Stumpf: "Great enthusiasm"

(FIFA.com) Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

Mentioning Reinhard Stumpf's name at aget-together may certainly puzzle some. When recounting his successes, however,it is slowly starting to sink in that one is talking about quite a greatfootballer: German Bundesliga Champion (1990) and Cup Champion (1991) with 1.FC Kaiserslautern, Double winner with Galatasaray Istanbul (1993), and winnerof a second Turkish League title the following year.

In an exclusive interview with FIFA.com, the 49-year-old looks back onhis quite successful career as a player. "I've spent seven or eight years of mycareer with the Red Devils (Kaiserslautern). Of course, a big piece of my heartbelongs there. Turkey will always have a special place in my heart anyway",Stumpf says.

Considerably different from Europe
ButStumpf did not only gain a lot of experience as a tough defender, but also on the sideline as a coach. FromKaiserlautern's Red Devils to VfL Wolfsburg's Wolves and Galatasaray Istanbul,Stumpf dared to take the leap into the desert, to Saudi top club Al-Hilal to beprecise. As assistant coach under Eric Gerets, currently coaching the Moroccannational team, he won the Saudi League Championship as well as the Crown PrinceCup. After Gerets' departure in October 2010, Stumpf became interim head coachbefore taking on responsibility for Al-Hilal's U21 team.

As coach of the U21 team, Stumpf developsplayers for the professional team – and does so quite successfully. In the lastfive months, eight of his players were called up to the club's professionalsquad. "It is no comparison to Europe in terms of quality. Daily training simplycannot be as extensive and intense as in Europe. That's why teams head toEurope for pre-season training if they can afford it. The league is alsostructured differently. With the U21 team, we sometimes play every three orfour days. Then there are times when we have two months off. We don't have thesame type of rhythm that we know from Europe", Stumpf explains the differenceto European football. In Saudi-Arabia, the top clubs and their players have toplay up to 55 matches per year, not including national team matches. League Championship,several Cup competitions, AFC Champions League – the list of official matchesis long.

Providing an opportunity for young players
Footballenthusiam in the Middle East is great. "Football is the number one nationalsport. Wherever there are football fans, there is enthusiasm. And over here,football fans are everywhere, no matter if in Qatar, Bahrain, or elsewhere. Thepeople love football and want the competition. In no way are they less ardentthan fans in Europe. There is great enthusiasm over here."

For Reinhard Stumpf, providing an opportunityfor up-and-coming players ismore than just an empty phrase. Currently setting up a football academy for youngstersin Canada, it is something he is actively engaged in. "When I was working inVancouver as a youth coach some time ago, I noticed an eagerness in theseyoungsters when training there. I would like to contribute in their developmentand help advance Canadian soccer as a whole. This is my long-term goal, mydistant future."

But until then, Stumpf will continue to work asa professional coach in the years to come. Will this mean staying in the Arabregion or returning to Europe or Germany even? Everything seems possible atthis point. "Each stop had its great moments and provided me with positive experiences.I'm sure a great task, a fantastic country, and a big challenge will await me,no matter where I'm off to next."