COACHING legend Stefan Kovacs has been unmasked as a SPY – who worked for Romania’s hated Securitate secret police.
Kovacs led to European Cup glory in 1972 and 1973.
Legendary manager Stefan Kovacs has been unmasked as a secret spyCredit: AFP
He famously coached Johan Cruyff while leading Ajax to successive European CupsCredit: Rex Features
He famously managed none other than Dutch superstar during his time in Amsterdam.
Kovacs also coached both the and Romanian national sides.
And he took charge of , Panathinaikos and Steaua Bucharest too.
Kovacs, who died in 1995 aged 74, has repeatedly been ranked among the greatest managers of all time.
But a Romanian paper has now revealed he spent eight years on the payroll of one of the world’s most feared spy organisations.
Gazeta Sporturilor published extracts from Securitate files that showed Kovacs worked for them between 1955 and 1963 – using the alias Vasile Munteanu.
They included a handwritten letter from the coach saying: “I voluntarily undertake to communicate in advance to the state security organs everything I know about the undermining work carried out by hostile elements … making no exception for relatives or friends.”
The 31-page dossier also includes correspondence from Securitate officials commenting on Kovacs’ work.
Notes praise the work carried out during the time by “Agent Munteanu.”
He is said to have delivered reports on players and staff he dealt with in his coaching roles.
Kovacs carried out his work for Romania’s Communist Party while managing three different clubs in the Transylvanian city Cluj.
Founded in 1948, the Securitate was one of the world’s most brutal secret police forces.
It was responsible for thousands of deaths under hated Romanian president Nicolae Ceaucescu before being dissolved in 1989.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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