Cornel Drăgușin

Cornel Drăgușin (26 March 1926 – 10 October 2021) was a Romanian football manager who coached the national teams of Iraq, Syria and Romania. He was director of the Romanian FA coaching school from 1990 to 2002, before being replaced by Mircea Rădulescu.

Playing career Drăgușin was born on 26 March 1926 in Bucharest, Romania and began playing football in 1936 at local club Industria Iutei. Afterwards he went to Sindicatul Textil București where he stayed until 1948. In the following two years he continued to work at Progresul, being an assistant, as the team won the 1959–60 Cupa României, also having a short spell as head coach.

In 1962, the Iraq Football Association opted for a foreign coach from the Eastern Bloc, and appointed the Romanian manager as head coach of the Iraq national team. Drăgușin was the first foreign coach of Iraq and at the beginning of his tenure, he was supervised by colonel Abdul Salam Arif who later became the country's president. Afterwards he reached the 1966 Arab Cup final, losing it with 2–1 to Iraq.

Upon his return, the Romanian FA appointed Drăgușin as manager of the Romania under–23 side for a tournament in Central Africa. During that time, he coached the Under–23, Under–21 sides and the Olympic team.

Between 1986 and 1990, he was Emerich Jenei's assistant coach at the Romania national team, which qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy.

Drăgușin was director of the Romanian FA coaching school from 1990 until 2002, a period during which some of the best players in Romania obtained their coaching licenses, including Dan Petrescu, Gheorghe Hagi, Ilie Dumitrescu, Ioan Andone, Ioan Sabău, Mircea Rednic, Gavril Balint and Dorinel Munteanu.

Writing In 1969, he spent nearly two months visiting some of the top English clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal. On his return, he wrote a book, În patria fotbalului (In Football's Homeland) which was released in 1970.

Death Drăgușin died on 10 October 2021 at age 95 in his native Bucharest.

Honours Manager Progresul București Cupa României runner-up: 1957–58 Syria Arab Cup runner-up: 1966