Former Lions coach Barry Whitbread dies, aged 77

Barry Whitbread led the Lions from 1995 to 1998, during which Singapore won the Tiger Cup in 1998.

PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN FILE

Published Sep 11, 2026, 11:27 PM

Updated Sep 11, 2026, 11:53 PM

SINGAPORE – Barry Whitbread, the former coach of the national men’s football team, has died, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said in a social media post late on Sept 11.

He was 77. He died on Sept 9, his son Zak said in a post on X, without disclosing the cause of death.

In his post, Zak said: “A rare man of immense integrity, principled, positive and true to who he was.

“He lived for family and football, lived his dream, helped me live mine and was an incredible Dad.”

The Englishman was the Lions coach from 1995 to 1998, during which time he led the team to the Tiger Cup in 1998. It was the Lions’ first international trophy.

Noting that Whitbread had left “an indelible mark on Singapore football”, FAS said: “His contribution to the game and to Singapore football will always be remembered and cherished.”

Whitbread had dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and was reported missing from his home in the country of Cheshire in England in 2022, before he was found safe.

Before he became the Lions coach, Whitbread was the assistant technical director to then-national coach Douglas Moore, and took over the hot seat when Moore was appointed the chief executive officer of the S-League (now known as the Singapore Premier League).

He was then Liverpool Youth Academy’s head of recruitment till 2007, and then the recruitment manager for Manchester City and chief scout for Blackburn Rovers.

巴里·惠特布雷德在 1995 年至 1998 年期间担任狮队队长，期间新加坡队在 1998 年赢得了老虎杯。

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发布于 2026 年 9 月 11 日晚上 11:27

更新于2026年9月11日晚上11:53

新加坡——新加坡足球协会（FAS）于9月11日晚在社交媒体上发帖称，新加坡国家男子足球队前教练巴里·惠特布雷德去世。

他享年 77 岁。他的儿子扎克在 X 上发帖称，他于 9 月 9 日去世，但没有透露死因。

扎克在帖子中写道：“他是一位罕见的、极具正直、有原则、积极向上且忠于自我的人。”

“他为家庭和足球而活，实现了自己的梦想，也帮助我实现了我的梦想，他是一位了不起的父亲。”

这位英国人于 1995 年至 1998 年担任狮队教练，期间他带领球队在 1998 年赢得了老虎杯。这是狮队获得的第一个国际奖杯。

新加坡足协指出，惠特布雷德为新加坡足球留下了“不可磨灭的印记”，并表示：“他对这项运动和新加坡足球的贡献将永远被铭记和珍惜。”

惠特布雷德患有痴呆症和阿尔茨海默病，2022 年，他被报告从位于英格兰柴郡的家中失踪，之后被安全找到。

在成为狮队教练之前，惠特布雷德曾担任当时国家队教练道格拉斯·摩尔的助理技术总监，并在摩尔被任命为新加坡联赛（现称新加坡超级联赛）首席执行官后接任主教练一职。

2007 年之前，他担任利物浦青年学院的招聘主管，之后担任曼城队的招聘经理和布莱克本流浪者队的首席球探。