 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marian Cucchiaroni Mihail | ||
| Date of birth | (1958-05-07)7 May 1958 (age 66) | ||
| Place of birth | Brasov, Romania | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1969–1975 | Brasov FC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1976 | Brasov FC | 24 | (8) |
| 1976–1992 | Sportul Studentesc Bucharest | 385 | (6) |
| Total | 409 | (14) | |
| International career | |||
| 1979–1980 | Romania U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 1983–1987 | Romania U23 | 11 | (0) |
| 1982–1986 | Romania | 5 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1996–1997 | Sportul Studentesc Bucharest | ||
| 1997 | Brasov FC | ||
| 1997–1998 | Bacau FC | ||
| 1998–1999 | Sportul Studentesc Bucharest | ||
| 1999–2001 | Steaua Bucharest (Director of Football) | ||
| 2001–2002 | Rocar Bucharest | ||
| 2002–2003 | Al-Qardaha SC | ||
| 2003–2004 | Al-Riyadh SC | ||
| 2005 | Sibiu FC | ||
| 2006–2007 | Al-Jaish SC | ||
| 2007–2008 | Sportul Studenesc Bucharest | ||
| 2008–2009 | Al-Jahra SC | ||
| 2009–2010 | Al-Wahda Abu Dhabi (Technical Director) | ||
| 2011–2014 | Romania FA (National Technical Director) | ||
| 2016–2017 | Zakho SC | ||
| 2017–2018 | Thanh Hoa FC | ||
| 2023 | PSS Sleman | ||
| 2024 | United City FC | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Marian Cucchiaroni Mihail (Romanian pronunciation:[maˈrianˈkuk:iaˈro:nimiˈhajl]; born 7 May 1958) is a Romanian professionalfootballmanager and former player who most recently managedPFL clubUnited City FC.
An attack-mindedright-back, Mihail spent almost his entire 17-year professional career playing forSportul Studentesc Bucharest in the top tier of Romanian football (SuperLiga). He also representedRomania internationally atU21,U23 andsenior levels. After retiring from playing, Mihail moved into coaching and has since managed teams in Romania, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Irak, Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines. Mihail also served as National Technical Director of theRomania Football Association (FRF) from 2011 to 2014.[1]
Mihail began his senior career in 1975, at the age of 17, playing as awinger for his hometown clubBrasov FC,[2] in the second tier of Romanian football, making 24 appearances and scoring 8 goals.The following season he moved toSportul Studentesc Bucharest, where he spent 16 successive years of Romanian top flight football, playing over 400 league games and scoring 6 goals.
Mihail made his competitive debut forSportul Studentesc Bucharest on 20 October 1976, aged just 18, in the first leg of their1976–77 UEFA Cup second round against German sideSchalke 04.[3][4]
It was in the early 1980s that he was converted from awinger to an attackingfull-back. During his time atSportul Studentesc Bucharest, Mihail was aRomanian FA Cup finalist in the 1978–79 season and aRomanian League runner-up in the 1985–86 season.[5] He also played 16 European games for the club from 1976 to 1987.[6][7]
Mihail made five appearances forRomania national team.[8] His debut was a 4-1 friendly loss away toBelgium atHeysel Stadium, in Brussels, on 14 March 1982.[9][10] Mihail was part ofRomania national team squad for the successfulUEFA Euro 1984 qualifying campaign, but he was not selected for the final tournament held in France.[11][12]
Mihail began his coaching career in June 1996 as manager of his former clubSportul Studentesc Bucharest, in Romania's top tier.[citation needed] He then managed other two Romanian top flight sides,Brasov FC[citation needed] andBacau FC,[citation needed] before returning toSportul Studentesc Bucharest in June 1998 for his second spell as manager of the club,[citation needed] relegated from Romania's top tier.
In October 1999, Mihail was appointed as director of football at Romanian giantsSteaua Bucharest,Romania's most successful football club[13][14] and former winners of theUEFA Champions League.[15] In this role, he was responsible for the first team's player recruitment and tactical scouting, the youth academy and reserves, medical and sports science, and the player loan department.[16][17] During his tenure, the club won two major trophies, theRomanian League title and theRomanian Super Cup, in the 2000–01 season.[18]
In June 2002, after a stint as manager of Romanian second-tier sideRocar Bucharest,[19] Mihail moved to the Middle East, where he had successful spells in the top flight football, first in Syria withAl-Qardaha SC, and then in Saudi Arabia withAl-Riyadh SC.
