Africa’s inability to win World Cup is not due to player quality - Coach Otto Pfister

Veteran German coach Otto Martin Pfister believes that Africa’s inability to win the FIFA World Cup is not necessarily about the quality of its players but rather due to corrupt activities of football authorities who do not provide better working conditions to players.

The experienced coach revealed that officials who handle teams’ preparations and financial budgets are to be blamed for the woes of the national teams instead of African players.

For him, Africa is blessed with talented players who will continuously perform better at club level and showcase a pale shadow of themselves at national level because their demands and other services are not available to compete at international level.

“In Africa you have a lot of world class players on this continent but the preparation and organization before the game is not good,” Coach Otto Pfister told Citi TV.

Recalling an incident in 2014 where the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon performed abysmally at the World Cup, finishing bottom of their group with no point, Otto Pfister disclosed that the issue could have been resolved if football officials gave players the participation bonus they deserved.

“Sometime in Cameroon, the team decided to strike and not to play because somebody took money from the team and the bonus was not good, all this is a problem,” Otto Pfister said.

The 2002 CAF Champions League winner with Zamalek noted that African teams can only win the FIFA Wolrd Cup on condition of better infrastructure, preparation and analyses of player injuries which is common to big teams in Europe.

“I am sure that today if Africa has the same condition such as infrastructure like in Europe then a team can win a World Cup,” the 1992 and 2008 AFCON finalist said.

“Players are not the problem, in my experience a big player is never a problem, the problem is the organization, it is infrastructure, medical side is also very important. If a player has injury you have to analyze that, if you have this in Africa it’s hundred percent and an African team can win the World Cup. If all these conditions are not happening then it’s very difficult,” the 82-year-old said.

Coach Otto Pfister qualified Togo to its first and only World Cup in 2006, he also won the 1992 U-17 World Cup with Ghana.