Ex-Bundesliga professional in an interview
Whether Rainer Zobel, Josef Zinnbauer or Ernst Middendorp – the South African DStv Premiership has always been the temporary home of German football coaches in the past. With Sead Ramovic, a German coach is currently preparing to put his stamp on South African football. At Transfermarkt, the former Bundesliga player and current head coach of TS Galaxy talks about the difficult path of South African football and his memories of the active time at VfL Wolfsburg.
With 72 completed games for the national team, Bernard Parker is one of the greatest footballers in the country. When he raves about Sead Ramovic and calls him one of the best coaches in South Africa, it means something. Ramovic has coached Parker’s current club since 2021. TS Galaxy FC, based in Mpumalanga province, was founded in 2015 by famous South African lawyer Tim Sukazi and also got its financial start. Accordingly, Sukazi’s initials TS can be found in the club’s name.
Ramovic, who has been given a free hand in the last almost two years and has been able to achieve so many things, raves about working with Sukazi. “Tim and I have known each other since 2014. At that time he wanted to bring me to South Africa as an active player, but that didn’t work out for a variety of reasons. A friendship has developed over the years. When he found out that I had the UEFA Pro license in my pocket, he immediately wanted to sign me for his club. I am very grateful that he gave me the chance as a no-name coach back then. When you consider that we’ve managed to stay up several times in a row, even though we only have one of the smallest budgets in the league, that makes me incredibly proud,” emphasizes Ramovic.
Ramovic at TS Galaxy: “We want to develop into a training club”
A main focus for the future is the promotion of young talent. The native of Stuttgart is involved in building a clear strategy and structure, after all the current squad with an average age of 29 is the oldest in the league. “When I started here, the club was just beginning to become more professional,” says Ramovic.
“We didn’t have GPS watches, we didn’t have video analysis. The youth work was also at the beginning. We are currently consciously relying on experienced players, because our young players can benefit most from these guys and support them on their way. Our overriding goal is to establish a game system throughout the club so that the transition to the professional game is easier for the youngsters.”
But Ramovic also knows that such a structure stands and falls with the financial means. “Even though football is very important in the country, companies and sponsors are currently preferring to invest in cricket and especially rugby. The rest of the money is then invested in big clubs like the Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs or Mamelodi Sundowns, with the result that less is left for the smaller clubs. It is a daily task and challenge to find solutions and ways to promote the talented young people that there are undisputedly there. We would like to develop into a training association. With Melusi Buthelezi, for example, we managed to solidify him to the point where he developed into a South African international and now plays for the Orlando Pirates. Stories like this make us proud across the club,” the 44-year-old clarifies.
As a player, I have learned that life only gives you something if you are willing to work on your weaknesses and strengths.
Before joining South Africa, Ramovic worked as an assistant coach in Serbia for five years. As a goalkeeper, Ramovic experienced Jürgen Röber and Dragoslav Stepanovic as a trainer at VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach, among others. During the time in Serbia, Ramovic finally decided to try it himself as head coach. The fact that working in the front line is closely linked with more responsibility does not bother him at all. Rather, the office as head coach is a task that fulfills him internally and for which he burns.
Ramovic explains: “There is a saying that may sound like a cliché, but there is a lot of truth in it and that I always give my players along the way: To feel one percent luck, you need 99 percent hard work. As a player, I have learned that life only gives you something if you are willing to work on your weaknesses and strengths. The mix of discipline and motivation is important. On days when you are feeling down, when the weather is bad, when everything is getting you down, on these days you have to be aware of what you are doing all this for and what you are working towards.”
Ramovic, who sees himself as a motivator and communicator, gains inspiration for his own training, especially from the exchange with other coaches from other sports. “I am lucky that I speak German, English and Serbian fluently. That always opens new doors for me everywhere. As a trainer, there is nothing better than being able to exchange ideas with other trainers. You can generate new knowledge from every sport. Recently, for example, I had a close exchange with Christian Fiel, Marcus Sorg and Ronny Deila. As a coach, you should always ask yourself new questions and tasks in order to grow and, through your growth, pull your players up with you. At the end of the day, there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your players understand your game philosophy and implement it accordingly on the pitch,” said Ramovic.
