Globetrotter in an interview
German coaches as national coaches of Rwanda have a tradition. After Otto Pfister, Rudi Gutendorf, Michael Nees and Antoine Hey, Torsten Spittler took over the position a few weeks ago – and achieved his first notable successes. For the globetrotter, Rwanda is the 15th country where he has worked in football. At Transfermarkt, the 62-year-old talks about his work in Rwanda and what FC Bayern is doing with it.
Football in Rwanda has made little progress in recent years. The last time the national team qualified for the African Championships was in 2004. Before Spittler took office, the country was ranked 140th in the FIFA world rankings. The association then contacted FC Bayern, with whom the Rwandan Ministry of Sports entered into a cooperation agreement this year. “I helped with two camps abroad for Bayern last year,” explains Spittler. “A good relationship with those responsible had already developed over the years. The association approached the club a few months ago and asked whether they knew of a German coach who could be considered for the position as national coach. After a few conversations it was clear to me that I definitely wanted to do that.”
Rwanda is “a football developing country,” says Spittler. “However, the association has recognized that something must and should change. The most important thing here is not just the national team, but also the youth sector and coaching training. The country’s sporting future depends on these two issues. The talent can be as good as they want, but without good training and appropriate support they will fall through the cracks.”
Spittler on football in Rwanda and fake age information
The expert sees age manipulation as one of the biggest problems in the youth sector. “Even though I’ve only been in Rwanda for a few weeks, I’ve already heard a lot of stories. Sometimes parents give false information about their age in order to give the children the chance to get into a soccer school, because soccer offers the opportunity for a better life,” explains Spittler.
Rwanda coach Spittler with Bienvenu Mugenzi and Djihad Bizimana
By moving to Rwanda, Spittler wanted to further explore his limits and push his comfort zone again. He says: “My motivation is curiosity. I’ve always been open to new things. I love getting to know new languages, new cultures, new mentalities. In Africa you have to embrace flexibility. It can easily be that a rain shower causes all traffic to come to a standstill and you are stuck in a traffic jam for hours. It may be that you actually have appointments and your appointment partner arrives late or not at all. I am currently experiencing several power outages in Rwanda. These are situations that you have to accept as normal.”
A few weeks ago, Rwanda started qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with Spittler and can look back on two positive results. The 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe was followed by a surprise win against South Africa. Rwanda defeated the heavy favorites 2-0. Spittler was able to appease his critics. “From the first press conference I felt the criticism and skepticism towards me. Many media representatives and fans would have liked to see a big name in the dugout. But completely neutral: no big name fits Rwanda. “We need someone here who is prepared to take part in every single stage of development,” says Spittler.
First notable successes for Spittler in Rwanda: Strength in team spirit
Due to the successes in the first two World Cup qualifying games, there is currently great euphoria and many are already dreaming of taking part in the 2026 World Cup. But the qualifying group is tough: in addition to Zimbabwe and South Africa, the others include Lesotho, Benin and Nigeria group opponents. “Of course I can’t forbid anyone from dreaming of taking part in the World Cup. However, it is a long, very long way to get there,” emphasizes Spittler. “And the upcoming opponents are full of strong individual players. I’ll just give Nigeria as an example, whose squad has incredibly strong individual players. Since we cannot compete at this level, our strength should lie entirely in team spirit and team performance. We showed in the games against Zimbabwe and South Africa what is possible with the right attitude.”
Spittler believes two players on his team in particular can make a bigger leap. “Emmanuel Imanishimwe and Ange Mutsinzi are two interesting players with potential. The problem, of course, is the foreigner rule in some countries, so you don’t immediately rely on a Rwandan national player. In general, with good results we can ensure that the media attention for our national team increases and that other players come into focus.”
For the future, Spittler has a clear idea of how his team should perform and what philosophy it should pursue. He wants the national team’s nickname to become part of the program: “Amavubi” translates as “The Wasps”. “In recent years, Rwanda’s motto has been: put yourself at the back and hope for luck in the front. I want to get away from that. I want the players to stop hiding. I want the boys to consciously create chances and for the boys to force goals,” said Spittler.
Spittler: “The win against South Africa brought incredible joy”
The Augsburg resident also knows how important football and especially the national team are to the population. Although there has been strong economic growth within the country in recent years, particularly thanks to the capital Kigali, over 50 percent of the people suffer from poverty. “Football and especially the national team enjoy extremely high status. I was told that the fans have been complaining about the national team for years and have even described it as a tragedy. The win against South Africa brought incredible joy. For many people, everyday life is associated with struggle and survival. I’ve noticed that the result gives people new energy for their own lives. One of the best experiences was the moment when someone came up to me and said: ‘Coach, thank you so much for this early Christmas present, our country needed it.’”
While many coaches focus exclusively on sport, Spittler is one of the people who is interested in the diversity of each country. He is particularly fond of the capital. Spittler explains: “Kigali impressed me from day one. It is not called the African Singapore for nothing. What particularly impresses me is that every last Saturday of the month all the shops are closed until noon and everyone collects rubbish together. A big wish of mine is to visit the nature parks soon. I have already been able to see what biodiversity this country has to offer.”
Due to his various experiences abroad coupled with life experience, Spittler began to ask himself important questions. How do I actually want to live and work? What does work mean to me? What does success mean to me personally? All answers boil down to the same thing: inner satisfaction. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s to be happy with what you have,” says Spittler. “I was able to live in countries that were nowhere near the standards we always demand in Germany, and yet the people were still happy. The most important thing in life is to develop gratitude for the little things.”
Interview by Henrik Stadnischenko
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