FC Augsburg head coach Jess Thorup has revealed the Bundesliga side brought their Chief Scout to South Africa to look out for talent at the Mpumalanga Premiers Cup.
Thorup, 54, was appointed by Augsburg in October last season after the club had started with just five points from their first seven matches in 2023/24.
However, the Danish coach, who once worked with Mamelodi Sundowns Sporting Director Flemming Berg, when the latter was the Development Manager at the DBU, guided Augsburg into safety.
The Fuggerstädter are currently in South Africa for their first ever pre-season camp outside of Europe, having taking base at the ANEW Resort in Mbombela to prepare for the Mpumalanga Premier’s Cup.
Ahead of Augsburg’s opening match against Tanzanian giants Young Africans SC, Thorup met South African media and gave some insights into the club’s scouting ambitions during the trip.
“We actually brought our Chief Scout with us on this tour,” he said when asked whether they’d have an eye on local talent.
“Because, of course, we’re interested to build our own team as strong as possible but when we’re here, when we play in such a tournament, when we play the other team, if there is anything exciting going on [we wouldn’t say no]…
“For me it’s also a new experience to play against a South African team to see what kind of players, what kind of impact they can do in the games.
“So let us play the two games and let us see what happens.”
Augsburg face Yanga at 15:00 at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, with the game being broadcast live on SABC, while they will face TS Galaxy on 27 July.
MORE THAN JUST FOOTBALL
But Augsburg are not only focussing on their activities on the pitch, and will also engage with local community to support social actions during their trip.
As part of their summer training camp in South Africa, in the spirit of Augsburg’s renowned water management system, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and given the great importance of water as a resource for global sustainability goals, FC Augsburg will set up and support the project “Football4WASH” in the Mpumalanga province for the next three years, together with Viva con Agua.
WASH stands for Water And Sanitary Health, and important lessons on this topic are being playfully taught in local schools. In addition, water infrastructure is being constructed and improved in educational institutions.
The German Football League (DFL) and local club TS Galaxy are also supporting the project. To kick off Football4WASH, FCA will lead the project’s first workshop at the Cyril Clarke Secondary School alongside Viva con Agua South Africa.
Story by David Kappel (@kappilinho).
