Iron-Pfister to rile (Football)

No….Yes…No …Yes…Yes. No….Yes …No ….Who? ….Is Football still important in this country?....And what are you saying …Isn’t Jack Warner the Football Coach? Is he leaving Football?

These are just a few of the answers; I received from a group of spectators at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Friday night while watching some Pro League Football.

But while the questions will persist about Pfister’s  impact on the footballing landscape that is Trinidad and Tobago, many are still not aware of his qualifications. 
 
So here it is according to the internet website Wikipedia –

Otto Pfister (born November 24, 1937 in Cologne) is a German football manager, and one of Germany's most successful coaching exports, voted Africa's Manager of the Year in 1992.

[1] He has been to four African Cup of Nations competitions with Upper Volta (now: Burkina Faso), Zaire, Cameroon and Ghana) and reached the African Cup of Nations final twice, with Cameroon and Ghana. Pfister has won the FIFA U-17 World Cup with Ghana.

He has also won the U19 African Cup of Nations with Cote d'Ivoire and led Togo in the 2006 World Cup. Pfister also qualified for 1998 FIFA World Cup with Saudi Arabia.

Pfister has won the League Title in two different Countries (Egypt and Lebanon). He has also won domestic cups in four different Countries (Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon and Sudan-
 
Given the above, it is easy to presume, that Pfister has been given this job on the basis of his experience with Eight (8] African Nations and Two (2) Asian nations, so that culturally the mixture of our football should not present any problems to him.

However a closer examination of his  footballing background over a sixty year period will reveal that Pfister has only ever qualified one team to reach a World Cup Final , and that was Saudi Arabia for the 1998 World Cup in France.

However he never actually was the coach at the France World Cup because it was reported that “he was crudely released just before the tournament, as he requested the Saudi Princes to interfere less in team affairs”.

Interestingly he returned to coach Saudi Arabia after they had performed poorly in the World Cup. This strong will of Pfister is very commendable, although that was in 1998, some 13 years ago and whether at the age of 74, Pfister still has that fighting spirit in him, is not known, but we can almost certainly guarantee that it will be put to the test, as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation  (TTFF) and many of those close to them, have a penchant for interference  in most footballing matters whether they are invited or not.
 
Pfister’s solitary appearance at a World Cup Finals was in 2006 when he inherited the Togo coaching job mere months before the team arrived in Germany.

There are signs that he has a tough exterior and will not stand for nonsense , in fact , while he was coach of the Ghana team,  it was reported that a slang was developed along the lines : “ He rules with an Iron-Pfister “, which has often been used to refer to Pfister’s coaching style.

Critical in Pfister’s success will be what role he will play in Trinidad and Tobago’s future. Will he be employed as only the coach of the senior national team, or will his role be enhanced to include the development of football in this country.

Unlike Leo Beenhaker who was only engaged to help Trinidad and Tobago qualify for the World Cup, Pfister’s role will probably encompass more than that, because his term appears to be longer.

Therefore while many of the players may have tolerated the leadership style of been haker, because they knew it was temporary and they all wanted to go to the World Cup, it remains to be seen if the current bunch of prospective players will do so.

Otherwise, I am expecting that Pfister will have to rebuild a completely new team with young players. Too many of the older players are too set in their bad ways and very indiscipline. This change in Leadership in terms of coaching will be welcomed once; Pfister is given the necessary parameters to perform.
 
Given the problems experienced with Francisco Maturana: his lack of  an English vocabulary and his advisors at the time on football matters and players, one hopes these two areas will be efficiently examined and the Footballing authorities will ensure that Pfister does not claim a lack of English as an excuse not to talk to the people of Trinidad and Tobago through the media, this would be unfortunate and only help to accelerate his departure ( even if there was a chance for some success).
 
As to the advisors for Pfister, this is most critical, as he needs honest and trustworthy persons around him, because by the time he arrives in this country, the Pro League season would have been completed, so Pfister would not have any opportunity to assess any player’s performance during the course of a match.

One of the greatest criticisms of Russel Latapy by some was that he did not watch enough of the local football matches or even travel abroad to watch some of the overseas based players plying their trade outside of the UK based players.

It is a failing which is unheard of in developed footballing nations, as most coaches want to ensure a players progress during a season and either go to watch the matches themselves or send an assistant.

Let us hope that there is adequate funding for that from the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, providing it was budgeted for by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation..
 
On the question of assistants to Pfister, the football authorities in this country have stated openly that they will be insisting that locals are given the role as his assistants, but I am not certain that this will work with Pfister, as he like most coaches have their own team of professionals they trust (very important) and are accustomed to working with.

So whether or not the TTFF will get their way is a matter for serious consideration and will possibly set the tone for Pfister’s tenure as National Coach in this country.
 
The payment of his salary will also need to be properly finalized so as not to politicize this matter in the future and ensure that this problem with payment does not rear its head again.

In checking the background of Pfister, there is clear evidence to suggest that he has supported the players on more than one occasion when they have encountered problems with their respective associations over the payment of salaries, with Pfister’s resigning on at least two occasions for such.

If one did not know better, one could surmise that those given the purvey to select a national football coach, attempted to ensure that they would find someone who would stand up to an interfering Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation.
 
Another area of concern, has to be the fact , that the last recorded coaching stint for Pfister was with Cameroon, where he left that job on the 26th May, 2009.

This would mean that he has been inactive from the sport almost two years which could mean he has lost touch with some of the developments from a technological basis and could therefore be at a disadvantage.

This needs to be carefully discussed with Pfister to ensure this country is not being second changed by someone who just wants a pension cheque every month.
 
Let us all be honest, football’s future is critical to the happy feelings in this country and whatever can be done to ensure that returns should be ensured.

There is too much showmanship in sports at the moment in most levels, and not enough thought is given to the people of this country. So let us hope that Otto Pfister has it in him to overcome the many evils in football in this country and succeed.