28 Facts About Otto Pfister

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

Otto Pfister is formerly the manager of the Afghanistan national team.

Otto Pfister's early coaching experience was gained with FC Vaduz, FC St Gallen, FC Nordstern Basel, FC Moutier and finally FC Chur 97.

Otto Pfister has worked as head coach for 10 international football teams, eight from Africa and two from Asia.

In June 1972, at the age of 34, Otto Pfister retired from his playing days and left Switzerland for Africa, taking the reins as the head coach of Rwanda.

Otto Pfister would stay in Africa for 23 years until 1995 working as the head coach for five other African Nations.

Otto Pfister returned to club football over the following six years with Egyptian team Zamalek, Tunisian club CS Sfaxien, Lebanese club Nejmeh and Egyptian club Al-Masry.

Otto Pfister was selected as the head coach of Togo on 18 February 2006, after former coach Stephen Keshi was dismissed from the post despite having secured qualification for their first World Cup Finals.

Otto Pfister himself resigned shortly before the team's first match in the tournament, after his players went on strike against the federation over a pay dispute, but he was reappointed three days later after demands from the players.

Otto Pfister was appointed manager of Sudanese club Al-Merreikh on 8 September 2006 and would later leave this position on 26 October 2007.

Between 1976 and 1978, Otto Pfister changed the face of football in Burkina Faso.

In 1982, Otto Pfister became coach of the Ivory Coast national team.

Otto Pfister repaid his new employers' confidence in him by taking the country's youth team to the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship in Mexico.

Otto Pfister took over as head coach of Congo DR national football team in 1985, where he would spend four years helping to restore the 1974 African champions to their former glories.

Otto Pfister led Ghana to a famous win in the 1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship.

Otto Pfister became the head coach of Saudi Arabia in 1997 after previously working in the AFC from 1995 to 1997 with Bangladesh.

In 1997, Otto Pfister successfully guided Saudi Arabia to the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France but was crudely released just before the tournament because he requested the Saudi Princes to interfere less in team affairs.

Otto Pfister was highly successful during his time at Zamalek SC.

Otto Pfister secured qualification to the 2005 AFC Cup for Nejmeh.

Otto Pfister was selected to lead the Togo national team three months before World Cup 2006 after Stephen Keshi was sacked.

Otto Pfister was reinstated three days later after demands from players and FTF staff.

On 27 October 2007, Otto Pfister was appointed the manager of Cameroon, succeeding 80 other candidates.

Otto Pfister coached Cameroon in the 2008 African Cup of Nations, held in Ghana.

In January 2015, Otto Pfister was linked with Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 club USM Alger, and signed a contract with the club shortly after.

Otto Pfister gained his coaching certificates in Magglingen in the 1960s, and later studied further in Cologne.

Otto Pfister is a UEFA Pro License holder, has a Bundesliga license for professional football coaching and is an Instructor for FIFA and German Football Association professional football coaching courses.

In 2001, Otto Pfister was awarded the Order of Merit of the Confederation of African Football as well as a German Football Federation Honors Award.

In Ghana the slang "Rules with an Iron-Otto Pfister" is often used to refer to his coaching style.