Football: Former Lions coach Barry Whitbread found safe after he was reported missing in England
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Barry Whitbread resides in the Walton area, has dementia and can become confused, reported English media outlet Warrington Guardian.
PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE – Barry Whitbread, the former Singapore national football coach, has been found safe after being reported missing since Wednesday in the county of Cheshire, England.
His son Zak, a former Liverpool academy footballer, said Whitbread was found in Huyton at around 3.30am on Thursday. The 38-year-old added on Twitter: “I can’t thank everyone enough for getting the message out there about my Dad... No injuries thankfully but still a bit confused and I imagine some tired legs tomorrow!”
On Wednesday, Cheshire Police had issued an urgent public appeal for help to find the 74-year-old, who was last seen at around 3.50pm that day, at Cineworld in Time Square of the town centre.
Whitbread, who resides in the Walton area, has dementia and can become confused, reported English newspaper Warrington Guardian.
Inspector Michelle Boyd had said in a post on the Cheshire Police website: “Officers have been searching for Barry for several hours, so far to no avail, and we are becoming increasingly concerned for his welfare.”
Zak had previously taken to social media on Wednesday night seeking help. He said: “Unfortunately my Dad who has Alzheimer’s has gone missing in the Warrington/Runcorn area. He was last seen at Cineworld in Warrington Town Centre around 4pm.“
Whitbread made history in Singapore football in 1998 when he guided the Lions to their first major international title at the Tiger Cup (now known as the Asean Football Federation Championship). The team’s unlikely success came on the back of a poor run of results and several off-the-pitch disruptions.
He was first appointed as assistant technical director to then national coach Douglas Moore in 1994 but eventually took over the hot seat a year later when Moore was appointed chief executive officer of the S-League (now known as the Singapore Premier League).
He left in December 1998, citing family concerns. He led the Lions for 31 games, winning 13, drawing nine with nine defeats.
Whitbread was Liverpool Youth Academy’s head of recruitment till 2007 and went on to work as recruitment manager for Manchester City and chief scout for Blackburn Rovers.
His last visit to Singapore is believed to have been in September 2018 when members of the 1998 Tiger Cup-winning squad gathered at a dinner hosted by the Football Association of Singapore at the Oasia Hotel, to mark 20 years since their triumph.