Are there any football managers who have won two or more continental championships?

Photo: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“Roberto Mancini has the chance to win the AFC Asian Cup with Saudi Arabia by winning Euro 2020” points out Teng Kiat. “Has any coach won two or more different continental championships (including relevant women’s tournaments)?”

Roberto Mancini’s quest for intercontinental glory begins next Tuesday when Saudi Arabia take on Oman. If they go that distance, Mancini will become the first manager to win the European Championship and the Asian Cup, but he will not be the first manager to win two continental titles.

“Carlos Alberto Parreira He has already done what Mancini was trying to do, and with the same country (Saudi Arabia, not Italy),” writes Ravi Hiranand. “Parreira won the Asian Cup with Kuwait in 1980 and Saudi Arabia in 1988, then the Copa América with Brazil in 2004. (He also won the World Cup in 1994, but no one asked .)”

He also won the Cosafa Cup with South Africa in 2007. Since this tournament is aimed entirely at teams from South Africa, it’s probably considered regional rather than continental, but it also allows us to send out this nice tweet.

Opeyemi Ajala and Dirk Maas were among those who drew attention to this. Roger Lemerre He became the first member of this niche club on 14 February 2004, five months before Parreira, when Tunisia defeated Morocco 2-1 in the Afcon final. Lemerre was also the coach of France, who swaggered (and occasionally stumbled) to victory at Euro 2000.

There has been at least one case in women’s football, made possible by Australia’s decision to join the Asian Football Confederation in 2006.

The story continues

This also happened in club football.

As with Carlos Alberto Parreira and the Cosafa Cup, the validity of the next answer depends on your definition of a continental championship. “Winfried Schäfer He won the African Cup of Nations with Cameroon in 2002,” adds Florian Camphausen. “He also won the Caribbean Cup with Jamaica in 2014. This is the championship of countries in the Caribbean Football Union, a sub-group of Concacaf. At club level, he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Karlsruher SC in 1996. This is not the most prestigious competition. “Yet he won continental cups on three different continents and finished second in the fourth.”

Marc Harrison delved deeper into this question. “Ange Postecoglou Although his first championships came at youth level, he tasted international success on two continents. He coached the junior Socceroos to six OFC championships, three at U17 and three at U20, and then led the men’s senior team to Asian Cup glory on home soil in 2015. Many managers own the Persian Gulf Cup, a regional tournament that dates back to 1970. next to a continental cup. Mario Zagallo (1976, Copa América), claude LeRoy (2009, Afcon 1988), Djamel Belmadi (2014 plus Afcon 2019).”

Finally, as Marc points out, Mancini is not the only manager looking for a second continental title. “South Korea’s Jürgen Klinsmann He will want to add Asian Cup success to his 2013 Concacaf Gold Cup victory. [with the USA]Bahraini Juan Antonio Pizzi will want to repeat Chile’s 2016 Copa América victory.”

Fastest revenge/returning hero hat-trick

“Chris Wood scored a hat-trick at St James’ Park, less than a year after being sold by Newcastle to Nottingham Forest. “What is the shortest time a former player has returned to his former club and scored a hat-trick?” Masai is curious about Graham.

Chris Wood was a model of holding his own after goal after goal when he scored a remarkable hat-trick against his former club on Boxing Day. A few years ago another Chris took a less dignified approach.

“Chris Maguire “Phil Boyle left Sunderland on 30 June 2021 when his contract expired,” it reads. “He scored a hat-trick for Lincoln at the Stadium of Light on 11 January 2022 and celebrated his third against Sunderland manager Lee Johnson, who was later sent off.”

Maguire scored more goals in one match against Sunderland than in any of his other 38 appearances for Lincoln. He has since moved on, but at least the Lincoln manager need not worry about revenge: Maguire is now at Eastleigh in the National League.

Josh King He probably wasn’t out for revenge when he returned to Goodison Park in October 2021, but he bit the hand that once fed him much quicker than Maguire.

“King left Everton at the end of the 2020-21 season following an unsuccessful loan spell,” writes Dan Kelly. “Four and a half months later he returned to Goodison with Watford and scored a hat-trick in the 5-2 win. I’d be surprised if it was faster than that. “As an Everton fan, this was utterly poetic.”

Starting a few players down

“In Indonesian Liga 3, Şükür FC started its match against Josal FC with only seven players because the university students who make up the team are taking the exam on the match day.” Taufiq A Utomo tells us. “Have there been other situations where teams started with less than 11 players?”

Jeremy Simmonds was the first to come out of the blocks in this regard. “I’m sure this must have happened at a higher level,” he writes, “but the question immediately brought to mind the story of the Cornish Mining League flogging youngsters Madron FC.

“In 2010 this plucky team had conceded 227 goals in their first 10 games, culminating in a stunning 55-0 defeat against Illogan Reserves – God knows what their first XI would have done – in which they could muster just seven players. start the game.

“Despite further defeats that season of 27-1 and 26-0, just a year later Madron began losing by ‘respectable’ scores and even to win a game. Here’s a cheerful little document about the team. “It would be interesting to find out if they are still going.”

Unfortunately they aren’t, but they certainly left an impression.

Azrie Mir has another example, but we’re hesitant to call this one more high-profile given Madron’s unexpected fame.

information archive

“According to this excellent website, there was a third and fourth place match in the FA Cup.It was staged between Everton and Stoke in 1970-71″ wrote Tom Moore in May 2009. “I never knew these games existed. Were they played every season and when were they introduced/scrapped?”

Tom had been played every season since 1970, but only for five years after they proved unpopular with players and fans. The FA even tried in 1972 and 1973 to keep the game in August – shortly before the start of the following season – but this failed to convince skeptics and the last such play-off was played between Burnley and Leicester City on 9 May 1974 . Clarets won the match 1-0.

However, the play-offs broke new ground. Birmingham’s victory on penalties following a 0–0 draw against Stoke on 5 August 1972 was the first time any FA Cup tie had been decided by spot kicks.

Interactive

Can you help?

“My team, Southampton, will play Leeds on the last day of the regular season of the current Championship. They are both currently in the play-offs, so it is possible that they could play each other in three consecutive matches (one in the league and two in the play-off semi-finals). Three matches between the same teams Are there longer consecutive matches beyond that?” He wonders about Rupert Sheard.

“In the FA Cup third round, one club from each London district still drew at home: AFC Wimbledon, Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham and West Ham United. (Gillingham, Luton and Watford also drew at home.) Has there ever been a tie where clubs from the London area had home advantage?” asks Terry Monks.

“Sheffield Wednesday’s Cameron Dawson saved two penalties in the first seven minutes of their 4-0 win against Cardiff in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. There were three minutes between the two rescues. “Except for reshoots and gunfights, is this a record?” asks Terry Henfleet.

“Although his contract at Leeds is for just four games, Sam Allardyce’s short serve may have been his most expensive ever, earning just a single point in a draw and three defeats, and costing £500,000. Is half a million pounds per point the worst return on investment for any executive recruitment?” He thinks of Phil Freeman.

“Has the outcome of any match been against the managers? both Were clubs subsequently involved in the dismissal? If so, which was the newest one?” Anthony Ramm poses.

“What is the highest xG chance of not scoring and what is the lowest chance of a goal being scored?” asks Nick Jones.