German coach Torsten Frank Spittler is in pole position to win the race for Rwanda national team job which remains vacant since Carlos Ferrer left in August.

Spittler’s potential appointment would make him the fifth German to coach Rwandan after Otto Pfister (1972 -76), Rudi Gutendorf (1999-2000), Michael Nees (2006-2007) and Antoine Hey (2017-2018).

Another candidate whose name has popped up is former Horoya AC, Rayon Sports and Simba SC head coach Didier Gomes da Rosa but Spittler remains the hot favorite for the hot seat.

FERWAFA, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will unveil him in a week’s time.

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Who is Torsten Frank Spittler?

Born in Germany on November 7, 1961, not much is known about Spittler’s active playing career.

He took up his first coaching job at the age of 32 in July, 1993 when he was named as the youth team coach of then German Bundesliga side 1860 Munich. He spent five years at the club honing his craft before taking up an assistant manager job with the German U16 national team where he lasted just six months.

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Spittler holds the UEFA Pro Coaching License which is the highest coaching License in Europe.

Experience in Africa

Torsten has had two previous stints in Africa but neither of them was in the capacity of a head coach.

His first spell was with Sierra Leone where he spent only six weeks (May 9, 2005 -June 20, 2005) working as Chief Instructor.

He returned to Africa again on November 3, 2009 as Technical Director of the Mozambican Football Federation where he spent two years before leaving the job on December 31, 2011.

Spittler is a journey man, having worked also in countries such as his native Germany, Oman, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal to name a few.

The right man to lead Amavubi...after all?

From his job experience, the German has not handled any top side at club or country level. His coaching career resonates with minnows and most are small teams in unfancied leagues.

Certainly, we can never write a German off outright, he is from a great soccer nation and at least he knows about quality football.

Again, German coaches who took up head coach positions in Africa such as Winfried Schaefer of Cameroon, Otto Pfister of Ghana and Berti Vogts of Nigeria all attained great success and all this is a big motivation for Spittler to excel if he gets the job.

After the country failed to qualify for the 2023 AFCON, finishing at the bottom of Group L behind Senegal and Mozambique who qualified to the AFCON and Benin who finished third, Rwandans are eager to see Amavubi improve in the impending World Cup qualifiers.

It seems to be a herculean task considering the fact that the country has won just one competitive game in two years and they are now coming up against Nigeria, South Africa, Benin and Zimbabwe.

Coaching counts so much and we all saw how Ratomir Dujkovic transformed Amavubi and guided them to the AFCON in 2004, their only appearance in the tournament’s history.

Spittler can probably do better and write a name for himself by qualifying the country to the 2026 World Cup in United States, Canada and Mexico.

Spittler’s stronghold

Each coach has his stronghold or something he is best at. Having worked in different dimensions in the coaching industry, Spittler is an all-rounder who can achieve success with Rwanda if he maximizes his coaching expertise.

He previously also worked as a trainer scout, match analyst which are very important in coaching.

These two remain his strong elements as a head coach as he is able to analyze games by himself and spot strongholds and weaknesses in his team and the opponents’.

Again, being a trainer scout also allows him to spot talents and develop them and instill them with his philosophy. Rwanda has a host of fantastic young players such as Hakim Sahabo and Spittler can develop and groom them to be top stars.

People want to see Amavubi playing good football, scoring goals and winning games.

First impression really counts and if the German coach is given the job, his first two games in November against Zimbabwe and South Africa will let us know if he is the right man for the job or not.

Fact file

Name: Torsten Frank Spittler

Born: November 7, 1961

Nationality: German

Coaching License: UEFA Pro

Biggest Job Ever: Germany U16 Assistant manager - June 1, 1998 to December 31, 1998

Last Job: Paro FC Bhutan (2022)

Experience in Africa: Sierra Leone (Chief Instructor) May 9, 2005 - June 20, 2005

Mozambique (Technical Director) November 3, 2009 - December 31, 2011