Volker Finke reinvented SC Freiburg in its modern form. Without the coach from Nienburg an der Weser, who came south in 1991 after disputes with the board at TSV Havelse and rejection by Hannover 96, the club’s history would almost certainly have been very different. With enormous diligence, people skills and a keen eye for talent, Finke — who even had his own beach chair in the Schwarzwaldstadion with assistant Achim Sarstedt — led the club to the Bundesliga in 1993. The peak came in 1995, when he took his team to third place and into Europe.
He repeated the UEFA Cup feat in 2001. He stayed in charge for 16 years, a record in German professional football, and oversaw 564 league and cup matches. At the 2014 World Cup he coached Cameroon, the Indomitable Lions.
