Rafi Cohen (רפי כהן; born March 2, 1965) is an Israeli football manager and retired footballer,Cohen Refael
IFA Rafi Cohen – Manager Page
walla.co.il who currently serves as the assistant manager for the

Israel national football team The Israel national football team ( he, נבחרת ישראל בכדורגל, ) represents Israel in international football, and is governed by the Israel Football Association (IFA). Israel's national team is the direct successor of the M ...

. He played in soccer for Hapoel Jerusalem, Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabi Petah Tikva, Hapoel Petah Tikva, and the

. He has formerly managed Beitar Shimshon Tel Aviv, Hakoah Ramat Gan, Hapoel Ashkelon, Hapoel Petah Tikva, Hapoel Haifa, Beitar Shimshon Tel Aviv, Sektzia Ness Ziona, Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan,

Ironi Nir Ramat HaSharon Hapoel Nir Ramat HaSharon Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל הפועל ניר רמת השרון) is an Israeli football club based in Ramat HaSharon. They are currently members of Liga Leumit and play their home matches at the Grundm ...

, and

Maccabi Yavne Maccabi "Zvi" Yavne ( he, מכבי יבנה) is an Israeli football club based in Yavne. They currently play in Liga Alef. History The club was founded in 1962 and played in Liga Gimel, the lowest tier of Israeli football, up until the 1971� ...

. He won a bronze medal with Team Israel at the

1981 Maccabiah Games The 11th Maccabiah Games brought 3,450 athletes to Israel from 35 nations. The Opening Ceremony was held on July 7, 1981, before a crowd of 53,000 and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in Ramat Gan Stadium, with 3,500 Jewish athletes parading ...

Career

Born in Jerusalem, Cohen joined Beitar Jerusalem at the age of 11. As a senior, Cohen moved to Hapoel Jerusalem, where he played until he returned to Beitar, in 1982. In 1984 Cohen moved to

Petah Tikva Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of ...

, where he played for Maccabi and Hapoel until his retirement in 1994. Cohen was part of the Israeli team in the

, winning a bronze medal, and made two appearances with the senior squad in 1990.Cohen Rafi
IFA Following retirement from active football, Cohen stayed at Hapoel Petah Tikva as youth coach and assistant coach until 2000. In 2001 Cohen was appointed as head manager for Beitar Shimshon Tel Aviv and led the team for 3rd place in Liga Artzit, just 3 points shy of promotion. The following season, Cohen was appointed as head manager of Hakoah Ramat Gan and led the club to promotion to second tier Liga Leumit. In 2004–05, Cohen once again won promotion from Liga Artzit, this time with Hapoel Ashkelon, while leading the club to the semi-finals of the

State Cup The Israel State Cup ( he, גביע המדינה, ''Gvia HaMedina''), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Football in Israel, Israeli football, run by the Israel Football Association (IFA). The State Cup was first he ...

and winning the 2004–05 Toto Cup Artzit. Following his successes in third tier Liga Artzit, Cohen was appointed to coach Hapoel Petah Tikva in the Israeli Premier League, but was sacked after 8 matches.Rafi Cohen
Hapoel Petah Tikva Museum In

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, Cohen once again won promotion from Liga Artzit with Sektzia Ness Ziona, and kept managing the team until 2012.Rafi Cohen Sacked from Coaching Ness Ziona
Din Elmes, 19 February 2012, One.co.il At the beginning of the 2013–14 season, Cohen was appointed to coach

, but was sacked early after a few matches.

Honours

As player

Israel State Cup The Israel State Cup ( he, גביע המדינה, ''Gvia HaMedina''), is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israel Football Association (IFA). The State Cup was first held in 1928 as the People's Cup. Because it involve ...

** Winner: 1991–92 ** ''Runner-up'': 1990–91 * Liga Leumit (top division) ** ''Runner-up'': 1989–90, 1990–91 *

Toto Cup Leumit The Israel Toto Cup ( he, גביע הטוטו, ''Gvia Ha'Toto'') is an association football tournament that features clubs in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Israeli Premier League ( Ligat Ha'Al), and the second division Liga Leumit. Fro ...

** Winner: 1989–90, 1990–91 * Maccabiah Football Tournament ** ''Bronze medal'':

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

As manager

* Liga Artzit (third tier) ** 2002–03 (with Hakoah Ramat Gan), 2004–05 (with Hapoel Ashkelon), 2008–09 (with Sektzia Ness Ziona) * Toto Cup Artzit ** 2004–05 (with Hapoel Ashkelon)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Rafi 1965 births Living people Competitors at the 1981 Maccabiah Games Israeli footballers Footballers from Jerusalem Beitar Jerusalem F.C. players Hapoel Jerusalem F.C. players Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C. players Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C. players Israeli football managers Beitar Shimshon Tel Aviv F.C. managers Hakoah Ramat Gan F.C. managers Hapoel Ashkelon F.C. managers Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C. managers Sektzia Ness Ziona F.C. managers Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan F.C. managers Hapoel Nir Ramat HaSharon F.C. managers Maccabi Yavne F.C. managers Israeli Premier League managers Liga Leumit players Maccabiah Games competitors Maccabiah Games footballers Maccabiah Games bronze medalists for Israel Association football forwards