Mehdi Ben Sadok Nafti ( ar, مهدي النفطي; born 28 November 1978) is a Tunisian 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 ...

and former player. Nafti played as a

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...

for

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

Racing 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, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Span ...

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...

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 ...

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

and

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

. He was born in France, and won 46

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

for

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, representing the nation at the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...

and three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. After retiring as a player he went into coaching, working mainly in Spain. He managed Lugo,

Leganés Leganés () is a city in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Considered part of the Madrid metropolitan area, it is located about 11 km southwest of the centre of Madrid. , it has a population of 188,425, making it the region's fifth most popul ...

and Levante in the Segunda División.

Playing career

Club

Born in

, France, Nafti made his professional debut with his hometown club, Toulouse FC. He was used sparingly during a three-year spell, and also played several games with the reserves. His best season was 1999–2000, as he appeared in 13 games and scored once to help the team return to Ligue 1 after one year of absence. In summer 2000, Nafti joined

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 ...

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' ...

and, as in his previous club, started his stint appearing for

the B-team The B-Team was a professional wrestling tag team in WWE, composed of Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. The team are former one-time WWE Raw Tag Team Champions. They also formerly performed as The Social Outcasts and The Miztourage from 2016 to 2018 ...

. In the 2000–01 season he played in just three games for the main squad, which was eventually relegated, then proceeded to become a very important midfield element for the

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

ns in the following three years, whilst collecting 41

yellow cards Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...

and three

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

. Nafti was signed on loan by

in the final minutes of the January 2005

transfer window A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer wi ...

, making his

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

debut on 5 February in a 2–0 loss away to Manchester United in which he started and was booked. Sometimes referred to as "Nasty" due to his fiery nature and tendency for cautions, he was primarily signed to replace the outgoing

Robbie Savage Robert William Savage (born 18 October 1974) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, now a football pundit and director of football at club Macclesfield. During his career he played predominantly as a midfielder, ...

, and finished the season strongly, which led to a permanent deal being agreed in the summer. Nafti's 2005–06 campaign came to end before it had even begun, with a severe injury to his

cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and the atlanto-axial joint. In a fashion similar to the cords in a toy Jacob's la ...

s in a friendly with

Deportivo La Coruña ''Deportivo'' (Spanish, 'sporting') may refer to: * Deportivo de La Coruña, commonly known as simply Deportivo, a Spanish football club * Déportivo, a French rock band * Deportivo (Mexicable) Mexicable is a aerial lift line in Ecatepec de Mo ...

in early August 2005. He recovered sooner than expected, and was able to start the last match of the season, a 1–0 loss at Bolton Wanderers, with relegation already confirmed. After having appeared in 32 games in 2006–07 to help Birmingham return to the top division, Nafti scored his first goal for them on 13 August 2008, in a 4–0 win against

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their ho ...

in the 2008–09 League Cup. In June 2009, after the club chose not to renew his contract, he signed a two-year deal with

Aris Thessaloniki Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki
...

in Greece. On 12 September 2009, Nafti scored the only goal of the home match against

PAS Giannina PAS Giannina Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ ΠΑΣ Γιάννινα 1966), or with its full name Panepirotikos Athlitikos Syllogos Giannina ( el, Πανηπειρωτικός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Γιάννινα, ''Panepirotic Athleti ...

to put Aris top of the Superleague Greece after three matches. He finished his debut season with four goals from 22 league games, as Aris finished fifth. During the January 2011 transfer window, the 32-year-old Nafti left Aris and returned to Spain, signing an 18-month contract with Segunda División club

Real Valladolid Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid () or Valladolid, is a professional football club based in Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish league system. The club c ...

. He spent the 2012–13 season with

Real Murcia Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia (, "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded in 1919, it currently plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2, playing ho ...

, helping them avoid relegation from the second tier, and had considered retiring from the game before dropping down a division to sign for

. He established himself in the latter team but was also troubled by injury, and after they signed midfielder Jon Ander Garrido in the January 2014 transfer window, Nafti's contract was cancelled.

International

A Tunisia international since 2002, Nafti represented the nation in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, helping it win the 2004 edition played on home soil. He then appeared in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, playing against Australia (2–0 win) and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

(3–0 loss). Nafti was selected for the squad that competed in the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

in Germany, appearing in all three matches as Tunisia exited in the group stage. The previous 4 June, he scored his only international goal to equalise in a 3–1 qualifying win away to

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

Coaching career

On 10 June 2016, Nafti was given his first managerial job, at Segunda División B club

Marbella FC Marbella Fútbol Club, formerly known as Unión Deportiva Marbella, is a Spanish football team based in Marbella, the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1997 it currently plays in Tercera Federación – Group 9 (the 5th level of the ...

, despite reportedly not possessing the licence required to manage at that level. After a series of poor results, he was fired on 7 March 2017. Nafti was hired by another Segunda B club,

Mérida AD Asociación Deportiva Mérida, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Mérida, in the autonomous community of Extremadura. Founded in 2013 it is a successor club of CP Mérida, it currently plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 1. His ...

