Career
He played in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik-Oberliga for Football Club Karl-Marx-Stadt and BSG Wismut Aue and later managed several Oberliga teams. Claus Kreul, a woodwind instrument maker by trade, had begun playing football at BSG Traktor Erlbach. In 1963 he transferred to Oberliga side Football Club Karl-Marx-Stadt and had his debut on 30 May 1964 as a right defender.
Until the end of his spell in Karl-Marx-Stadt he played in 51 Oberliga matches over six seasons.
Additionally, he played in two matches on European level At the start of the 1969-1970 season Kreul joined rivals Wismut Aue.
Until the end of his playing career in 1972 he played in anonther 33 Oberliga matches so that he can look back on 84 matches in East Germany"s top flight. He scored two goals for Football Club Karl-Marx-Stadt.
Kreul then worked as a manager, first at Wismut Gera, then Football Club Energie Cottbus, before he took over 1.
Football Club Magdeburg from Klaus Urbanczyk in 1982. Here he had his biggest success as a manager, winning the 1983 FDGB-Pokal when Magdeburg beat his former club Football Club Karl-Marx-Stadt 4-0 in the final. In 1985, Kreul left to manage F.C. Hansa Rostock, but was unsuccessful: After only one year, at the end of which the club was relegated to the second-tier Deutsche Demokratische Republik-Liga, Kreul was replaced by Werner Voigt.
Kreul was often criticized for using old-fashioned training methods, characterized by a focus on fitness training.
Despite these criticisms, Kreul worked for the Deutscher Fußball-Verband from 1986 to 1991.
