Myron Sifakis ( el, Μύρων Σηφάκης; born 28 September 1960) is a Greek retired
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
and current
football manager
''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game bega ...
.
Career
Playing career
Sifakis began his football career at his local side
Atsalenios. He was then transferred to
Heraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...
's
Alpha Ethniki
The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
side
OFI, where he spent 7 years during the club's "golden age". Despite being used mostly as the third-choice goalkeeper, behind Georgios Mitseas and Vangelis Chosadas, Sifakis rose up to the occasion when he was called-up by coach
Eugène Gerards
Eugène 'Gène' Gerards (7 May 1940 − 2 January 2018) was a Dutch football player, manager and scout. As a player, Gerards played for Limburgian clubs SV Limburgia and Fortuna '54. As a manager, he spent the majority of his career in Greece, ...
to defend
OFI's goal during the
1986–87 Greek Cup Final, in which he warded off two shots during the
penalty shootout
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
, for which his club claimed their first ever major trophy.
After leaving
OFI in 1992, Sifakis moved to fellow
Alpha Ethniki
The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
side
Pierikos, where he suffered relegation at the end of the season. He then dropped to lower
Greek divisions, playing for
Panetolikos and
Agios Nikolaos, where he retired in 1997, to pursue a managerial career.
Coaching career
Still in his playing years with
Agios Nikolaos, Sifakis served as interim coach for the club during the final match-day of the 1996−97
Gamma Ethniki
The Gamma Ethniki ( el, Γ΄ Εθνική Ερασιτεχνική Κατηγορία, C National Amateur Division) is the third highest football league in Greece.
History
The Gamma Ethniki began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 198 ...
, after multiple managerial changes over the course of the season.
He reached an agreement with the club to retire his playing career in 1997 and started managing the club, earning promotion to the
Beta Ethniki in his first season as manager.
He managed the club until December 1999, when he terminated his contract on mutual consent.
Shortly after leaving
Agios Nikolaos, Sifakis was hired by fellow
Cretan
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, an ...
Delta Ethniki
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta")
* Delta Air Lines, US
* Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
Delta may also r ...
side
Ergotelis. He achieved a 2nd-place finish in his first season, and narrowly missed out on promotion to the
Gamma Ethniki
The Gamma Ethniki ( el, Γ΄ Εθνική Ερασιτεχνική Κατηγορία, C National Amateur Division) is the third highest football league in Greece.
History
The Gamma Ethniki began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 198 ...
during the 2000−01 season. Consequently, he decided not to renew his contract with the club after it expired on 31 May 2001. His absence however proved to be brief, as he was re-appointed in November 2001 after the sudden resignation of his substitute coach
Pavlos Dermitzakis. His second tenure was marked by unprecedented success in club history, as he managed to lead
Ergotelis to three consecutive promotions, from the
4th tier to the
Alpha Ethniki
The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
for the first time in club history.
Sifakis managed the club during a difficult
2004−05 top-flight season, where a string of unsuccessful results and rising tensions with the club's board of directors after a 0−1 home loss vs. his former playing club
OFI led to his sacking on 4 April 2005.
In the summer of 2005, Sifakis moved to
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
, taking over management of
Cypriot First Division
The Cypriot First Division ( el, Πρωτάθλημα Α΄ Κατηγορίας) is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus, run by the Cyprus Football Association. Since February 2016, it is sponsored by Cyta and is thus officially ...
club
Ethnikos Achna. His tenure was deemed unsuccessful however, and he was replaced in December. A few weeks later, he signed with
Niki Volos
Niki Volou Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Νίκη Βόλου) is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Volos, in the region of Magnesia, Greece. The club currently competes in the Super League 2, the second tier of Greek football ...
in the
Beta Ethniki, but resigned in February 2006 to take over management of a struggling
OFI in the
Alpha Ethniki
The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...
. As manager, he achieved another milestone for
OFI, as he became the first manager to win on his debut in 24 years. Furthermore, he narrowly managed to avoid what seemed like an inevitable, historic relegation for the club when he took over, recording 17 points on the
League Table, boasting a 5−2−4 record and winning the crucial decisive final match vs. fellow relegation contenders
Levadiakos on 14 May 2006. Despite a relatively successful tenure however, the club decided to replace him in the summer of 2006.
In September 2006, Sifakis returned to
Niki Volos
Niki Volou Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Νίκη Βόλου) is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Volos, in the region of Magnesia, Greece. The club currently competes in the Super League 2, the second tier of Greek football ...
and the
Beta Ethniki, but unsuccessful results and administrative problems led him to resign in December 2006. He then took over management of
Gamma Ethniki
The Gamma Ethniki ( el, Γ΄ Εθνική Ερασιτεχνική Κατηγορία, C National Amateur Division) is the third highest football league in Greece.
History
The Gamma Ethniki began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 198 ...
side
Panetolikos. Sifakis then briefly returned to the
Beta Ethniki, first by taking over
Egaleo, where he was sacked after failing to improve their position on the League Table. Afterwards he returned to
OFI, where he was paired up with former
OFI teammate
"Nikki" Papavasiliou to lead the club during its
2009–10 Beta Ethniki campaign, but the duo was sacked after poor performances at the start of the competition. He since has moved to manage clubs in lower regional and national divisions, including
Antagoras Kos,
Rouvas
Rouvas ( el, Ρούβας) is a former municipality in the Heraklion regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Gortyn, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of ...
, whom he promoted to the
Gamma Ethniki
The Gamma Ethniki ( el, Γ΄ Εθνική Ερασιτεχνική Κατηγορία, C National Amateur Division) is the third highest football league in Greece.
History
The Gamma Ethniki began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 198 ...
for the first time in their history,
P.A.O. Krousonas, and most recently
AEEK INKA in 2017.
In January 2018, Sifakis returned to
OFI, being offered the position of general manager. He was relieved of his duties later that year and in September, Sifakis returned to coaching, taking over management of
local A1 side
P.A.O. Krousonas. He was sacked from his post in January 2019.
Personal
Sifakis' son
Michalis is also a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
,
having enjoyed relative success in his career as a goalkeeper for
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
and
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to:
People
* Aris (surname)
Given name
* Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer
* Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
* Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano
* Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter
* Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...
, while also having been capped for the
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team ( el, Εθνική Ελλάδας, ) represents Greece in men's international football matches and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece play most ...
15 times.
Honours
As player
;
OFI
*
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most ...
:
1986–87
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sifakis, Myron
1960 births
Living people
Greek footballers
OFI Crete F.C. players
Pierikos F.C. players
Panetolikos F.C. players
Agios Nikolaos F.C. players
Association football goalkeepers
Greek football managers
Ergotelis F.C. managers
OFI Crete F.C. managers
Panetolikos F.C. managers
Egaleo F.C. managers
Niki Volos F.C. managers
Ethnikos Achna FC managers
Expatriate football managers in Cyprus
Greek expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus
People from Heraklion (regional unit)
Footballers from Crete