German tactician who won AFCON 2002 for Cameroon as the head coach, Winfried Schafer, has been confirmed by the Ghana Football Association as the new
German tactician who won AFCON 2002 for Cameroon as the head coach, Winfried Schafer, has been confirmed by the Ghana Football Association as the new Director of Football or the Technical Advisor of the Black Stars.
Schafer, 75, was in the hunt for the vacant Black Stars job when Chris Houghton was sacked after the disastrous 2023 AFCON in Ivory where Ghana failed to qualify from the group stage.
The veteran German has immense experience after coaching many teams across the globe. With the immense experience gained, he is expected to help the team qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be played in the USA-CANADA-MEXICO.
As part of the shake-up at the Black Stars technical department, the Ghana Football Association had earlier in January 2025 hinted at bringing experienced ideas to the team.
In Otto Addo’s report to the FA, after the team failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON, the head coach stated many reasons, including poor tactics forcing the Ghana Football Association to strengthen its backroom staff.
The West German-born has served as manager for German clubs like VfB Stuttgart, Borussia Berlin and Karlsruher. In Asia, Schafer coached in countries like UAE, Qatar, Iran and Thailand.
He has also served as the coach for the national teams of Thailand and Jamaica, aside from Cameroon. He is the man who masterminded Brazil’s first-ever defeat against an African opponent at the senior level when the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon defeated the Seleccao 1-0 in the 2003 FIFA Confederation Cup semi-finals.
Winfried Schafer’s role as the Technical Advisor according to the Ghana Football Association
“In his new role, Schafer will not only provide technical guidance but also oversee the development of football in Ghana as the Director of Football.
“This role will also require Schafer to, in conjunction with the Technical Directorate of the GFA, develop and implement long-term strategic plans for the Association, provide technical guidance in line with Ghana’s football philosophy, provide general leadership for youth development and ensure consistently high performance by teams,” the GFA explained.
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