Cameroon have full confidence in coach Otto Pfister ahead of their African Cup final with Egypt on Sunday as they seek to tie the Pharaohs record of five titles. The source of confidence may be Pfister himself, who often sounds arrogant when he speaks about his talents. "Each coach has his coaching secret. I use 'Otto Pfister's Winning Formula', which is my special training programme for preparation," he said. "It does not include what you learn in a sports university," the German manager told BBC Sport. Pfister's formula gained concentration during his 36-year experience in Africa, where he coached national sides and clubs. The 70-year-old took kicked-off his career in Africa with Rwanda in 1972, before moving on to coach Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Togo. In 1995, he moved to Asia as he took charge of Saudi Arabia's first and Olympic teams before shifting to work with clubs. Pfister worked as manager of Zamalek and Masri from Egypt, Tunisia's Sfaxien, Nejmeh of Lebanon and Sudanese side Merreikh. No Titles Despite coaching top African national sides, Pfister's record still lacks a title. His ultimate achievement was guiding Ghana to reach the African Cup final in 1992. The Black Stars lost the title to Ivory Coast. Pfister, though, snatched a continental club title in 2000, steering Zamalek to winning their only African Cup of cup winners.
He was on the brink of repeating the feat with Merreikh in 2007 but was defeated by former club Sfaxien in the final. His poor trophy display didn't stop him from provoking Ghana and their African Cup winning-manager Claude LeRoy before the semi-finals clash. "I will paralyze Ghana tactically," Pfister said ahead of the game that he eventually won 1-0. "I led them to the final in 1992 but now I want to oust the Black Stars." Total Respect Pfister was surprisingly named manager of the Lions barely two months ahead of the prestigious competition after disputes between the Cameroonian FA and the government. And despite controversy over his reputation, Pfister enjoys a great deal of respect among the players. "Our coach must be respected, and with him on our side we hope to win beat the Black Stars," Mbia Stephane said before the semi-finals clash. Stephane, who scored twice against Tunisia in the quarter-finals, also said he won't swap Pfister for any other manager in the tournament. Now, Pfister tries to recall all his experience as his side gear up for the game against Egypt, who mauled the Lions 4-2 in Group C opener. "If you use all your knowledge, you will have a result at the end of the day, that is clear," a confident Pfister said.
