Nepal, Yemen, Myanmar, Bhutan…
Many coaches dream of being able to work in the most famous leagues in the world during their career. But due to the small number of places, for many it will only remain a dream and they will have to switch to other leagues and countries. The question that then inevitably arises: Can you pursue a job with complete enthusiasm and love, even if the general conditions are perhaps not ideal? Torsten Spittler can answer this question with a resounding yes. The 60-year-old has already seen quite a bit of the world and has worked in 13 countries. The current technical director of the Bhutanese first division club Paro FC talks to Transfermarkt.de about his experiences at his exotic football stations.
The special and exciting thing about football is the variety of stories that this sport offers. In particular, people who are not active in the professional leagues are usually not the focus of reporting, although they experience a variety of stories and adventures. Looking at Torsten Spittler’s vita, the question is not how many stories he has to tell, but which will be the first? In our case, Spittler first talks about happiness, and this is no coincidence as he currently lives and works in Bhutan. The kingdom in the Himalayas has set itself the goal of becoming the happiest country on earth and has introduced the so-called “gross social happiness” with the aim of achieving a balance between material and emotional well-being.
Soccer globetrotter: Torsten Spittler in Bhutan
“I think everyone defines happiness or being happy for themselves and, above all, differently,” says Spittler. “For my part, I’ve found that a more humble way of looking at life, which I’ve certainly gained through my various stays abroad, has made me a lot happier because I really appreciate the little things. When I was young, I took many things for granted. Today, for example, I can say very clearly: one of the greatest luxuries we have in Germany is a supply of clean drinking water. You have to imagine, in other countries you have to walk kilometers to get clean water. We Germans turn on the tap and clean water runs.”
Spittler’s way from 1860 Munich to Bhutan
On a sporting and especially football level, Bhutan has not been particularly spoiled by success or kissed by luck. So far it has not been enough for either an Asian championship or participation in the World Cup. The country became known to a wider audience through the documentary “The Other Final”, which dealt with the friendly match between Bhutan and Montserrat, which took place parallel to the World Cup final in 2002. The special attraction that Bhutan exerts on Torsten Spittler is no coincidence, because as a German coach he was allowed to look after the Bhutanese national team in four selection games between 2016 and 2017 as national coach.
If you look at the beginning of Spittler’s coaching career, it doesn’t look like an extraordinary, let alone exotic career. As a youth coach at 1860 Munich, he is initially deeply rooted in the youth field. In the 1993/94 season he worked for the Sixty Lions before moving to the Bavarian Football Association as an association coach and to the DFB as assistant coach of the U16 junior national team.
Until then, Spittler’s path can be described as a normal career path among coaches, and this path would probably have been normal if Spittler hadn’t had the intuition to apply for a job abroad in Asia. But the application should not go to a comparatively well-known football country like Japan or South Korea, but to Nepal. And at a time when there was no Internet and foreign telephone calls were exorbitantly expensive, applications were made in writing in 1999 by fax.
Spittler’s fax to Nepal: “After two more phone calls, I became national coach”
“During my work in Germany, I noticed that this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. Even as a student, I wanted to get out into the world,” says Spittler. “But I initially focused on the safety factor. When my contract in Germany expired and I found out from a friend that Nepal was looking for a national coach, I tried my luck. A few weeks after I sent a fax, I received a call from the President of the Football Association of Nepal. After two more phone calls, everything was settled and I became the national coach in Nepal.”
In Asia, Spittler then experienced a bit of a culture shock. “When you swap your privileged life in Germany for one in an exotic country for the first time, you naturally expect something completely different. Of course, Nepal is always imagined as a dreamland, with the Himalayas in the background. That can also be the case to a certain extent, but it wasn’t the capital Kathmandu. It was loud, hectic and above all dirty. But I’ve always been someone who was able to adapt quickly to new things or changes. I also settled in quickly because of the kindness and helpfulness of the people,” says Spittler.
During his time in the Asian country, he sees that the dreamland of Nepal also has a downside, especially in the form of poverty, and that these existential worries even force national players to take extraordinary steps. “Right from the start of my job, I found out that it was sadly normal for national players to go away during away games to earn money as unskilled workers in other Asian countries. In big Asian countries it’s normal as a national player to be able to take care of yourself and your family, but that’s not the case in Nepal. In my time, every player went to work before training, and most of the time the money he earned wasn’t even enough to get through the month,” says Spittler, who, as a result of his experiences abroad, also went through a change in personality as a person.