In June 2004, Mihail returned home to complete hisUEFA Pro Licence with theRomania Football Association (FRF).[20] During that period, he was employed by theRomania Football Association (FRF) as youth technical adviser, and also helped them to set up the Romanian national youth program. In 2005, he also had a brief stint as manager of Romanian second-tier sideSibiu.[21]
In May 2006, Mihail moved back to the Middle East, where he signed a two-year contract with the Syrian giantsAl-Jaish Damascus. His first competitive match in charge was a 1-3 loss away to Enppi Cairo in the 2006-07Arab Champions League.[22]
In June 2008, Mihail was appointed as manager of Kuwaiti top flight sideAl-Jahra SC, on a one-year contract. In between, Mihail returned home to Romania for his third spell as manager ofSportul Studentesc Bucharest,[23] in Romania's second tier. On 12 May 2009, at a ceremony marking the centenary of theRomania Football Association (FRF), Mihail received the Order of Merit for services to Romanian football.[24]
In June 2009, Mihail signed a two-year contract as technical director ofAl-Wahda Abu Dhabi FC, one of the most prestigious club in the UAE,[25] where he was responsible for the club's youth academy. Mihail's primary focus was to develop a strong academy set up and ensure that all the Al-Wahda youth teams play the same style. Under his stewardship the academy won two national titles, at U17 and U19 levels, in the 2009–10 season.[26]
In August 2011, Mihail was appointed as National Technical Director of theRomania Football Association (FRF) and coordinator of all youth national teams, on a three-year contract.[27] The position was new in theRomania Football Association (FRF) at the time and included responsibility for the overall development and direction of football in Romania. Mihail's main task was to restore the competitiveness of Romanian football. After becoming familiar with the situation in Romanian football and many analyses and consultations, both within the football family and with external partners, Mihail presented his strategic plan to stop the decline of Romanian football and to achieve new success at all levels of competition.[28] Priority was given to improve the quality of youth coaches, the performance of the national youth teams and to develop strong partnerships with theRoyal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to promote new technical standards across the country.In only three years the new performance strategy has laid a solid base for the future development of football in Romania. This has included reforming the coach education system, revamping the format of the youth leagues and the success of the national youth teams program, both boys and girls, among other healthy developments.[29][30][31][32][33][34]In February 2014, just a few days before the election of a new president for theRomania Football Association (FRF), it was announced that Mihail officially quit his post.[35]
In September 2016, Mihail moved back into club coaching as manager of Iraqi top flight sideZakho SC, on a one-year contract.[36] His first league game in charge was on 26 October 2016 when Zakho faced awayNaft Al-Wasat SC, the best team in the league at the time, with the match ending in a 0–0 draw.[37] In January 2017, Mihail announced his decision to leaveZakho SC due to sectarian unrest in the country,[38] and was replaced by another Romanian manager,Dorinel Munteanu.[39][40]
In December 2017, Mihail was named the new manager of Vietnamese top flight sideFLC Thanh Hóa, replacingLjubomir "Lupko" Petrović of Serbia.[41][42] His first competitive match as manager of the team was on 23 January 2018, when FLC Thanh Hóa defeated hostsEastern AA of Hong Kong 4-2 in the second qualifying round of the2018 AFC Champions League.[43][44] In the next round, they were eliminated from the competition by the South Korean giants and two-timeAsian Champions League winnersSuwon Samsung Bluewings,[45] in an away match played at the Suwon World Cup Stadium, South Korea on 30 January 2018.[46] The Vietnamese club then took part in the2018 AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament, where they joinedBali United from Indonesia,Yangon United from Myanmar andGlobal Cebu from Philippines in Group G.[47] Their first game was a 1-0 home win againstGlobal Cebu on 10 February 2018.[48] After failing to reach the knockout stage of the2018 AFC Cup,[49] Mihail left the club by mutual consent in April 2018.[50]
Following a period as a football pundit on television and a lecturer at theRomanian FA Coaching School (SFA) during the pandemic,[51] Mihail returned to coaching on 27 April 2023, signining a one-year contract as manager of Indonesian top flight sidePSS Sleman.[52][53] Under Mihail's guidance,PSS Sleman made a good start to the 2023-24BRI Liga 1 season with a 1-0 win away toBali United,[54][55] the representative of Indonesia at the2023-24 AFC Champions League, followed by a 2-2 draw at home with neighbors and rivalsPersis Solo.[56]
In February 2024, Mihail has signed a one-and-a-half-year contract as manager ofUnited City FC (formerlyCeres-Negros),[57][58] the most successful club in Filipino football, with four consecutive titles.[59] His first competitive game in charge was a 2-0 loss to the current championsKaya FC-Iloilo on the opening day of the season,[60] followed by a 3-1 win againstArmy FC.[61] A few months later, United City FC has officially announced their withdrawal from the2024-25 Philippines Football League season due to financial issues, and all players were released from their contracts immediately.[62]