, on 27 June 2017; he lasted until 20 December. The following 12 March, after the resignation of his successor,

Loren Loren is a given name, nickname and surname which may refer to: Given name Men * Loren Acton (born 1936), American physicist and astronaut * Loren C. Ball (born 1948), amateur astronomer who has discovered more than 100 asteroids * Loren M. Ber ...

, he returned to the

Estadio Romano Estadio Romano (''English'': Roman Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Mérida, Spain. It is currently used for football matches and is the home ground of Mérida AD. The stadium holds 14,600 people and opened in 1954. On 9 September 2009, the ...

as manager, but left at the end of the season after failing to prevent their relegation. In October 2018, Nafti took over as manager of CD Badajoz, also of the third division, until the end of the season. In the 2019–20 season, his team eliminated

UD Las Palmas Unión Deportiva Las Palmas, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Las Palmas, on the island of Gran Canaria in the autonomous community of Canary Islands. Founded on 22 August 1949, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at t ...

(second tier) and

SD Eibar Sociedad Deportiva Eibar (in eu, Eibar Kirol Elkartea) is a professional Spanish football club based in Eibar, Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous Basque Country. Founded on 30 November 1940, the team currently plays in the Segunda División, the s ...

(top flight) from the

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

before an extra-time loss to

Granada CF Granada Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. (), known simply as Granada, is a Spanish football club based in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, that plays in the Segunda División, after being relegated from La Liga in the 2021� ...

in the last 16. He was dismissed on 4 February 2020 with the team fourth in the league. On 9 October 2020, Nafti was announced as manager of

Étoile Sportive du Sahel Étoile may refer to: Places ;France * Charles de Gaulle – Étoile, station of the Paris Métro * Étoile-Saint-Cyrice, commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in France * Étoile-sur-Rhône, commune in the Drôme department in France * L'Ét ...

in his home nation, but returned to Spain five days later, after being appointed in charge of second division side CD Lugo. He was sacked from the latter club the following 28 February, after a 1–4 loss to

UD Almería Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 26 July 1989 and known as ''Almería Club de Fútbol'' until 2001, when it was renamed ''Unión D ...

. Nafti replaced sacked

Asier Garitano Asier Garitano Aguirrezábal (born 6 December 1969) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a forward. During a 14-year senior career, he appeared in 134 matches in Segunda División over five seasons, totalling 23 goals f ...

at the helm of CD Leganés, also in the Spanish second division, on 31 October 2021. He left the following 5 June, as his contract would not be renewed. A week after leaving Leganés, Nafti signed a one-year contract with newly relegated Levante UD. He was sacked on 10 October 2022, having won twice and taken ten points from nine games. On 2 January 2023, Nafti was hired to replace

Hussein Ammouta Hussein Ammouta ( ar, الحسين عموتة, ; also spelled Lhoussaine Ammouta – born 24 October 1969 in Khemisset) is a Moroccan professional football manager and former player, who is the current head coach of Botola side Wydad AC. He previ ...

as manager of African champions

Wydad AC Wydad Athletic Club ( ar, نادي الوداد الرياضي, ) commonly referred to as Wydad AC and known as Wydad, or simply as WAC, is a Moroccan sports club based in Casablanca. Wydad AC is best known for its professional football team that ...

of Morocco. His debut three days later in the Botola was a 2–1 loss at

SCC Mohammédia Sporting Club Chabab Mohammédia ( ar, النادي الرياضي شباب المحمدية), known as Chabab Mohammédia, is a Moroccan professional football club based in the city of Mohammedia, currently playing in Botola Pro Inwi. It is ...

. The following month he led the club at the

2022 FIFA Club World Cup The 2022 FIFA Club World Cup will be the 19th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament between the winners of the six continental confederations, as well as the host nation's league champions ...

on home soil, being eliminated in their first match by

Al Hilal SFC Al Hilal Saudi Football Club ( ar, نادي الهلال السعودي), simply known as Al Hilal, is a professional multi-sports club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their football team competes in the Saudi Professional League. They are the ...

on penalties. On 26 February, he was replaced by

Juan Carlos Garrido Juan Carlos Garrido Fernández (born 29 March 1969) is a Spanish football manager. He managed Villarreal and Betis in La Liga before working for several years in the Arab world, winning the CAF Confederation Cup with Egypt's Al Ahly and Mo ...

Playing statistics

Club

International

:Source:

Managerial statistics

Honours

Tunisia * Africa Cup of Nations: 2004

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nafti, Mehdi 1978 births Living people French sportspeople of Tunisian descent Footballers from Toulouse Tunisian footballers Tunisia men's international footballers Men's association football midfielders Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players Toulouse FC players La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Rayo Cantabria players Racing de Santander players Real Valladolid players Real Murcia players Cádiz CF players Premier League players English Football League players Birmingham City F.C. players Super League Greece players Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2002 African Cup of Nations players 2004 African Cup of Nations players 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players Tunisian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Spain Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate footballers in England Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in Greece Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Tunisian football managers Segunda División B managers Segunda División managers Marbella FC managers CD Badajoz managers Étoile Sportive du Sahel managers CD Lugo managers CD Leganés managers Levante UD managers Wydad AC managers Botola managers Tunisian expatriate football managers Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in Morocco Expatriate football managers in Spain Expatriate football managers in Morocco