Antonio Tapia Flores (born 13 November 1959) is a Spanish football

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Career

Born in Baena, Córdoba, Tapia had an unassuming career as a footballer, only representing Atlético Malagueño and amateurs UD Fuengirola. Still not in his 30s, he began a coaching career with another club in

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

, CD Mijas, continuing in the area (and the regional leagues) the following years, with Fuengirola and CD Los Boliches. In 1994, Tapia joined Málaga CF's coaching staff as assistant, staying there for two years before moving in the same capacity to neighbouring Cádiz CF. He had his first spell as head manager with Polideportivo Ejido – still in Andalusia – in 1997, helping the side promote to Segunda División in 2001, although he would be sacked 11 matches into the following campaign due to bad results. Tapia returned to Málaga's reserves in 2002, attaining another second division promotion. After

Gregorio Manzano Gregorio "Goyo" Manzano Ballesteros (; born 11 March 1956) is a Spanish football manager. Football career Born in Bailén, Jaén, Andalusia, Manzano's training career started in 1983 at the age of 27. He took charge of several teams in his nat ...

's dismissal midway through the 2004–05 season, he took the reins of the first team – in

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

– being sacked in the same period of the following year and replaced by

director of football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...

Manolo Hierro Manuel "Manolo" Ruiz Hierro (born 8 February 1962) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He amassed La Liga totals of 175 matches and seven goals over ten seasons, representing mainly Tenerife (four years) ...

, in an eventual relegation. For the following two years, Tapia had spells in the second level and his native region, with Ejido and soon-to-be defunct Granada 74 CF, with relegation in the latter. He then returned to the top flight and Málaga – freshly promoted– and almost led the team to

qualification Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...

to the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

, after finishing eighth. After refusing a new deal in order to listen to other offers, Tapia would eventually leave his place to Juan Ramón López Muñiz (who returned from

Racing de Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league syst ...

after just one year), signing with

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...

of division two. After a series of bad results, the last a 1–0 loss at Levante UD, he was sacked on 24 January 2010, only being in charge for six months. Exactly one year after his dismissal, Tapia was appointed at

CD Tenerife Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Founded in 1912, the club plays in the Segunda División, holding home matches at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez Lóp ...

, becoming the Canary Islands side's third manager in the second division season. In late March, he too was relieved of his duties. Tapia returned to Málaga on 21 August 2012, joining the club's football directory as a sporting adviser.Tapia, nuevo asesor deportivo del Málaga (Tapia, new Málaga sporting adviser)
Marca, 20 August 2012 (in Spanish)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tapia, Antonio 1959 births Living people Footballers from the Province of Córdoba (Spain) Spanish men's footballers Men's association football players not categorized by position Atlético Malagueño players UD Fuengirola players Spanish football managers La Liga managers Segunda División managers Segunda División B managers CD Los Boliches managers Polideportivo Ejido managers Málaga CF managers Real Betis managers CD Tenerife managers