King Faisal To Get New German Coach

The management of King Faisal has flown in a top German coach to work with compatriot, Ralf Zumdick (pictured) ahead of an October departure for the former Bochum and Asante Kotoko coach who has indicated his desire to return to his fatherland to attend to pressing business and family concerns.

Hans-Dieter Schmidt, 55, a top Bundesliga coach with coaching stints with the likes of Bayern Munich, Hannover 96 and Hamburg SV arrived in Accra last Friday morning and has since watched one game as an observer.

Schmidt was at Prestea when King Faisal lost 2-3 to home side Mine Stars under some difficult conditions, but today he takes over as acting head coach while Zumdick takes a one week break to travel to his native Germany for business and family interests.

Zumdick told the Soccer Express last Monday that he has to be in Germany to take part in a photo-ops arranged by a sports company and regretted that the inconsistencies in the planning of the league had resulted in his absence from Kumasi at a time when King Faisal is to play two crucial games against Mine Stars and Okwawu United respectively.

Though "The Cat" as he was affectionately known during his goalkeeping days with Bochum has denied departing King Faisal for good, club president, Herbert Mensah who breezed into town last Monday told the Soccer Express that Hans-Dieter Schmidt's arrival was to ensure a smooth technical direction because Zumdick had expressed his desire to leave the King Faisal job in October.

Mensah said, as had been his trademark with Kotoko; he did not expect to create a vacuum in October hence the presence of Schmidt.

He further explained that the new coach had to come in at this time because the second round league matches against Mine Stars and Okwawu United were crucial ones for King Faisal and it was important that once Zumdick had to be in Germany at all cost nothing wrong happens to the fortunes of his darling club, the Nokia Boyz.

Asked who would be head coach when Zumdick returns next week, Mensah said there would be no question of jockeying for positions as the two coaches are aware they are in a transition period and would have to work together without a question of who is supervising whom.

Zumdick first appeared in Ghana in September 2002 when Herbert Mensah, then CEO of Kumasi Asante Kotoko fired Scot Ian Porterfield under controversial circumstances.

The affable German with two children ably led Kotoko to the grand finals of the African Cup Winners Cup and joined King Faisal after Mensah bought majority shares at King Faisal after his removal from Kotoko.

Meanwhile Schmidt gets to work today (Wednesday) minus Zumdick and the multi-lingual German who speaks English and Arabian has a tough job on his hands as he works to overcome the might of two club sides who have given King Faisal some of her toughest games yet, Mine Stars and Okwawu United.