Volker Finke (; born 24 March 1948) is a German former football manager and a former player. He was the coach of SC Freiburg for 16 years.
Finke was a playerâÂÂcoach for TSV Stelingen from 1 July 1974 to 12 February 1986. He was head coach of TSV Havelse from 13 February 1986 to 9 October 1990. Finke was head coach of SC Norderstedt.
Finke became head coach of SC Freiburg on 1 July 1991. His first match as head coach of Freiburg was a 2âÂÂ1 win against 1860 Munich. Freiburg finished in third place 1991âÂÂ92 2. Bundesliga season and were knocked out of the 2nd round of the German Cup. Freiburg started the 1992âÂÂ93 season with a 2. Bundesliga match against VfB Oldenburg on 11 July 1992, which finished in a 2âÂÂ2 draw. Freiburg won the 2. Bundesliga in the 1992âÂÂ93 season, won promotion to the 1993âÂÂ94 Bundesliga, and were knocked out of the German Cup in the second round. Freiburg started the 1993âÂÂ94 season with a first round match in the German Cup, which they won 8âÂÂ0. They went all the way to the quarterâÂÂfinals where they were knockedâÂÂout by Tennis Borussia Berlin. Freiburg finished the 1993âÂÂ94 Bundesliga in 15th place, one spot above the relegation zone. The 1994âÂÂ95 season started with a 3âÂÂ1 loss to Stuttgarter Kickers in the first round of the German Cup. Freiburg's 1994âÂÂ95 Bundesliga season included a 5âÂÂ1 win against Bayern Munich on 23 August 1994. They wrapped up the 1994âÂÂ95 season on 17 June 1995 with a 2âÂÂ1 win against FC Schalke 04. Freiburg finished in 3rd place in the Bundesliga and qualified for the UEFA Cup. Finke finished with a record of 244 wins, 143 draws, and 220 losses.
Finke was head coach of Urawa Red Diamonds between 1 January 2009 and 31 January 2011. Finke's first match of the Urawa Red Diamonds was a 1âÂÂ0 loss to the Yokohama F. Marinos. Urawa Red Diamonds finished the 2008 season in seventh place. They also got to the semiâÂÂfinals of the AFC Champions League. During the 2009 season, Urawa Red Diamonds finished in sixth place. 2010 season marked Finke's final season as head coach of the Urawa Red Diamonds. His final match as head coach was a 4âÂÂ0 loss to Vissel Kobe. Urawa Red Diamonds finished the season in 10th place.
On 18 December 2010, Finke was named as the new director of sport by 1. FC Köln effective on 1 February 2011. Effective on 27 April 2011, Finke additionally became interim coach until the end of the season and won all three matches. On 10 March 2012, Köln parted company with Finke by mutual consent after a 1âÂÂ0 win over Hertha BSC.
On 22 May 2013, he was named as head coach of Cameroon. His first match was a 1âÂÂ0 loss in a friendly match against Tanzania. Cameroon lost all 3 matches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. They lost 1âÂÂ0 to Mexico, 4âÂÂ0 to Croatia, and 4âÂÂ1 to Brazil. He was sacked on 30 October 2015, two weeks before the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification phase started. His final match as Cameroon's coach was a 0âÂÂ0 draw against Congo.
SC Freiburg