What Soc­cer Teaches Us About Lead­er­ship: From a Field in Ghana to Play­er Recruit­ment at the FCB

Philipp Kaufmann was Head of Sport at VfL Osnabrück and previously Squad Planner and Sports Coordinator at FC Basel 1893. What he and Coopers have in common: the conviction that people are more than a resource. A conversation about leadership, potential and responsibility.

There are moments that ground you. For Philipp Kaufmann, it was a dusty field in Accra, Ghana. Two Swiss men on the sideline, 22 young men on the pitch, chickens running across the field. And an energy he has never experienced since.

"They played like their lives depended on it. Because two Swiss men were standing there who might be their ticket to a completely different life."

He pauses for a moment, stares into the distance. Then: "It grounds you. You carry that with you."

Kaufmann, born in 1994, worked as a squad planner at FC Basel 1893. He knows both sides of the soccer business: the emotional and the strategic. And he is convinced that one cannot exist without the other.

Coopers: What surprised you most about your leadership task in soccer?

Kaufmann does not need long to think. "The number 11. You build a squad for 23 outfield players. But only 11 can start. The rest sit on the bench, with a maximum of 5 substitutions allowed, and 4 more are left disappointed. And on Monday everyone has to be fully ready again.

That is the biggest difference to the private sector. Every week you disappoint part of your people. And yet you need a harmonious group that fights for you the following weekend."

A coach leads around 25 people under these conditions. No semi-annual performance reviews. No long-term development plans as a fallback. Just next Saturday. What does that require? Empathy. Sensitivity. The ability to read people and reach them individually. "That is almost more important than complete soccer knowledge," says Kaufmann.

Coopers: How do you plan a squad when you need to win today and develop for tomorrow?

Kaufmann: "Squad planning is far more than just procurement, it is a long-term, multidimensional puzzle and a permanent balancing act between stability and development. It requires a functioning spine, so-called pillar players or leaders, who provide the foundation through experience, personality and consistency. Around them, potential plays a greater role, where younger or developing players can be integrated with a clear plan for how they grow sporting value and generate economic value over time.

The challenge is finding the right balance. Too many changes at once can destabilize a squad, as every new player needs time to adapt. And when a new coach arrives, the picture shifts again. At the end of January 2026, FC Basel parted ways with Ludovic Magnin, and within hours Stephan Lichtsteiner was announced as his successor. Suddenly different qualities become important. A team that presses high needs different profiles than one that sits deep and looks to counter.

"You have to plan long-term and stay flexible at the same time. The immediate and the long-term need a good balance."

Coopers: Has the work with players changed in recent years?

Kaufmann nods. "Mental training was almost taboo ten years ago, seen as a weakness. Today it is part of the professional environment. Players reflect on their personality, work with sports psychologists, analyze behavioral patterns. In Osnabrueck, a sports psychologist was employed at 50 percent, on-site two days a week and accessible to everyone. Players could decide for themselves how and when they wanted to engage."

But the decisive step is always the same, Kaufmann emphasizes: "The player has to be open to it himself, meaning having a coach or sparring partner who can support him in different ways."

Data, video scouting, platforms like Transfermarkt: all of this is part of the process today. But it does not replace the human element. Numbers help identify the right person, but ultimately it has to work within the team.

Coopers: Would you turn down a top performer who does not fit culturally?

The answer comes without hesitation. "Yes."

He gives an example from Osnabrueck. A player who delivered on the pitch but never really felt at home in the environment. Integration, language, cultural adaptation: at smaller clubs with fewer resources, these factors carry particular weight. "For a person to perform at 100 percent, they need to feel comfortable."

When you sign a player, you are not just negotiating with him. You are negotiating with the agent, the family, sometimes an entire village. For young players from certain regions of Africa, a transfer is not a personal decision. It is a collective one.

Coopers: What is your ace up your sleeve when a transfer is on the line?

"There is no universal answer. It comes down to convincing people. Showing them: we really want you. And we will do everything for that." A personal gesture. A meeting. A video message. The key is always the same: showing genuine and honest interest.

Coopers: Rather 1:0 or 5:4, how would you describe your own style?

Kaufmann leans back for a moment. "I tend toward focus. Better to have a clear skill set you believe in than to want everything and not really do anything well." And in terms of soccer? He stands for an offensive, attractive, risk-taking style of play. "It is the same in the private sector. Some companies are innovative and willing to take risks. Others sit deep and manage what they have."

He knows which side he is on.

Kaufmann ended up signing two players from that trip. One of them is Jonas Adjetey, born in 2003 in Accra. The center back developed into a regular starter at FC Basel and made the move to the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg in February 2026.

"When I see a player develop like that today, I am reminded of why we do this."

That trip taught him something no data set can replicate: that hunger for development is one of the most powerful forces in soccer. And that you can only recognize it if you look closely. Really closely.

"It is not just about soccer. It is about giving people a chance."

Thank you very much for your time and your insights, Philipp.