Winfried "Winnie" Schäfer (born 10 January 1950) is a German football manager and former player who is the technical director for the

Ghana national football team The Ghana national football team represents Ghana in men's international Association football, football. The team is named the Black Stars after the Black Star of Africa in the flag of Ghana. It is governed by the Ghana Football Association, t ...

Playing career

Winfried Schäfer played 403

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

matches and scored 46 goals in the (West) German top-flight. He won the 1970 Bundesliga title and 1970 DFB-Pokal with two different clubs – because the West German Cup final was played after the 1970 FIFA World Cup and his move from Mönchengladbach to Offenbach.

Coaching career

Karlsruher SC

As a manager, he led

Karlsruher SC Karlsruher Sport-Club Mühlburg-Phönix e. V., better known as Karlsruher SC, is a Football in Germany, German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of Germa ...

to the semi-finals of the

UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

in the 1993–94 season.

VfB Stuttgart

Tennis Borussia Berlin

Cameroon national team

In November 2001, Schäfer was appointed head coach of

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. He won the

2002 African Cup of Nations The 2002 African Cup of Nations was the 23rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was hosted by Mali. Just like in 2000, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four. Ca ...

with Cameroon, defeating

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

3–2 in a penalty shoot-out after a 0–0 draw in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

Al-Ahli

In 2006, he won the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

national championship with Al-Ahli (Dubai). He worked then from 2007 to 2009 for UAE League side Al-Ain.

FK Baku

On 10 June 2010, Schäfer signed a two-year contract with Azerbaijani club

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

. On 18 January 2011 his contract was ended.

Thailand national team and Muangthong United

Schaefer and Thailand players during THA-OMA

In late June 2011, Schäfer was hired as

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

manager on a three-year contract. On 4 June 2013, Schäfer and

Football Association of Thailand The Football Association of Thailand, under the Patronage of His Majesty the King (), or FA Thailand (FAT) for short, is the governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer in Thailand. It was founded on 25 April 1916. The associ ...

mutually agreed to cancel the contract. The following day, he became manager of thai club Muangthong United, replacing Serbian Slaviša Jokanović.

Jamaica national team

On 17 July 2013, it was announced that Schäfer will become the new coach of

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, replacing previous manager Theodore Whitmore who resigned from his position following a 2–0 loss to

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

. Jamaica's first match with Schäfer as manager was a World Cup qualification match against

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

on 7 September 2013 which ended with a 0–0 draw. In the

2014 Caribbean Cup The 2014 Caribbean Cup was the 18th edition of the Caribbean Cup, an international Association football, football competition for national teams of member nations affiliated with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) of the CONCACAF region. The fin ...

, Jamaica's first match ended with a 1–1 draw over

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

. However, the team recorded two-straight wins against

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...

and

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

to make it to the final. Schäfer led Jamaica to their sixth Caribbean Cup title after beating

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

4–3 on penalties in the final. In June 2015 at the

Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...

, Jamaica put in an incredible performance, being drawn in the same group as regional powers

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, who both defeated Jamaica by a single goal. Shortly after, on 22 July 2015 Schäfer's team reached the Final of the Gold Cup after beating tournament favourites the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Esteghlal

On 2 October 2017, Schäfer was chosen to become the new manager of Iranian club Esteghlal, following

Alireza Mansourian Alireza Mansourian (; born 2 December 1971) is an Iranian association football, football coach and retired player. Club career Mansourian was born in Tehran. During his career, he played for Singapore S.League clubs: Balestier Khalsa FC, Balesti ...

's resignation as team's head coach. The next day, he signed his official contract with Esteghlal until the end of the season.

2017–18 season

Upon being appointed, Schäfer re-called Esteghlal's captain Mehdi Rahmati who was banned from joining the team by the previous coach, Alireza Mansourian, as well as asking the management to re-sign Behnam Barzay whose contract wasn't renewed and became a free agent in summer. Schäfer also chose to continue working with Mick McDermott (whom he worked with as fitness coach in

Al Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...

) as Esteghlal's assistant manager, however they had a conflict later on and McDermott left the club on 30 October. Jiří Saňák and Miguel Coley were announced to replace him as Schäfer's assistant coach. His first official match as Esteghlal's coach was the 0–0 against Foolad in

Azadi Stadium The Azadi Stadium (, ), opened as the Aryamehr Stadium (), is an all-seater football stadium in Tehran, Iran. The stadium was designed by Abdol Aziz Mirza Farman-Farmaian Architects and Associates (AFFA) with other parts of the sports comple ...

on 13 October. His first victory came against Nassaji Mazandaran in

Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (, ) formerly known as Pahlavi Cup () is an Iranian knockout football competition held annually by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian Football League, Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, h ...

