Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 17 May 1933 | ||
Place of birth | Paris, France | ||
Date of death | 29 March 2011 | (aged 77)||
Place of death | Paris, France | ||
Managerial career | |||
Years | Team | ||
1993–1994 | Sierra Leone [1] | ||
1997 | ASF Bobo Dioulasso | ||
Al-Ansar |
Raymond Zarpanelian (17 May 1933 – 29 March 2011) was an Armenian-French football coach who was last known to have been based at Al-Ansar in Saudi Arabia. [2]
In 1993, he was appointed manager of Sierra Leone. [3]
Assisted by Sam Obi Metzger, Zarpanelian guided Sierra Leone to a 4–0 defeat to Ivory Coast and a 0–0 stalemate with Zambia at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, causing him to step down as coach and go back to Paris. [4]
Working with ASFA Yennenga in early 1997, the Franco-Armenian took charge of ASF Bobo Dioulasso by summer of that year, driving them to a runners-up position in the league and a national cup trophy. [5]
Visited Uganda with French journalist Frank Simon to watch the 2000 CECAFA Cup and observe East African football. [6] [7]
The former Sierra Leone mentor was said to have been a magnanimous person. [4]
Diagnosed with kidney cancer, Zarpanelian died at a hospital in Paris at the age of 78 in 2011 and was buried on 6 April. [8] Previously, he was linked with the Central African Republic technical director position. [6] The Raymond Zarpanelian Trophy was launched in 2014 to honor an African-based French football technician each year, [9] with Pascal Janin getting the award for his achievements with Stade Malien. [10] [11]