Sarpei about Baller League, Eintracht Spandau, transfers, future

Team boss of Eintracht Spandau

For around two weeks, the new small-field football format Baller League, which is studded with numerous stars, has been captivating many spectators. In the run-up to the third matchday, Transfermarkt spoke in detail with the former Ghanaian international, Wolfsburg and Leverkusen professional Hans Sarpei about the new competition, which is preparing to become an alternative and real competition to “normal” football. The 47-year-old acts as team boss of Eintracht Spandau as part of the Baller League and speaks, among other things, about the background of the project, his squad planning and transfers and predicts rapid development.

“We want to win this thing and have already rented the town hall square in Spandau, everything is prepared. Therefore: There is no pressure at all. I always tell my players: We don’t just want to win the games, we want to dominate the games,” the 190-time Bundesliga player and two-time World Cup participant reported to TM with a smile when asked about his sporting goals. Sarpei saw potential in the Baller League right from the start: “It’s an interesting and good project for all amateur footballers. We used to play on the football field. We want to bring back the flair of the street and give this feeling and this fun back to the people and the community. And you get the amateur players in the spotlight again – because: They’re good! But not everyone can become a professional. The boys in the Baller League all have their qualities and can prove how good they are on this platform.”

Castro and Essien in the Baller League? Sarpei about possible Spandau transfers

Like Sarpei, well-known faces from sports and entertainment are taking part in the Baller League as team captains; there are some ex-professionals on the field, ambitious kickers from regional and major leagues as well as from abroad (from Hummels to Kruse to Effenberg: all the information to the Baller League). Six players each compete on a 29 x 50 meter playing field. “We want to have fun, but of course we also want to win. We tried to bring in players who didn’t necessarily come from the regional league, more like the upper league, just ‘kickers’. (…) Of course I looked at the players at the combines and how they played and then made my selection. But of course: It’s also good if you have one or two ex-professionals with you. For example, we have Konstantin Rausch with us, who played two games and stabilized our defense because we otherwise only have attacking players. “I don’t know how that could have happened either,” said Sarpei, laughing about the squad planning he is responsible for as Eintracht team boss. The ex-professional does not rule out the possibility of seeing some of his former teammates in the Baller League in the future.

“In my opinion, for example, who is an outstanding player for this league is Gonzalo Castro. I also thought about bringing in one or two players from my time with the Ghana national team. A Michael Essien, for example. But most of them now simply have knee problems and are broken.” (laughs) When asked whether, in his opinion, it would be conceivable not only for ex-professionals to make the jump to the Baller League in the future, but also the other way around, Sarpei said: “For example, with Sangar Aziz, we have a young player in the squad who has the quality, but also embodies this greed and this joy that is particularly needed in small-sided football. But the game on the big field is of course something different. You have to make more meters and be more stable – but who knows how far he can go.” Overall, it will be exciting to see “how far the development of the Baller League goes and whether the league becomes established over a longer period of time and players can also earn money with it. Then I can imagine that we will also bring out the next star.”

Sarpei, who feels in good hands at Eintracht Spandau (“A mega fan base, they’re a bit crazy, like me – so it worked out”), confirmed in the TM interview that he was the team boss in the first few weeks also had to struggle with adversity. Understanding tactics, for example, is not for everyone, and organizing training is still difficult, he reports with a laugh: “You shouldn’t underestimate that. We trained properly so that the boys could get to know each other. And from the second match day onwards everyone just comes and then we play – it doesn’t work any other way if one lives in Stuttgart, two in Hesse or one in Nuremberg. When do you want to meet for training? (laughs) Sunday would still be an option, but not everyone can do that because they also play in their own club. Alternatively, we do Zoom calls.”

Baller League: All information about teams, players and mode

Sarpei on Baller League: “Amateur football is getting a completely different stage”

While the ratings of the Baller League remained manageable after the first day of the match, the “buzz” on social networks is constant, not least due to the prominent participants such as influencers such as Montana Black and Knossi as well as former or active professionals such as Kevin-Prince Boateng or Lukas Podolski high. When asked whether and to what extent the format could actually develop into serious competition for the professional football business in the long term, Sarpei answers:

“Yes I think so. We are now in a test phase in Germany, which is already behind us in Spain with the ‘Kings League’. There they realized that the range was simply brutal. And that’s how you get sponsors. With this income you can of course expand the league, you can pay the players salaries and at some point say: ‘Hey, you don’t have to play in your team anymore, you can also play small-sided football and earn your money.’ I think that’s where it will end up. You just notice that. The game is quick and over after 30 minutes, with a few extras in between when it’s played one-on-one or something similar and can turn a game over in one go. Amateur football gets a completely different stage and the amateur players get a different level of attention. They will suddenly become social media stars and I think it will happen that the top players in the league can earn real money.

Most recently, the Kings League was created in Spain and the Baller League in Germany, “but in my opinion we will also get to the point where there will be corresponding competitions in Europe or worldwide,” Sarpei continued. “I notice that a lot of people are already watching – adults are watching it because maybe their children are watching it. And children who actually have nothing to do with football in the traditional sense become aware of it through factors such as Montana Black, talk about it, celebrate it and suddenly get involved with football. You reach a completely different target group and that’s nice.”

Hans Sarpei commented in the TM interview Twitch In addition to the Baller League, he also spoke in detail about the current sporting situation at his former club Schalke 04 (video) and gave insight into his personal transfer history, the importance of advisors today compared to his own professional time, strange duels with Ronaldinho and anecdotes Stefan Effenberg from our time together at VfL Wolfsburg (video).

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