Otto Pfister - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

Otto Pfister has been involved in Association football for almost 60 years, he began his coaching career in Switzerland as player-coach in 1961 at the age of just 23. Pfister's early coaching experience was gained with FC Vaduz, FC St. Gallen, FC Nordstern Basel, FC Moutier and finally FC Chur 97. He 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, Pfister retired from his playing days and left Switzerland for Africa, taking the reins as the Head Coach of Rwanda. Pfister would stay in Africa for 23 years until 1995 working as the Head Coach for five other African Nations. Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Zaire (now DR Congo) and Ghana. In 1995, Pfister worked inside the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as the Head Coach of Bangladesh National Team and also Saudi Arabia from 1997 - 1999. 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. Pfister was selected as the head coach of Togo on February 18, 2006, after former coach Stephen Keshi was dismissed from the post despite having secured qualification for their first World Cup Finals. 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. Pfister was appointed Manager of Sudanese club Al-Merreikh on September 8, 2006 and would later leave this position on October 26, 2007. The following day Pfister would sign a contract as the Head Coach of Cameroon taking him through until 2010. As of March 24, 2011, Pfister was unveiled as head coach of Trinidad and Tobago