, which Esteghlal won the match 2–1. He won his first league match on 31 October beating Naft Talaieh 2–0. During the winter transfer window, he offloaded players which were not part of his plans for the rest of the season. Hassan Beyt Saeed joined Foolad while

Yaghoub Karimi Yaghoub Karimi (; August 31, 1991) is an Iranian football midfielder. Club career Pas He joined Pas in the summer 2003 from the youth academy. He played five seasons for Pas youth team. Esteghlal In summer 2009, Karimi joined Esteghlal. He ...

went to Esteghlal Khuzestan.

Sajjad Shahbazzadeh Sajjad Shahbazzadeh (, born 23 January 1990) is an Iranian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal Khuzestan F.C., Esteghlal Khuzestan ...

joined

Qatar SC Qatar Sports Club () is a sports club based in Doha, Qatar. It is best known for its football team which competes in the Qatar Stars League. The club was founded in 1961 with the merger of two Qatari football clubs, Al-Oruba and Al-Nasour. They ...

on a free transfer. In association with Esteghlal vice president Seyed Pendar Toufighi, two new signings were made by Schäfer; free agent's Bojan Najdenov and

Mame Thiam Mame Baba Thiam (born 9 October 1992) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Turkish Süper Lig club Eyüpspor and the Senegal national team. Club career Youth career Born in Nguidile, Louga Region, Thiam left f ...

arrived at the club. On 28 December Schäfer's Esteghlal beat Esteghlal Khuzestan 3–0 and became the first team to reach a total of 900 points in all-time

Persian Gulf Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...

table. In the

2018 AFC Champions League The 2018 AFC Champions League was the 37th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 16th under the current AFC Champions League title. Kashima Antlers won the title for t ...

, Schäfer's team were drawn against Al-Rayyan,

and Al-Hilal in the competition's group of death. However, they did not lose a game, topping the group with some impressive performances. On 1 March 2018, Schäfer won his first Tehran derby as a manager in a 1–0 victory; this was also his third win against

Branko Ivanković Branko Ivanković (; born 28 February 1954) is a Croatian association football, football manager (association football), manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of the China national football team ...

, having previously beaten him twice in 2. Bundesliga with

Tennis Borussia Berlin Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in the locality of Westend in Berlin. History The team was founded in 1902 as ''Berliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong-Gesellschaft Borussia'' taking its name from its origins as a tennis and ...

when Branko was the manager of

Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years between 19 ...

during the 1999–2000 season. On 3 May 2018, Schäfer extended his contract until June 2020. On the same day, Schäfer won his first trophy with Esteghlal, the

, when his side defeated Khooneh be Khooneh 1–0, with

scoring the only goal. Esteghlal extended their record of seven Hazfi Cups.

2018–19 season

During Schäfer's second season as manager, he saw some of his top players leaving the club,

Majid Hosseini Seyed Majid Hosseini (; born 20 June 1996) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Turkish club Kayserispor and the Iran national team. Hosseini made his full international debut in 2018 and represented Iran at the 2 ...

moved to

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...

, while Omid Ebrahimi joined Al Ahli, Server Djeparov signed for

Zhetysu Jetisu ( ) or Semirechye ( rus, Семиречье, p=sʲɪmʲɪˈrʲetɕje) or Heptopotamia is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the southeastern part of modern Kazakhstan. Name Jetisu is also transcribed Jeti-Suu (, ), Zh ...

and

Omid Noorafkan Omid Noorafkan (; born 9 April 1997) is an Iranian professional Association football, footballer who plays as defensive midfielder or left-back for Iranian club Sepahan S.C., Sepahan, and the Iran national football team, Iran national team. Noor ...

moved to

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

. Esteghlal signed players such as Morteza Aghakhan, Rouhollah Bagheri,

Farshad Mohammadi Mehr Farshad Mohammadi Mehr (; born 4 September 1994) is an Iranian midfielder who plays for Sanat Naft Abadan F.C., Sanat Naft in the Azadegan League. Club career statistics References External links Farshad Mohammadi Mehrat metafootball * Far ...

, Meysam Teymouri, Ali Karimi and

Morteza Tabrizi Morteza Tabrizi (, born 6 January 1991) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Persian Gulf Pro League side Zob Ahan Esfahan F.C., Zob Ahan Esfahan. Club career Pas Hamedan Tabrizi was p ...

to replace the departed players and improve the squad depth. He also asked to sign Nigerian striker

Alhaji Gero Salisu Abdullahi "Alhaji" Gero (born 10 October 1993) is a Nigerian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Nepal Super League club Jhapa FC, Jhapa. Club career Early years Gero ...

