title: Pál Csernai
text: Pál Csernai (21 October 1932 – 1 September 2013) was a Hungarian football player and manager.
  
  Career
  
  Playing career
  Born in Pilis, Kingdom of Hungary, Csernai played club football in Hungary, Germany and Switzerland for Budapesti Postás, Csepeli Vasas, Karlsruher SC, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Stuttgarter Kickers.
  
  He also earned two caps for Hungary in 1955.
  
  Management career
  After retiring as a player, Csernai managed clubs in Germany, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Switzerland and Hungary.
  
  In the early 1990s, he was involved with the North Korean national team. In June 1991, he signed a six-month contract with the PRKFA, acting as a technical adviser to manager Hong Hyon-chol. During this time, North Korea beat the United States 2–1 in a friendly match. After Hong's sacking in October 1993, the PRKFA turned to Csernai to become the national team's manager. The team left for Qatar to participate in the final round of the Asian qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. They started positively, with a 3–2 win over Iraq, but lost the other four matches, with the final one being a 3–0 loss to rivals South Korea. Despite the North Korean authorities' insistence for him to stay on as manager, Csernai returned to Hungary, concerned over their efforts to have him acquire citizenship.
  
  Known for wearing his trade mark silk scarf, he is considered to be the inventor of the so-called "Pal system", a combination of the man-to-man and the zone defenses.
  
  Later life and death
  Csernai died on 1 September 2013, after a long illness.
  
  References
  
  1932 births
  2013 deaths
  People from Pilis
  Hungarian men's footballers
  Hungary men's international footballers
  Csepel SC footballers
  Hungarian expatriate men's footballers
  Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
  Karlsruher SC players
  Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Germany
  Stuttgarter Kickers players
  Hungarian football managers
  Hungarian expatriate football managers
  Royal Antwerp F.C. managers
  Expatriate football managers in Belgium
  Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
  Bundesliga managers
  FC Bayern Munich managers
  FC Bayern Munich non-playing staff
  Expatriate football managers in Germany
  PAOK FC managers
  Expatriate football managers in Greece
  Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
  S.L. Benfica managers
  Expatriate football managers in Portugal
  Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
  Borussia Dortmund managers
  Fenerbahçe S.K. (football) managers
  Expatriate football managers in Turkey
  Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
  Eintracht Frankfurt managers
  BSC Young Boys managers
  Expatriate football managers in Switzerland
  Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
  Hertha BSC managers
  FC Sopron managers
  North Korea national football team managers
  Expatriate football managers in North Korea
  Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in North Korea
  Men's association football midfielders
  Footballers from Pest County
  Expatriate men's footballers in West Germany
  Expatriate football managers in West Germany
  Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in West Germany