Oscar Fulloné

Luis Oscar Fulloné Arce, better known as Oscar Fulloné (4 April 1939 – 22 May 2017) was an Argentine football coach and player. He played as a midfielder for Independiente Medellín and Real Oviedo before moving to England to play for Aston Villa in 1967. Known as Oscar Arce during his time in England he remained in the country following his retirement from playing and was a coach for both Sheffield United and Sunderland. He became manager of Swiss side FC Sion in 1980 before going on to become one of the most successful African club managers.

Oscar Fulloné
Personal information
Full name Luis Oscar Fulloné Arce
Date of birth (1939-04-04)4 April 1939
Place of birth La Plata, Argentina
Date of death 22 May 2017(2017-05-22) (aged 78)
Place of death Casablanca, Morocco
Position(s) Midfielder[1]
Youth career
Estudiantes de La Plata
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962–1963 Independiente Medellín
1963–1964 Real Oviedo
1967–1969 Aston Villa 0 (0)
Managerial career
1980–1981 FC Sion
1994–1998 ASEC Mimosas
1998–2000 Raja Casablanca
2000 Al-Ahly (Tripoli)
2000 Al Ain
2000–2001 Al-Masry
2001–2002 Burkina Faso
2002–2003 Wydad Casablanca
2003–2004 Espérance Sportive de Tunis
2004–2005 Mamelodi Sundowns
2005–2006 Raja Casablanca
2007 Maghreb Fez
2007–2008 Al-Ittihad (Aleppo)
2008 Wydad Casablanca
2008–2009 USM Alger
2009–2010 KAC Kenitra
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Fulloné started his career with Estudiantes in Argentina, Independiente Medellín in Colombia and Real Oviedo in Spain.

In 1968, he joined Aston Villa of England alongside his younger brother, Hector Fulloné Arce.[2] It was reported at the time that "Oscar Arce is a wizard of ball control who was so determined to play for Aston Willa that he completed a two-year residential qualification in this country".[3] Together they played in The Central League for the reserve team during the 1968–69 season.[4] Neither brother played for the first team. In October 1969, Fulloné underwent successful surgery to have cartilage removed from his left leg.[5] Fulloné was released from his contract and Hector returned to Argentina.[6]

Coaching and managerial career

After retiring as a player, Fulloné became a football coach. He was appointed as youth team manager at Millwall in September 1977, reportedly turning down the opportunity to manage El Salvador at the 1977 CONCACAF Championship.[7] He was on the staff at Sheffield United between 1978 and 1979 when the club tried to sign Argentine international Diego Maradona but ultimately ended up signing Alejandro Sabella instead.[8] Fulloné was also involved in the transfer of Argentine World Cup winners Ricardo Villa and Osvaldo Ardiles to Spurs.[8]

Fulloné's managerial career began in Switzerland where he served as manager of Swiss side FC Sion between 1980 and 1981.[9] Since then he spent most of his career managing African teams, winning league titles in Ivory Coast, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. He won the African Champions League twice in consecutive years with different clubs in ASEC and Raja Casablanca. He would go on to win the African Cup Winners' Cup with Wydad Casablanca in 2002. He was nominated by CAF for Africa-based coach of the year but lost out to Bruno Metsu.[10]

Fulloné also had a brief spell as manager of the Burkina Faso national team between September 2001 and January 2002 but left the position ahead of the 2002 African Cup of Nations due to the illness of his wife who was hospitalised in Paris, France.[11][12][13]

Death

He died in May 2017, at the age of 78, in Morocco.[14][15]

References
  1. Oscar Fulloné at WorldFootball.net
  2. "Nottingham Forest" (PDF). Aston Villa.
  3. "Wolverhampton Wanderers" (PDF). Aston Villa. 1978.
  4. "Aston vs. Crystal Palace" (PDF). Aston Villa.
  5. "Carlisle United" (PDF). Aston Village.
  6. "QPR" (PDF). Aston Villa. 20 March 1979. p. 6.
  7. "Aston Villa vs. Fenerbahce" (PDF). Aston Villa. 14 September 1977.
  8. Clarebrough and Kirkham (1999). A Complete Record of Sheffield United Football Club 1889–1999. Hallamshire Press. p. 255. ISBN 0-9508588-2-X.
  9. "Switzerland - Trainers of First and Second Division Clubs". RSSSF.
  10. CAF NEWS 77. Confederation of African Football. April 2003.
  11. Fullone appointed to Al Ittihad at The World Game
  12. "Luis Oscar Fullone nouvel entraîneur du Burkina".
  13. "Les 'Etalons' du Burkina à la CAN sans leur entraîneur principal". 14 January 2001.
  14. "Veteran coach Fullone dies aged 78". BBC Sport. 23 May 2017.
  15. "Disparition: la légende Oscar Fulloné, ancien entraîneur du Raja et du WAC, n'est plus". Le360 Sport (in French). 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
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