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Schäfer: "We`ll see two African teams in 2010 semi-finals" (10.12.2004)
by OC 2006 FIFA World Cup
54-year-old Winfried Schäfer became an authority on African football during a three-year stint as Cameroon head coach until his shock dismissal in mid-November 2004. The former Bundesliga boss talked to FIFAworldcup.com about the current state of top-level football on the Mother Continent, potential starlets at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, and his experiences as a coach in Africa.
Winfried Schäfer, you were dismissed as Cameroon coach in mid-November. Why?
The reason given was something to do with us not collecting enough World Cup qualifying points, and apparently there was no longer a future with me in the job.
Do you agree with that?
Of course not. We were only four points off the leaders in an exceptionally tough group, but there was everything to play for with five games still to go. And in terms of the future, I believe the exact opposite was true. I`ve put together a team packed with potential.
That didn`t seem to be the case when Cameroon lost 3-0 to Germany in Leipzig.
The team was badly affected by the actions of leading politicians and the association. Yet again, agreed bonuses weren`t paid. They were way behind with my salary payments too - five months, no less. Neither the players nor the coach have been treated with the kind of respect the people at the top in Cameroon demand for themselves. They pushed the team to the extent they were saying they wouldn`t turn up for the game. The attitude showed a lack of respect towards Germany and the German Football Association, which has always helped and supported Cameroon.
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What do you feel personally after your three years in Cameroon?
It was a very positive experience, with a few reservations. I really enjoyed the first two-and-a-half years. We had a great team and it was wonderful. I developed concepts for a youth system and a new structure. And we were successful. We won the African championship, and we made the Final of the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in France. The problems really started six months ago with a total upheaval at the top. But I was always willing to serve the association, in fact I`m still willing, and I would definitely have loved to carry on.
How do you rate Cameroon`s chances in FIFA World Cup qualifying?
As long as everyone, and I mean everyone, pulls together and aims at the same target, Cameroon could still top the group and qualify for 2006. I said this after our home victory over Côte d`Ivoire, after we`d taken seven points from our first three matches and gone top of the table. There`s plenty of potential. However, it won`t be fulfilled without a more co-operative approach.
Should they qualify, how do you think Cameroon will do at the 2006 FIFA World Cup?
I brought in six or seven U-23 players. What this means is the blend of youth and experience would be perfect by 2006, and I reckon Cameroon are a very good bet for the quarter-finals at least. Samuel Eto`o is still young at 23 but he`s a stunning prospect. Idris Kameni is well on the way to becoming one of the best goalkeepers in the world. There is a huge reservoir of potential.
And what would failure to qualify mean?
An outbreak of national grief. But it might be the chance to implement my youth development concept below the national team. I`ve always said Cameroon needs a national youth league, or a U-23 and U-21 set-up featuring home-based and not Europe-based players.
Ever since Cameroon`s trail-blazing displays at Italia 90, people have been expecting African football to make a dramatic breakthrough at the FIFA World Cup. Is there any African team capable of going beyond the quarter-finals in 2006?
As long as they sort out their discipline and organisation, Côte d`Ivoire with their
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superb strikers or South Africa could go a long way. And you can never write off Nigeria. Whatever, we`ll see two African teams in the 2010 World Cup semi-finals, I`m 100 percent sure of that. The players are creative, unbelievably skilled, they move superbly and they`re athletic and strong. And thanks to European coaching, the top players are much better tactically and equipped to exert a decisive influence. However, bringing in European coaches is no long-term solution. There has to be much better management. It would do Africa a world of good, and I`m exaggerating to make a point, to tempt Uli Hoeneß away from Bayern Munich.
What has surprised you most in African FIFA World Cup qualification so far?
On the plus side, Togo and Angola have come a surprisingly long way. On the other hand, the much-fancied North African teams such as Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco have gone off the boil. They appear only to turn it on when they host major tournaments.
How will African champions Tunisia perform at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2005?
I don`t think Tunisia have a chance. Their African Cup of Nations triumph was a one-off, basically down to home advantage. They won`t do very well in Europe.
Which African stars could shine at the 2006 FIFA World Cup?
It could be Samuel Eto`o, provided Cameroon qualify of course. He`s learnt a lot about discipline since switching from Mallorca to Barcelona. Otherwise I rate Drogba, Chelsea`s Côte d`Ivoire striker, and his fellow countryman Bonaventure Kalou, a highly intelligent attacking midfielder.
With the exception of 1958, FIFA World Cups in Europe have been dominated by European teams. Will it happen again in 2006?
I don`t think so. I rate Brazil as favourites because most of their players appear in Europe. And Argentina could go a long way with their battling, more or less European style. The European big names such as Spain, Czech Republic and France still have to concentrate on qualifying in the first place.
How do you think hosts Germany will get on?
Germany need to have settled on a team after the Confederations Cup. The tournament is a lot more valuable than it used to be, because all the teams including Brazil will compete with something like first-choice line-ups. If we do well and come through this first real test, I think the young squad, which is coming on exceptionally well under Jurgen Klinsmann, could reach the last four, especially with the home fans` backing. Klinsmann has given everything a real shake up, and up to now, he hasn`t made a single mistake.
What are your plans with regard to the 2006 FIFA World Cup?
I don`t have anything concrete at the moment. I`m waiting for a decent offer. I could have taken on a national coaching job, but it wasn`t with anyone still in with a chance of qualifying. I might go back to coaching a club for the time being.
Speaking as a coach, what were your most treasured experiences of African football?
The respect the players show each other and their coach. It was the same when I played in Monchengladbach. Everyone totally accepted the coach`s expertise and authority. For a while, and you still have it to a certain extent, that was conspicuously lacking in the Bundesliga.
What do you mean `lacking`?
Refusing to perform simple warm-up exercises, for example, or not taking part in important basic tactical routines without a ball, which a few German players labelled the kind of thing done by the youth team. The Africans go about all of this with far more enthusiasm and energy. And in terms of authority and attitude towards the coach, a few Bundesliga journeymen should take a look at the real superstars in Barcelona, Real Madrid or Arsenal in London, where I`ve been a guest. Respect for the coach and your fellow players is taken as gospel.
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