Nikos Alefantos
Encyclopedia
Nikolaos Alefantos also known with the nickname "Kyr-Nikos", (born 3 January 1939 in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

) is a Greek football coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

. He is well-known in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 as a cult figure, due to his temperamental style, frequent use of harsh language and controversial views on coaching. He is also known for his very short stays as coach of various Greek football clubs, especially his stay at Fostiras in 2002, for just three hours (yet the record shortest tenure is probably 10 minutes by Leroy Rosenior
Leroy Rosenior
Leroy Rosenior is a professional football coach and pundit. He is a former professional footballer whose clubs included Fulham, Queens Park Rangers , Bristol City and West Ham United.As one of the few black football managers in England, Rosenior has spoken openly about the racism...

 at Torquay United on 17 May 2007).

In 1956 he started his career as a player, and in the early 1970s he moved on to become a coach. As a player, at first he played for Asteras Exarchion, and then for PAO Rouf, Olympiacos Piraeus, Olympiacos Chalkida, Panelefsiniakos
Panelefsiniakos F.C.
Panelefsiniakos F.C. , the Panelefsiniakos Athletic Club, is a football club based in the city of Eleusina, Greece.-History:Panelefsiniakos was formed in 1928. The club has played in the top level of Greek football, the Alpha Ethniki, three times , but was relegated after each season...

 and Vyzas Megaron
Vyzas F.C.
Vyzas F.C. is a football club based in Megara, Greece. It was founded in 1928.-History:Vyzas Megaron was founded in 1928 by students and named after the ancient Megara hero Byzas. In 1960, the club was promoted to Greece's Beta Ethniki, where it stayed for seven years. Vyzas was later promoted to...

.

His first team as a coach was PAO Rouf, which he failed to promote to the Greek First Division. Later in the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...

 he would twice win a promotion to the First Division as coach of PAS Giannena
PAS Giannina
PAS Giannina , the Panepirotic Athletic Association Giannina, is a Greek association football club based in the city of Ioannina, the capital of Greece’s Epirus region.Following the 2010–11 season, PAS was promoted to Greece’s Super League division...

 and Pierikos. Alefantos' only silverware is the Cypriot Cup, which he won when he was manager of .

He is known for his love for Olympiacos, and his excellent relationship with Olympiakos' president Sokratis Kokkalis, despite being the only Olympiacos coach in the last 13 years to finish a season without winning either the Championship or the Cup. He is known for blaming referee Giorgos Douros as being responsible, claiming he favoured Panathinaikos (the eventual winners), in a crucial derby and for his weeping during TV an interview to Elli Stai.

To his defense, former Olympiacos striker Nery Castillo
Nery Castillo
Nery Alberto Castillo Confalonieri , is a Mexican international footballer who currently plays for Aris.He began his career at Uruguayan club Danubio, moving to Greece at the age of 16 to play for Olympiacos....

 stated in August 2007 that "Alefantos was the best coach I had while playing for Olympiacos".

He is also famous because of some interviews. A notable one took place in the summer of 2008. After Greece was defeated by Russia in Euro 2008, he verbally attacked Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas was born on 9 February 1980 in Strymoniko, Serres, but originates from Mani. He is a Greek football player who currently plays as a striker for Panetolikos F.C....

, saying that he should retire immediately from his international duties, "because he has no honor as a player", and then suggested him to try his luck on basketball

He has written and published his memoirs in two volumes: "From poverty to fame", and "From fame to poverty".

His coaching career in the past three decades (time spent in each team):

Teams played

  • 1956-1958: Olympiacos  20 (12)
  • 1958-1959: Pas Giannina  10 (7)
  • 1959-1963: Atsalenios F.C.
    Atsalenios F.C.
    Atsalenios is a football club based in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. It was founded in 1951.Atsalenios is a football club from the Atsalenio area of Heraklion on the island of Crete. The club's name also means steel in Greek...