, his compatriot Markus Neumayr as well as

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

international Humam Tariq. Schäfer's Esteghlal were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League after a 5–3 aggregate loss to Al Sadd on 17 September 2018. They were also eliminated from the

on 1 November, reaching the Round of 16 stage, after a penalty shootout defeat to

Saipa SAIPA (, ''SAIPA'') is an Iranian automaker headquartered in Tehran. The SAIPAC (an acronym for the French ''Société anonyme iranienne de production des automobiles Citroën'' lit. ''Iranian Limited Company for the Production of Citroën Autom ...

after a 2–2 draw. On 29 April 2019, Schäfer was suspended until the end of the season two days after Esteghlal's loss to Padideh in the league and replaced by his assistant Farhad Majidi.

Baniyas

On 6 July 2019, Schäfer was confirmed as the new manager of Emirati side

Baniyas Baniyas ( ') is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coastal city in Tartous Governorate, western Syria, located south of Latakia and north of Tartous. It is known for its citrus fruit orchards and its export of wood. North of the city is an B ...

, he coached the team until his contract expired with barely any notable records other than getting to the

UAE President's Cup The UAE President's Cup, or simply the President Cup, is a association football, football tournament that takes place in United Arab Emirates, between Football team, clubs in the UAE Pro League and the UAE First Division League. The winner qualifi ...

semi finals.

Al-Khor

In late January 2021, Schäfer became the head coach of

Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League (; abbreviated as QSL), known as Ooredoo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation wi ...

club Al-Khor to help them in a difficult situation. Results and performance improved relatively, the team remained in the league after win 3–1 in the

play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...

match against Al-Shahania. On 11 November 2021, he left Qatar after his contract was terminated.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Borussia Mönchengladbach *

: 1969–70 *

: 1978–79 Kickers Offenbach *

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...

: 1969–70

Manager

Karlsruher * 2. Bundesliga runner-up: 1986–87 *

runner-up: 1995–96 *

UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

Cameroon *

African Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

FIFA Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBO ...

runner-up:

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

Al-Ahli * UAE Football League: 2005–06 Al-Ain *

: 2008–09 * Etisalat Emirates Cup: 2008–09 *

UAE Super Cup The UAE Super Cup () and Charity Champions Cup in the first edition (1989–90), is the curtain raiser of the United Arab Emirates football season. It is played between the previous season's UAE League, Pro-League winners and UAE President's Cup, P ...

: 2009 Thailand *

AFF Championship The ASEAN Championship (formerly known as the AFF Championship or AFF Cup), currently known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the biennial football tournament organized by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) for men's natio ...

runner-up:

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Jamaica * Caribbean Cup:

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup () is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held every two ...

runner-up:

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

Esteghlal *

: 2017–18 *

Iranian Super Cup The Iranian Super Cup (Persian language, Persian: سوپر جام ایران, ''Super Jam-e 'Iran'') is an Iranian association football trophy awarded to the winner of a match between the Persian Gulf Pro League's season champion and the winner of ...

runner-up:

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Personal life

Schäfer is married, has two children, and has lived with his family for more than 25 years in

Ettlingen Ettlingen (; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Eddlinge'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about south of the city of Karlsruhe and approximately from the German-French border, border with Lauterbourg, in France's Bas-Rhin, ...

near Karlsruhe. In 2004 Schäfer was elected with the most votes to the municipal council of Ettlingen. He ran for the newly founded association "For Ettlingen". Because of his frequent work-related stays abroad, he held the mandate but barely. He is known for his passion for football. His son Sascha Oliver works with him as an assistant.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schafer, Winfried 1950 births Living people People from Mayen German men's footballers Germany men's B international footballers Germany men's under-21 international footballers Borussia Mönchengladbach players Karlsruher SC players Kickers Offenbach players Bundesliga players German football managers 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup managers 2002 FIFA World Cup managers 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup managers Cameroon national football team managers Tennis Borussia Berlin managers Karlsruher SC managers VfB Stuttgart managers Bundesliga managers Al Ain FC managers Esteghlal F.C. managers Baniyas SC managers UAE Pro League managers Expatriate football managers in the United Arab Emirates Thailand national football team managers Jamaica national football team managers Expatriate football managers in Jamaica 2015 Copa América managers Copa América Centenario managers 2004 African Cup of Nations managers 2002 African Cup of Nations managers Men's association football midfielders UEFA Europa League–winning players 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup managers Footballers from Rhineland-Palatinate Expatriate football managers in Iran Persian Gulf Pro League managers West German men's footballers West German football managers German expatriate sportspeople in Thailand German expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates German expatriate sportspeople in Iran German expatriate sportspeople in Jamaica German expatriate sportspeople in Cameroon German expatriate sportspeople in Azerbaijan German expatriate sportspeople in Qatar Al Ahli Club (Dubai) managers