{{Short description|German football manager}} {{BLP sources|date=April 2009}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Klaus Schlappner | fullname = | image = Klaus Schlappner, 2006 (cropped).jpg | caption = Schlappner in 2006 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1940|5|22}} | birth_place = [[Lampertheim]], [[Hesse]], Germany | height = | currentclub = | position = | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | years1 = | clubs1 = Olympic Lampertheim | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = | clubs2 = VfB Lampertheim | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = | clubs3 = FV Biblis | caps3 = | goals3 = | years4 = | clubs4 = [[VfR Bürstadt]] | caps4 = | goals4 = | years5 = | clubs5 = VfR Ludwigshafen | caps5 = | goals5 = | years6 = | clubs6 = [[Südwest Ludwigshafen]] | caps6 = | goals6 = | manageryears1 = 1977–1980 | managerclubs1 = [[SV Darmstadt 98|Darmstadt 98]] (assistant coach) | manageryears2 = 1980–1987 | managerclubs2 = [[SV Waldhof Mannheim|Waldhof Mannheim]] | manageryears3 = 1987–1988 | managerclubs3 = Darmstadt 98 | manageryears4 = 1989–1990 | managerclubs4 = [[1. FC Saarbrücken]] | manageryears5 = 1991–1992 | managerclubs5 = [[FC Carl Zeiss Jena|Carl Zeiss Jena]] | manageryears6 = 1992–1993 | managerclubs6 = [[China national football team|China PR]] | manageryears7 = 1995–1996 | managerclubs7 = Waldhof Mannheim | manageryears8 = 1996–1997 | managerclubs8 = [[Chongqing Lifan]] | manageryears9 = 2000–2001 | managerclubs9 = [[Paykan F.C.|Paykan]] | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [[association football|football]]}} {{medalCountry|{{fb|CHN}} (as manager)}} {{MedalCompetition|[[AFC Asian Cup]]}} {{MedalBronze|[[1992 AFC Asian Cup|1992]]|}} }}
'''Klaus Schlappner''' (born 22 May 1940) is a German [[Manager (association football)|football manager]]. He is predominantly remembered for his first spell with [[SV Waldhof Mannheim]], when he led them to the [[2. Bundesliga]] title and several seasons in the [[Bundesliga]] as well as being the first foreign coach to manage the [[China national football team|China national team]].
==Early career== Born in [[Lampertheim]], [[Hesse]], Schlappner's early career in football was not particularly eventful. He played for his local football team in Lampertheim in his youth and only progressed up to amateur football or lower league regional football. He moved instead into coaching before he retired playing and achieved the necessary coaching certificates in 1976 before carrying on with his studies in [[Cologne]] to achieve a certificate in teaching football management.<ref>[http://sodasoccer.com/search/player/B93689E7A4753E19.html Klaus Schlappner] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307002721/http://sodasoccer.com/search/player/B93689E7A4753E19.html |date=7 March 2012 }} at sodasoccer.com Retrieved 13 January 2013</ref>
==Managerial career== Schlappner's career as a manager rose to prominence when he was able to lead [[SV Waldhof Mannheim]] to win the [[2. Bundesliga]] in the [[1982–83 2. Bundesliga|1982–83]] league season. During his time with them, he helped establish them within the [[Bundesliga]] for the next several seasons and oversaw them through some of their most successful periods in the club's history until he left in 1987.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060129150458/http://abseits-soccer.com/clubs/waldhof.html SV Waldhof Mannheim]}} at abseits-soccer.com Retrieved 13 January 2013</ref> He rejoined his former club [[SV Darmstadt 98]] in the second tier to help them fight for promotion during the [[1987–88 2. Bundesliga|1987–88]] league season where they narrowly missed out on a position to the Bundesliga by losing a play-off position. The following seasons saw other second-tier clubs [[1. FC Saarbrücken]] and [[FC Carl Zeiss Jena]] call for his services in their push for promotion, however, Schlappner was unable to achieve this with either team.
In 1992, he led the [[China national football team|China national team]] to the semi-finals of the [[1992 AFC Asian Cup]], but he was dismissed after the team failed to qualify for the [[1994 FIFA World Cup qualification]]. He would nevertheless stay within China as a technical adviser for the football federation until he returned to Germany to manage SV Waldhof Mannheim again in 1996 to help them for their promotion bid to return to the Bundesliga, however his return was disappointing and he left before the season ended. He moved away from senior management but returned to Asia to help Iran to establish the newly re-branded [[Iran Pro League]] during 2000 as well as acting as an adviser for the [[Mongolian Football Federation]] in 2006.
==Honours== '''Waldhof Mannheim''' * [[2. Bundesliga]]: [[1982–83 2. Bundesliga|1982–83]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{commons category-inline}} *{{WorldFootball.net|klaus-schlappner}}
{{China squad 1992 AFC Asian Cup}} {{Navboxes |title= Klaus Schlappner managerial positions |list1= {{SV Darmstadt 98 managers}} {{SV Waldhof Mannheim managers}} {{1. FC Saarbrücken managers}} {{FC Carl Zeiss Jena managers}} {{China national football team managers}} }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlappner, Klaus}} [[Category:1940 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Lampertheim]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Darmstadt (region)]] [[Category:People from the People's State of Hesse]] [[Category:German football managers]] [[Category:China national football team managers]] [[Category:1992 AFC Asian Cup managers]] [[Category:SV Darmstadt 98 managers]] [[Category:SV Waldhof Mannheim managers]] [[Category:1. FC Saarbrücken managers]] [[Category:FC Carl Zeiss Jena managers]] [[Category:Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic F.C. managers]] [[Category:Paykan F.C. managers]] [[Category:German expatriate football managers]] [[Category:German expatriate sportspeople in China]] [[Category:Expatriate football managers in China]] [[Category:German expatriate sportspeople in Iran]] [[Category:Expatriate football managers in Iran]]