Ab Fafié


Ab Fafié was a Dutch professional football player and manager.

Playing career

Club

Fafié made his debut for hometown club Feijenoord against Fortuna '54 in 1959 and also played for Rotterdam club Xerxes as well as for PSV. During an injury-hit spell he only played 13 games for the Eindhovenaren.

Managerial career

Fafié became assistant to Feyenoord manager Hans Kraay in 1981 and was named caretaker after Kraay's dismissal in 1983. He took charge in 1984 after Thijs Libregts was sacked and ended up third in the Eredivisie in both his seasons at the helm. He later managed a number of teams throughout Europe, including AEK Athens, AA Gent, FC Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles where he had succeeded the dismissed Henk Ten Cate.

FC Utrecht

At Utrecht, he earned the nickname King Ab after steering them to European football with a fourth-placed finish in his first season. The club crashed out of next year's UEFA Cup to Spanish giants Real Madrid and after some less successful seasons, Fafié was given the sack in 1994.
He also had spells in charge at two Indonesian clubs and coached the final years of his life at amateur sides CVV, Overmaas, WSE and NBSVV.

Personal life

Fafié died in November 2012, aged 71.