Anatoliy Zayayev facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anatoliy Mykolayovych Zayaev | ||
| Date of birth | October 27, 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Simferopol, Russian SFSR, USSR | ||
| Date of death | December 18, 2012 (aged 81) | ||
| Place of death | near Melitopol, Ukraine | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Pishchevik Simferopol | |||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1991–1993 | SC Tavriya Simferopol | ||
| 2001–2002 | FC Cherkasy | ||
| 2002–2003 | SC Tavriya Simferopol | ||
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Anatoliy Zayaev (born October 27, 1931 – died December 18, 2012) was a famous football player from the Soviet Union and later a coach in Ukraine. He was known as a Merited Coach of Ukraine, which is a special title for great coaches.
Contents
Life and Football Journey
Early Life and Beginnings
Anatoliy Zayaev was born in Simferopol. He came from a large Assyrian family. He lived through World War II. His family faced many hardships during this time.
Zayaev studied at the Simferopol State University. After graduating, he worked at a meat factory in the city. At the same time, he played for and helped manage the factory's football team, "Pishchevik".
Playing and Coaching Career
Thanks to his efforts, the Simferopol team joined the Class B of Soviet football competitions in 1958. This was a big step for the team. In 1962, his team, Tavriya, finished third in the Ukrainian championship. After this success, Zayaev left the team for a while.
In 1963, Tavriya started the season very poorly. They struggled to win games. Zayaev was asked to return to the team as acting head coach. In his first game back, the team won! He helped the team improve and avoid being moved to a lower league. Zayaev later said he officially started coaching in 1973. He had learned a lot about the game by then.
Success as a Coach
During the Soviet era, Zayaev's teams won the Ukrainian championship many times. They also won the Cup of the Ukrainian SSR and the Ukrainian Spartakiad. He led teams to the top of the Soviet First League and even to the semifinals of the Soviet Cup.
Until the 1990s, he worked for SC Tavriya Simferopol as the team director. In 1992, he became very famous. His team, SC Tavriya Simferopol, beat FC Dynamo Kyiv to win the first national title in independent Ukraine. This was a huge achievement for his team.
After 1995, Zayaev moved to coach other teams. He coached Constructorul Chisinau in Moldova from 1996 to 1997. The next season, he led MFK Mykolaiv to the top of the Ukrainian First League. He also coached Prykarpattia.
Later, Zayaev returned to Tavriya for a few more seasons. After leaving in 2005, he helped start a new club in Yalta, called FC Yalos Yalta. This team did well in its first season, finishing fourth. However, the club later stopped playing. Zayaev then helped create another club, IKS-Academy Kuibysheve.
In 2010, he joined MFK Mykolaiv again as a coach-consultant. In 2012, Zayaev worked with Metalurh Zaporizhia.
Coaching Style
Anatoliy Zayaev did not have a special coaching degree. Because of this, people sometimes called him a "self-taught" coach. He believed that understanding people and managing relationships was key to coaching. He thought psychology was very important for training players. Former players from Tavriya said that Zayaev wanted good results on the field. He also knew how to build good relationships with football referees.
Death
Anatoliy Zayaev died in a car accident on December 18, 2012. The accident happened on the highway between Kharkiv and Simferopol, near Melitopol.
Honours
Achievements
- Higher League of Ukraine
- Winner: 1992
- Ukrainian Cup
- Final: 1993-94
Recognition and awards
- Merited Coach of Ukraine
- Merited Coach of Moldova
- Order of Merit 2nd and 3rd degrees
Private Life
Anatoliy Zayaev was married to Alla. She was seven years younger than him. His son was the president of SC Tavriya Simferopol for a few years. His son passed away in 1994. Anatoliy Zayaev was survived by his wife and two grandchildren.
