Nikos Alefantos

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Nikos Alefantos (Greek: Νίκος Αλέφαντος), (born January 3, 1939 in Athens) is a famous Greek football coach. He is well-known in Greece as a cult figure, due to his temperamental style, “colorful” language and controversial views on coaching.

Alefantos is also notorious for his very short stays as coach of various Greek football clubs. In 2002 he became coach of Fostiras for a mere three hours (the record shortest tenure is probably 10 minutes by Leroy Rosenior at Torquay United on 17 May 2007^[1]).

In 1956 he started his career as a player, and in the early 1970s he moved on to become a coach. As a player, at first he played for Asteras Exarchion, and then for PAO Rouf, Olympiacos Piraeus, Olympiacos Chalkida, Panelefsiniakos and Vyzas Megaron.

His first team as a coach was PAO Rouf, which he failed to promote to the Greek First Division. Later in the '70s he would twice win a promotion to the First Division as coach of PAS Giannena and Pierikos. Alefantos only silverware is the Cypriot Cup which he won when he was manager of APOEL.

His coaching career in the past three decades (time spent in each team):

1983: Olympiacos (3 months)
1984: Panionios (7 months), Greek military national team (6 months)
1985: Iraklis (5 months)
1986: AEK (4 months)
1987: Iraklis (3 months)
1988: PAOK (3 months)
1989: Doxa Dramas (7 months), Apollon Kalamarias (12 days)
1990: AE Larissa (1 month), Ionikos (2 months)
1992: Ionikos (2 months)
1993: Kalamata (25 days), Xanthi (9 days)
1994: Olympiacos (8 months)
1995: Panionios (2 months)
1997: APOEL, Apollon Kalamarias (2 months), Lykoi (13 days), Ethnikos Piraeus (15 days)
1998: Proodeftiki FC (9 months)
1999: Panachaiki (2 months)
2000: Panargeiakos (40 days)
2001: Ethnikos Asteras (5 months)
2002: Fostiras (3 hours!)
2004: Olympiacos (3 months)