Frits Purperhart

Frits Purperhart

Frits Purperhart in 1977
Personal information
Full name	Frits Lambertus Purperhart
Date of birth	(1944-12-25)December 25, 1944
Place of birth	Paramaribo,Surinam
Date of death	29 September 2016(2016-09-29)(aged 71)
Place of death	Netherlands
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1959–1961	Ajax	?	(?)
1961–1963	NAKS	?	(?)
1963–1980	Leo Victor	?	(?)
International career‡
1966–1979	Suriname	17	(3)
Managerial career
1978–1996	Leo Victor
1996–1997	Suriname
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of December 17, 2015 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of December 17, 2015

Frits Lambertus Purperhart(25 December 1944 – 29 September 2016) was a Surinamese football manager and player, a member of theSuriname Olympic Committeeboard of directorsas well as being a board member for the National broadcasting networkTelesurin Suriname.

As a player, he played in the SurinameseHoofdklasseforAjax,NAKSandS.V. Leo Victor,as well as playing for theSuriname national team.He has also managed both Leo Victor and the Suriname national team during the span of his career.

He is considered to be one of the greatest footballers in the history of the sport in Suriname, having finished as the league's top scorer twice, winning theSurinamese Footballer of the Yearaward on two occasions as well.

Career

Purperhart began his career on theMr. Bronspleinsport terrain inParamaribo,Surinamewhere he was picked up by one of the local clubs, namelyAjax.His father urged him to transfer toNAKS,where he was coaching at the time, and Purperhart stepped over.After two seasons Purperhart transferred toS.V. Leo Victor.He helped the club to secure its second national title in his first season with the club. Known for his ability to score from a free kick, he is considered one of Suriname's best goal scorers of all time.In 1966 and in 1967 he won theSurinamese Footballer of the Yearaward consecutively, and in 1965 he became captain of S.V. Leo Victor. In 1970 and in 1972 he finished as theleague's top scorer.

International career

Purperhart made his debut for theSuriname national teamon 10 June 1966 at theCoupe Duvaliertournament againstTrinidad and Tobagoin a 3–2 loss at theSylvio Cator StadiuminPort-au-Prince,Haiti.He scored his first two goals for the National team on 13 June 1969 in aFriendly matchagainstDenmark,scoring the equalizer and the second goal in a 2–1 win at theNational Stadion. He played an important role in the countries1970and1978FIFA World Cupqualifying campaigns, also helping his team to win the1978 CFU Championship.

Managerial career

In 1978 Purperhart took over a player–coach function forS.V. Leo Victorbefore retiring as a player and fully committing himself to his managerial role.In 1996, he was appointed manager of the Suriname national team for their1998 FIFA World Cup qualificationcampaign. His side was eliminated byJamaica1–0 in the 2nd qualifying round.He also managed Suriname to a fourth-place finish in the1996 Caribbean Cup,losing toMartinique3–2 on penalties after extra time, following a 1–1 deadlock, in the match for third place.

Honours

Player

S.V. Leo Victor

• SVB Hoofdklasse(2): 1963–64, 1978
• Surinamese Footballer of the Year(2): 1966, 1967