Winfried "Winnie" Schäfer (born 10 January 1950) is a German football manager and former player.
Playing career
Winfried Schäfer played 403 Bundesliga matches and scored 46 goals in the (West) German top-flight.[1]
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.
On 17 July 2013, it was announced that Schäfer will become the new coach of Jamaica,[7] replacing previous manager Theodore Whitmore who resigned from his position following a 2–0 loss to Honduras.[8] Jamaica's first match with Schäfer as manager was a World Cup qualification match against Panama on 7 September 2013 which ended with a 0–0 draw.[9]
In June 2015 at the Copa América, Jamaica put in an incredible performance, being drawn in the same group as regional powers Argentina and Uruguay, 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.
Esteghlal
On 2 October 2017, Schäfer was chosen to become the new manager of Iranian club Esteghlal, following Alireza Mansourian's resignation as team's head coach.[13] The next day, he signed his official contract with Esteghlal until the end of the season.[14]
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,[15] as well as asking the management to re-sign Behnam Barzay whose contract wasn't renewed and became a free agent in summer.[16] Schäfer also chose to continue working with Mick McDermott (whom he worked with as fitness coach in Al Ain) as Esteghlal's assistant manager,[17] however they had a conflict later on and McDermott left the club on 30 October.[18] Jiří Saňák and Miguel Coley were announced to replace him as Schäfer's assistant coach.[19]
His first official match as Esteghlal's coach was the 0–0 against Foolad in Azadi Stadium on 13 October.[20] His first victory came against Nassaji Mazandaran in Hazfi Cup, which Esteghlal won the match 2–1.[21] He won his first league match on 31 October beating Naft Talaieh 2–0.[22]
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.[46] They were also eliminated from the Hazfi Cup on 1 November, reaching the Round of 16 stage, after a penalty shootout defeat to Saipa after a 2–2 draw.[47] 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.[48][49]
Baniyas
On 6 July 2019, Schäfer was confirmed as the new manager of Emirati side Baniyas,[50] he coached the team until his contract expired with barely any notable records other than getting to the UAE President's Cup semi finals.[49]
Al-Khor
In late January 2021, Schäfer became the head coach of Qatar Stars League club Al-Khor to help them in a difficult situation.[51][52][49] Results and performance improved relatively, the team remained in the league after win 3–1 in the play-off match against Al-Shahania.[53] On 11 November 2021, he left Qatar after his contract was terminated.[54]
Schäfer is married, has two children, and has lived with his family for more than 25 years in Ettlingen 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.[49] His son Sascha Oliver works with him as an assistant.
^استقلال اولین تیم 900 امتیازی لیگ برتر [Esteghlal the first league with 900 points in premier league] (in Persian). 28 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
^رسمی؛ مجیدی سرمربی موقت استقلال شد [Official; Majidi became the caretaker of Esteghlal] (in Persian). Esteghlal. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.