Sofronis Avgousti was announced on Monday as Cyprus’ new men’s national football team manager.
He signed a two-year contract, which will see him remain in post until November 2026.
His first game as national team manager is at home against Romania in Larnaca in the Uefa Nations League on October 12, before he and the team will travel play Kosovo away in Prishtina three days later.
The Cyprus Football Association described him as “the most successful Cypriot coach in recent years”.
Avgousti left his job at first division side Karmiotissa a week ago, having been in the dugout for just four competitive games since becoming the club’s manager in July.
Of those four games, he won one, a 1-0 away victory against Enosis Neon Paralimni, drew one, a 1-1 draw against Omonia 29M last Friday night, and suffered two home defeats, 3-1 against Aris Limassol and 3-0 against Apoel.
Those four games constituted his second stint at the club, after he had managed the club for eight games between December 2022 and February 2023.
He has also managed Apollon across two separate stints, Aek Larnaca, and both of Nicosia’s giants Apoel and Omonia, winning the Cypriot Cup twice, with Apollon in 2017 and with Omonia in 2023.
During his playing days he was a goalkeeper, featuring 11 times for Cyprus’ national team between 2004 and 2010.
He now replaces Temur Ketsbaia, who left the job after a damaging 4-0 defeat at home against Kosovo in the Uefa Nations League on September 9.
Romania are top of Cyprus’ Nations League group, having beaten Kosovo 3-0 in Prishtina and then beaten Lithuania 3-1 at home.
Cyprus are third, above Lithuania, after beating them 1-0 in a hastily rearranged fixture in Marijampole.
Cyprus’ final two group games of the Nations League, at home against Lithuania and away against Romania, will take place in November.
Under the league’s updated format, Cyprus will now be required to not finish bottom of their group if they are to avoid relegation to the fourth tier or a relegation playoff.
If they are one of the two worst-performing fourth-placed teams in the third tier, they will be automatically relegated, while if they are not, they will play a two-legged playoff in March next year against a side from the fourth tier.
Similarly, if they win their group, they will be promoted to the second tier, while if they finish second in their group, they will play a two-legged playoff in March next year against a side from the second tier.
Cyprus finished bottom of their group in the last edition of the Nations League, scoring an unlikely victory over group winners Greece and two draws against Northern Ireland, but losing their other games.
They avoided a relegation playoff under the old format by virtue of being the best-performing side to finish bottom of a group in the third tier.
