German soccer guru extends empire to Ghana

DUTCH clubs, Ajax Amsterdam and Feyenoord Rotterdam, emerged as the early birds from Europe who have established football academies in the country aimed at tapping the talents available. Other influential figures like controversial Italian Domenico Ricci have had mutually beneficial romance with Ghana football through his African Football Management which once managed the cream of the nation’s foreign-based players, and also provided the Back Stars’ last expatriate coach Giuseppe Dossena. Another football figure of clout, Norbert Pflippen looks set to extend his influence into Ghana early next year to explore many business opportunities in the sport.

His name may not ring a bell in the ears of many in Ghana but in his native Germany, Pflippen is one of the most revered and influential figures in German football with working relationship with many great players, coaches and sports firms. Perhaps his only association with Ghana football to date is that he manages a number of Germany-based Ghanaian footballers notably Edwin Bediako and Lawrence Aidoo, currently with Borussia Monchengladbach. It was on the German’s recommendation that Rainer Bonhof applied for the Black Stars job as the German coach is managed by Pflippen. With over 20 years in the business, Pflippen is one of many FIFA-licensed player agents from the host of the 2006 World Cup and commands a lot of respect among top European clubs. According to Pflippen, he has been following the exploits of Ghanaian footballers with keen interest, especially since Tony Yeboah blazed German football. And his management contract with Aidoo and Bediako is a manifestation of his faith in the proven abilities of Ghanaian footballers.

“My adventure into Africa and for that matter Ghana is to provide African players the opportunity to rise to dizzy heights in world football, by providing them the same opportunities I gave to players like Lother Matthaeus, Lars Ricken, Berti Vogts and others who have become stars”, Pflippen told Graphic Sports in a telephone interview from his Monchengladbach base. In the opinion of the German, what many Ghanaian footballers lack is proper management and platform on which they can build their careers. “The Ghanaian is naturally talented but without proper management it is difficult to rise to the top, since you need to clear many hurdles in Europe.”

Pflippen who hopes to establish Ghana as the base for his African network, brings along a wealth of experience in his field, having managed such players as Vogts, Matthaeus, Kevin Keegan during his pro career in Hamburg, secring contract for the likes of Stefan Effenberg, Mehmet Scholl, Christian Ziege, Andreas Brehme and Matthians Sammer among others.

Currently, he has 75 footballers and coaches like Vogts, Bonhof and Slobodan Stepanovic under his management. He was the brain behind Vogts’ move to Bayer Leverkusen as replacement for Rudi Voeller. However, lately Pflippen has stretched his influence into Spain, Britain, Italy, Turkey, with Ghana being his next target as he moves into Africa. Apart from managing and securing contracts for players and coaches, Ghana could benefit from his contacts with the global sports marketing group, IMG and the German sportswear and equipment firm Adidas.