Ramovic on South African football: “Made a big leap in recent years”
Although the DStv Premiership is one of the strongest leagues on the African continent, comparatively few players have made it into major European leagues in recent years. Ramovic has a clear explanation for this: “The perception of South African football is a problem. He is still sometimes smiled at in world football. Football has come a long way in recent years. When you see the champion Mamelodi Sundowns 2-2 in the KAA Gent pre-season or defeat Sparta Rotterdam 4-1, it actually shows the quality the players have. The South African national team has a few players who, in my opinion, would easily have what it takes to become a regular in the 2nd Bundesliga, for example. The clubs only have to dare once,” said Ramovic.
Ramovic is also particularly impressed by South African fans. “I’m primarily a football fan and have already traveled to a number of countries and seen a large number of stadiums. I can say that South Africa is in my top 3 in terms of atmosphere. It’s amazing the love and euphoria with which the fans go to the home games. The games are celebrated like holidays. If you then look at how detailed some of the fan clothing looks, it just makes your heart melt,” the coach says happily.
As much as Ramovic raves about South African football and the country itself, he is also aware of the pervasive problems of poverty and high crime rates. Due to the impressions he has experienced, the native of Stuttgart appreciates certain things more.
“In the conversations with the players you learn about personal strokes of fate. You can see that poverty is omnipresent in South Africa and football is often one of the few opportunities for a better life. It is sometimes depressing to see the parallel worlds we live in. In Germany, the need for more is alarmingly great. I need the luxury car and I need the expensive watch to be happy. And when people have fulfilled the luxury, you still don’t see them walking around smiling. In South Africa it is the complete opposite. People have nothing and yet their joie de vivre is contagious. Everyone helps the other without demanding anything. If there’s anything we can learn from the South Africans, it’s humanity and a love for life,” emphasizes Ramovic.
Ramovic: As a Wolfsburg professional “too busy with me and my head”
The dream of many South Africans is the Bundesliga. A dream that the 44-year-old has fulfilled as an active player. The former goalkeeper played 15 Bundesliga games over several seasons for VfL Wolfsburg. From Ramovic’s point of view, the fact that it didn’t happen anymore is due to several factors. “For one thing, I had really strong competition for my position with Claus Reitmaier and Simon Jentzsch,” explains Ramovic. “You have to acknowledge that without envy. On the other hand, I was too busy with myself and my head in Wolfsburg. Due to a previous cruciate ligament injury, I was afraid in many training sessions that I could injure myself again. Of course, these thoughts influence you subconsciously and then prevent you from getting more out of yourself. That’s why I advise every goalkeeper to deal intensively with mental training.”
Ramovic still remembers his time in Wolfsburg as good years. He remembers two players in particular who impressed him. “For one thing, I found Stefan Effenberg outstanding. I was surprised at the image he had in the media. In the dressing room he was completely different. I got to know him as a very warm, helpful person. For me he was a clear leader who always had an open ear for his team-mates. Only when he noticed on the pitch that someone wasn’t moving with him could he raise his voice or it could get dark in the dressing room.”
The other former Wolfsburg colleague who impressed Ramovic was Tomislav Maric. “He’s a very nice guy, he was a monster in front of goal and had a special way of motivating himself: in the phase where he was promoted to Mr. Double, he always stood in front of the mirror in the dressing room and said: Who is the best in the Bundesliga? Then he disguised his voice and said: The best is Tomislav Maric. We laughed out loud in the dressing room, but he was successful with his motivation,” Ramovic smiles.
Ramovic: coaching job in Germany “of course a dream”
After his time in Germany, Ramovic developed into a globetrotter. He gained sporting experience in Norway, Turkey, Ukraine, Serbia and Denmark. Especially in Norway he was able to leave his mark. He played over 100 games in the Eliteserien, Norway’s highest division. As an active player, Ramovic has seen a lot of the world. The 44-year-old would also like to gain a similar number of impressions as head coach.
“In fact, I stopped making plans. Of course it would be a dream if I could one day become a coach in Germany. However, my inner satisfaction does not depend on it. One of my mottos in life is: If I knew that God would only accept one good deed from me, I would be the happiest person in the world. As a player, I have seen that every country has its own beauty and facets to offer. Accordingly, I am open to any challenge. Until then, however, I still have a clear task at TS Galaxy – and that means staying up.”
Interview by Henrik Stadnischeko
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