In Yemen: “During a training session, soldiers came with Kalashnikovs”
“Over time, you learn to be a little more relaxed and, above all, more flexible, because something always comes up,” explains the football expert. “Of course you’re still the German for whom punctuality and cleanliness are extremely important and who sets an example, but who also reacts calmly from time to time when a player has to be ten minutes late for training. I’ve always been well received by people because as a guest in the respective country I’ve adapted to the customs, religions or cultures,” says the former 60-year-old youth coach.
The meticulous way Spittler works, coupled with his passion and cosmopolitanism, made the DFB prick up their ears in the form of Markus Weidner, the then head of department for coach education and international relations, and so Spittler was hired by the German Football Association both in the Yemen as well as to Sierra Leone and India as a coach and coach educator. The impressions he made in Yemen in particular still have an effect on him today.
“Actually, Yemen is a beautiful country with an incredible cultural diversity and kind-hearted people, but the global political situation has changed a lot and destroyed a lot,” says the 60-year-old and talks about events that make him think. “During a training session, soldiers with Kalashnikovs suddenly came onto the field and said they should protect me. I was completely perplexed. In hindsight, I was just grateful because I found out that several Europeans living in my neighborhood were kidnapped that day. At some point I also received a jambia, a curved dagger, as a gift, but with the nice note: I should always wear this on my person, just in case.”
In Mozambique: “When I think about the singing on the bus, I get goosebumps”
After a stint in Canada with the Okanagan Challenge, Spittler moved to Mozambique in 2009 for three years as Technical Director of the Football Association. During this time, the Mozambican national team, with German Gert Engels as national coach and Spittler in the background, managed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. During this time he also got a glimpse of what makes African football so special.
“I’ve never seen this joie de vivre that is exemplified in Africa anywhere else in the world,” emphasizes Spittler. “I still get goose bumps when I think back to the songs on the bus. It doesn’t matter what the opponent’s name is, every international match is celebrated. The fact that football has an exorbitant value for people is shown by successes, but also by failures. If you’re successful, you’re practically the president and king in one person, you’re their hero. But if you fail, then you can be happy that only the team bus is demolished.”
During his time in Africa Spittler learned that football can not only be decided by the players themselves, but also by supposed magic. “During an away game, the bus suddenly stopped in front of the entrance gate to the stadium area. All players got out and climbed over the wall. I asked a player why we can’t continue with the bus through the archway. The problem, according to him, was that the archway was jinxed and we were jeopardizing winning the game. In the end we even won the game,” says Spittler with a laugh.
Spittler: “I would love to work in colder regions again”
Especially in the Southeast African country, he had to prove his flexibility due to a lack of materials. “When you’re traveling in Africa, it’s a huge advantage if you’re inventive. If, for example, there are only three balls, then you have to design the training in such a way that three balls are enough – and that shows how good you are as a coach. There were even situations where we had to switch to plastic bottles filled with sand as marking cones.”
While many see the label as a “soccer globetrotter” rather negatively because it makes it more difficult to get a job back home, Spittler is satisfied with his career. “At first I was a bit sad because I heard from a number of people that what I do has nothing to do with ‘real football’. Now I don’t care about these voices because I’m living my dream. I get to get to know new, exciting cultures. I can create sustainable structures, which in turn benefits children and young people and, under certain circumstances, enables them to lead a better life. That makes me proud,” explains Spittler, who also went to Oman and Myanmar.
His involvement with the Bavarian state league team TuS Holzkirchen two years ago seems almost unusual and a kind of breakout. But although the region in Upper Bavaria boasted a scenic idyll, he didn’t stay in Germany for long, and a few weeks ago he accepted the offer to become technical director of the Bhutanese first division club Paro FC. He has long known that his current position will probably not be his last. He has specific wishes for the future. “I would love to work in colder climes again. The Faroe Islands or Iceland would appeal to me. In general, there are so many beautiful and exciting spots on earth, and I would be happy to explore one or the other.”
Interview and text by Henrik Stadnischeko
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