Gone Forever - Bicskei Finally Laid to Rest in Budapest, No Representation from LFA


Written by Danesius Marteh

The burial of fallen Hungarian coach Bertalan Bicskei took place in Budapest, Hungary on July 28 but there was no representation from the Liberia Football Association (LFA).

According to LFA deputy secretary-general Lafayette Orinshall Gould, vice president Musa Shannon, who was designed to represent the FA, couldn’t obtain a Hungarian visa in time for the funeral. Gould however said the FA will find a suitable time to visit Hungary to console the family and present Bicskei’s personal belongings he left in Monrovia when he sought the three-month sick leave.

A Hungarian Football Federation spokesman said: “With his death, we have lost a very important part of Hungarian football. He was respected in many countries for his coaching ability and personal skills."

Having played in goal for Budapest Honvéd FC in the 1960s and 1970s, and earned one cap for Hungary, Bicskei moved into youth coaching. He led the national team to the 1984 European under-18 championship title before winning the 1988 Hungarian title with Honvéd.

Bicskei was twice coach of the senior national side – in 1989 and again between 1998 and 2001, overseeing a total of 45 games. He was also in charge of Swiss outfit FC Luzern and Hungary's MTK Budapest, Videoton FC and Újpest FC as well as managing an array of clubs and national teams in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

He was the coach of Liberia from July 2010 to March 2011 but had to take a leave from work to attend to poor health. He died in Budapest on July 17 after a long illness at the age of 66.