Holger Obermann

Holger Obermann (born 31 August 1936 in Kassel) is a German former (semi-) professional football player and football manager, journalist and ARD television reporter. From 1971 to 1984 he was one of the moderators of the sports program.

Obermann was contracted players at Concordia Hamburg. In 1961 he went to the USA, where he was the first German professional in the United States. He played in New York City at SC Elizabeth the 1st German-American Soccer League.

His journalist career began with an internship at the Hamburger Morgenpost. Later, he was an editor and foreign correspondent for the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung, head of a German radio station and staff of the American television ABC in Miami. After his return to Germany in 1966, he was a senior editor at TV the Hessischer Rundfunk, later head of the editorial Television Sports currently at South German Radio. Here he commented football games for ARD.

Holger Obermann has been involved for many years in the sport-related development assistance in crisis areas. His work as a "sports development expert" led him on behalf of the German Football Association and the National Olympic Committees around 30 locations, including East Timor, Cameroon, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Several times he was honored for his commitment. In 1997, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit and 2004, the price for tolerance and fair play of the Minister of the Interior.

He was a senior adviser of the Afghanistan football project sponsored by FIFA. Since January until March 2003 he led the Afghanistan national football team. Since March 2004, Obermann is an honorary member of the Afghan Football Association for his contributions to youth development. After the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, he was named by FIFA as technical consultant for the reconstruction program in Sri Lanka, where he worked directly on site.

Obermann helped to found the German American Society of Hollywood Florida in 1964.