Human Afazeli facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 September 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Tehran, Iran | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1983–1984 | Rah Ahan | ||
| 1984–1988 | Pas | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1991 | Pas | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2000–2001 | Pas U18 | ||
| 2001–2002 | Shahab Zanjan U21 | ||
| 2002–2005 | Shahab Zanjan | ||
| 2002–2006 | Iran (assistant) | ||
| 2007–2008 | Saipa (assistant) | ||
| 2008–2009 | Iran (assistant) | ||
| 2010–2011 | Iran U-23 | ||
| 2011–2012 | Steel Azin | ||
| 2014 | Iran U-23 (caretaker) | ||
| 2017–2018 | Saba Qom | ||
| 2018 | Naft Tehran | ||
| 2018–2019 | Karun Arvand | ||
| 2019–2020 | Pars Jonoubi | ||
| 2020 | Machine Sazi | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Human Afazeli (Persian: هومن افاضلی) is an Iranian football coach and former player. He was born on September 3, 1971, in Tehran, Iran. He is known for his long career in football, first as a player and then as a coach for many teams, including the Iranian national team.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Human Afazeli started playing football when he was young. He joined Rah Ahan F.C. in 1983. Later, in 1984, he moved to Pas F.C.
He joined the main Pas F.C. team in 1988. He was part of the team for three seasons. Sadly, his playing career ended early in 1991. He was only 20 years old when a knee injury stopped him from playing.
Coaching Journey
After his playing career ended, Human Afazeli became a football coach. He started coaching when he was 25.
First Coaching Roles
His first big coaching job was with Shahab Zanjan, a team in Iran's first division. He coached them for three years. During this time, he used different playing styles, like the 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 formations. These were new ideas in Iranian football, where many teams used the 3-5-2 formation.
Working with the National Team
Afazeli's smart coaching ideas were noticed. After a friendly match, the coach of the Iran national team, Miroslav Ciro Blazevic, asked him to join the national team staff. Miroslav Ciro Blazevic had led Croatia to third place in the 1998 World Cup. Afazeli became a technical adviser and analyst for the team.
He stayed with the national team for four more years. During this time, he worked with new coach Branko Ivanković. He helped the team win a gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games. They also finished third in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup. Afazeli was part of the team that played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He worked in over 100 international matches as an assistant and analyst.
In 2008, he returned to the national team. He worked under the new coach, Ali Daei. He later left the team in April 2009 when Ali Daei was no longer the coach.
New Challenges as Head Coach
After a short break, Afazeli became a senior member of the Iran Football Federation's technical committee. He wanted to be a head coach again.
In 2011, he became the head coach of the Iran U23 team. His goal was to help the team qualify for the Olympics in London. He led the team to the next round after winning a play-off against Kyrgyzstan. However, he resigned right after the match. He said it was because he didn't get enough support from the Iranian Olympic Committee and the Football Federation of Iran.
He then became the head coach of Steel Azin F.C. on June 27, 2011. The team was doing well and was close to moving up to the top league. But then, FIFA decided to take away 12 points from the club. This was because of a problem with their former coach. In February 2012, Steel Azin and Afazeli decided to go their separate ways.
Return to U23 National Team
On September 20, 2013, the Iranian Football Federation asked Afazeli to be the technical director for the Iran national under-23 football team. His job was to check on the team's progress for the upcoming Asian Championship in Oman. This was the first championship for this age group in Asia.
Later, he became the manager of the team. This happened after the previous manager resigned. The team faced a big challenge because many clubs did not let their players join the national team. Afazeli had to take a second team to the tournament in January 2014. They had only 19 players and no time to practice together or play friendly matches.
In the tournament, they had a thrilling 3–3 draw with Japan in their first game. They then lost 1–0 to Australia in an exciting match. In their last game, they beat Kuwait 3–1. Even with these results, they did not make it to the next stage. They missed out only because of goal difference.