      87 (64)
  • 1963-1965: 55 (76)
  • 1965-1969: 72 (31)

Teams managed

  • 1969-1970: Asteras Exarchion, promoted to Beta Ethniki
    Beta Ethniki
    Football League, former Beta Ethniki, is the second highest professional football league in Greece.-History:In its first years, the system of conduct was very intriguing. It began in 1954 as regional championship, separated in two groups, North and South. Then, the participating teams were the...

  • 1970-1973: PAO Rouf
  • 1973-1974: PAS Giannina, promoted to Alpha Ethniki
  • 1974-1976: Pierikos, promoted to Alpha Ethniki in his first season
  • 1976-1977: OFI Crete
  • 1979-1980: Pas Giannina (3 months), Korinthos (2 months)
  • 1981: OFI Crete
    OFI Crete
    OFI , the Sportfriends Association Heraklion, is a Greek association football club based in Heraklion, on the island of Crete. Outside Greece, the club is generally known as OFI Crete F.C., however, the name Crete is not actually part of the club's official title.OFI is the club with most...

     {2 months}
  • 1982-1983: Doxa Dramas [1 season], only one home loss
  • 1983-1984: Olympiacos (3 months)
  • 1984-1985: Panionios (7 months), Greek military national team (6 months)
  • 1985-1986: Iraklis (5 months)
  • 1986-1987: AEK
    AEK Athens FC
    AEK Athens F.C. , the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek association football club based in the city of Athens, Greece. Outside Greece, the club is also known as AEK Athens, however, the word Athens is not part of the club's official title.Established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees...

     (4 months)
  • 1987-1988: Iraklis (3 months)
  • 1989: PAOK
    PAOK FC
    P.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...

     (3 months)
  • 1989-1990: Doxa Dramas
    Doxa Dramas
    Doxa Drama F.C. is a football club based in the city of Drama, Greece.The club currently competes in the Superleague Greece.-History:During World War I, near the city of Drama, Macedonia, a team of English soldiers who played football regularly in their camp inspired the local Greek population to...

     (7 months), Apollon Kalamarias
    Apollon Kalamarias
    Apollon Kalamarias is a Greek association football club based in the district of Kalamaria, in southeast Thessaloniki, Greece.The club was suspended from playing in the Second Division for the 2009-10 season, due to unsettled debts...

     (12 days)
  • 1990-1991: AE Larissa (1 month), Ionikos (2 months)
  • 1992-1993: Ionikos (2 months)
  • 1993-1994: Kalamata
    Kalamata
    Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...

     (25 days), Xanthi
    Xanthi
    Xanthi ; is a city in Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi peripheral unit of the periphery of East Macedonia and Thrace.-History:...

     (9 days), Olympiacos [rest of the season]
  • 1994-1995: Olympiacos (8 months)
  • 1995-1996: Panionios (2 months), relegated
  • 1996-1997: APOEL (Cypriot Cup winner), Apollon Kalamarias
    Apollon Kalamarias
    Apollon Kalamarias is a Greek association football club based in the district of Kalamaria, in southeast Thessaloniki, Greece.The club was suspended from playing in the Second Division for the 2009-10 season, due to unsettled debts...

     (2 months), Lykoi (13 days), Ethnikos Piraeus (15 days)
  • 1998-1999: Proodeftiki FC
    Proodeftiki FC
    Proodeftiki FC is an historical Greek sports club based at Korydallos. The club was established in 1927.Today it has a football club playing in the Greek Fourth Division, and basketball and volleyball teams playing at regional tournaments....

     (9 months)
  • 1999-2000: Panachaiki
    Panachaiki
    Panachaiki, known officially as Panachaiki GE , the Pan-Achaean Athletic Union, is a Greek multisport club based in the city of Patras, Greece.- History :...

     (2 months)
  • 2000-2001: Panargeiakos (40 days)
  • 2001-2002: Ethnikos Asteras (5 months)
  • 2002: Fostiras (3 hours)
  • 2004: Olympiacos (3 months)

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