Antonio López Habas

Antonio Habas
Personal information
Full name Antonio López Habas
Date of birth (1957-05-28) 28 May 1957
Place of birth Pozoblanco, Spain
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current team
 Pune City (coach)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1976–1977 Pozoblanco
1977–1978 Sevilla B
1978–1980 Sevilla 8 (0)
1980–1982 Burgos 45 (14)
1982–1985 Murcia 74 (11)
1985–1986 Atlético Madrid 0 (0)
Teams managed
1990–1991 Atlético Madrileño
1991–1992 Las Rozas
1992–1993 Aranjuez
1993–1994 Bolivia (assistant)
1994–1995 Bolívar
1995–1996 Lleida
1995–1997 Bolivia
1998 Sporting Gijón
2000–2001 Bolívar
2001 Granada
2005 Valencia
2005 Tenerife
2007–2008 Celta (assistant)
2008 Celta
2010–2011 Mamelodi Sundowns
2012–2013 Wits University
2014–2016 Atlético Kolkata
2016– Pune City

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is López and the second or maternal family name is Habas.

Antonio López Habas (born 28 May 1957) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a defender, and the current coach of Indian club FC Pune City.

Playing career

Born in Pozoblanco, Córdoba, López had an unassuming career as a professional footballer, appearing in 48 La Liga matches over the course of four seasons, eight of those for Sevilla FC to where he arrived in 1977 from local amateurs CD Pozoblanco, first being assigned to Sevilla Atlético.

He also represented Real Murcia, Burgos CF and Atlético Madrid (no appearances for the latter), retiring from the game at only 29 years of age. In 1981–82 he scored an astonishing 13 goals in 32 games for Burgos,[1][2][3] which nonetheless suffered Segunda División relegation due to financial irregularities.[4]

Manager career

López started coaching in the early 1990s, with his last club's reserves. After one season apiece in amateur football, also in the Madrid area, he took charge of the Bolivia national team, first as an assistant, and eventually appeared with it, as head coach, at two Copa América tournaments. He then returned to club action with Club Bolívar, followed by a spell in his homeland with UE Lleida, in the second division – whilst at the Catalan club, he briefly accumulated with his work as the national coach of the South American country, which he left for good in 1997.

Three years after his last job, with lowly Granada CF, López was hired by Valencia CF to help develop its youth sides. However, after the sacking of Italian Claudio Ranieri, he managed the first team for 14 games, as the Che, the previous league champions, eventually finished seventh.

López started the following campaign with CD Tenerife in level two, being fired after six games. Two years later he joined Juan Ramón López Caro's staff at Celta de Vigo, in the same category. With the Galicians constantly batlling relegation until the last month of competition, he was named interim coach for the final six matches, eventually maintaining division status for the club; he was the third Celta manager in approximately one year.

In January 2012, López was appointed director of the Target Football Academy in Bangkok, Thailand. On 13 July he signed for South African club Wits University FC, penning a two-year contract[5] but leaving the club on 4 January of the following year.[6]

In August 2014, López was named coach of Atlético de Kolkata in the Indian Super League.[7] On 25 October he was given a four-match suspension and fined ₹5,00,000 for his involvement in a spat with FC Goa's Robert Pires,[8] which was reduced to two upon appeal.[9]

After a dip in form from midway through the season, López led his team to the semi-finals by drawing with Goa,[10] meeting the same opponent once again and defeating them on penalties.[11] In the decisive match, against the Kerala Blasters, he benched marquee player Luis García and compatriot Jofre, for which he was praised by critics,[12] and the side won thanks to a goal by Mohammed Rafique in extra time.[13]

On 25 April 2016, López was appointed at fellow league club FC Pune City.[14]

Honours

Player

Murcia

Manager

Atlético de Kolkata

References

  1. ↑ "3–0: No fue rival el Oviedo para el Burgos" [3–0: Burgos no match for Oviedo]. Mundo Deportivo. 12 November 1981. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Burgos 2, – Málaga 0". Mundo Deportivo. 21 December 1981. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "5–3: ¡Como un torrente!" [5–3: Like a tornado!]. Mundo Deportivo. 5 April 1982. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Burgos, un club al borde de la bancarrota" [Burgos, a club on the verge of bankruptcy]. Mundo Deportivo. 12 July 1982. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Wits name Lopez as new coach". Super Sport. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "Barker replaces Habas at Wits". Kick Off. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Atletico de Kolkata hire Deshi Bhaktawer as their goalkeeping coach". Goal.com. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "ISL announces ruling on incidents from FC Goa vs Atlético de Kolkata fixture". Indian Super League. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "AIFF reduces ban on Atletico de Kolkata coach Antonio Lopez Habas". The Indian Express. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "ISL: Atletico de Kolkata sneak into semifinals after Fikru Teferra's equaliser". NDTV. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "ISL: Atletico de Kolkata beat FC Goa on penalties to enter final". India Today. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "আমি হাবাসের সাহস দেখাতে পারতাম না". আনন্দ বাজার পত্রিকা. 21 December 2014: 19.
  13. ↑ "Substitute Mohammed Rafique hands Atlético de Kolkata the title". Indian Super League. 20 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  14. ↑ "FC Pune City appoints Habas as head coach". Goalie 365. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.

External links

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