Schafer blends German efficiency to talent

YAOUNDE (Reuters) -- German Winfried Schafer has only been at the helm of Cameroon's Indomitable Lions since September, appointed as the fourth coach of the side inside a year, but he has already made his mark on the defending African Nations Cup champion.

The 52-year-old is on his first coaching assignment out of Germany, having made his name as a fiery personality in the Bundesliga where he coached Karlsruhe for 12 years and then spent half a season with VfB Stuttgart.

His appointment to lead Cameroon to the World Cup finals later this year broke the central African country's long-standing tradition of hiring coaches from France or eastern Europe.

His first match in charge was a friendly 0-0 draw away to Poland in November and he followed up with away wins over Burkina Faso and Tunisia.

He has organized training camps for the team in Germany, where it has played against club opposition and worked hard on adding discipline to its undoubted talent.

As a player, Schafer won the UEFA Cup in 1979 with Borussia Moenchengladbach and played more than 400 league matches in a career from 1968 to 1985.

 

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