...
in Egypt in 2002/03 where he lost the league at the very last match with a difference of two points. His contract was terminated after that.
He also led Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
to the 2000 African Cup of Nations
2000 African Cup of Nations
The 2000 African Cup of Nations was the 22nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa . It was co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria, who jointly replaced Zimbabwe as host. Just like in 1998, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
co-hosted by Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. Bonfrere led the Nigerian team to the finals, where they lost to Cameroon
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
by penalties.
Asia and South Korea
He was hired to coach the South Korea national football team in June 2004 to replace Humberto Coelho, who was forced to quit after a draw with the Maldives national football teamMaldives national football team
The Maldives national football team is the national team of the Maldives and is controlled by the Football Association of Maldives. A member of the AFC, it qualified for the second stage of Asian qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, where it drew with South Korea at home 0–0.Maldives most significant...
in a FIFA World Cup qualification
FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup is a global event, so qualification is required to reduce the large field of participants from about 200 to 32.Qualifying tournaments...
. The Dutch coach got off to a promising start by crushing a highly-rated German squad of World Cup stars such as Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern...
and Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn
Oliver Rolf Kahn is a former German football goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team. He had his debut game in the professional squad in 1987...
, 3-1, with a young Korean team in a friendly match in December 2004. In 2005, South Korea qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
under him, but a string of disappointing losses thereafter fueled fan and media ire against Bonfrere. He resigned on August 23 that year after poor results in the East Asian Football Championship and a World Cup qualifier loss against Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
. Korea Football Association
Korea Football Association
The Korea Football Association is the governing body of football in Korea. The first governing body of Korean football was the Joseon Football Association , founded on 19 September 1933....
then hired Dick Advocaat
Dick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...
as its third Dutch coach, and Advocaat angered his predecessor by saying he will be another Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
, not Bonfrere.
Bonfrere joined former Chinese Super League
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League , commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the Pirelli Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the...
champions Dalian Shide on a one-year contract in the 2007 league season. Despite the team finishing fifth in the league, they were never in contention to win the title and opted not to extend his contract. On June 29, 2011, another Chinese Super League
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League , commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the Pirelli Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the...
club Henan Construction F.C. announced that Bonfrere would lead the team on a 1+1 contract and fight for staying in the Super League.