Sofyane Cherfa

Sofyane Cherfa
Born	(1984-08-13) August 13, 1984 Toulouse, France
Occupation(s)	Football manager, former player
Years active	–present
Known for	Head coach of AEK Athens U19

Sofyane Cherfa (; born 13 August 1984) is an Algerian professional football manager and former player. He is presently the head coach of the Greek club AEK Athens U19.

Early years

Cherfa, born in Toulouse, France, progressed through the youth ranks of AS Monaco FC, although he only appeared for their reserve team at the senior level. He subsequently competed in the lower divisions with CS Louhans-Cuiseaux before securing a contract with Stade de Reims in Ligue 2 in 2007. He maintained his presence in Ligue 2 by playing for CS Sedan Ardennes and later LB Châteauroux.

Omonia

In 2011, Cherfa transferred to AC Omonia competing in the Cypriot First Division, after a failed move to Ermis Aradippou FC due to financial limitations. He netted his first professional goal on 29 October during a 2–0 victory away at Olympiakos Nicosia. Throughout that season, he participated in six matches of the 2011–12 Cypriot Cup, which Omonia won for the second year running.

During the summer transfer window of 2012, Cherfa was loaned to Greek side Panthrakikos F.C.. After completing the season, he returned to Omonia, who had lost prominent defenders Christos Karipidis and Savo Pavićević. Nevertheless, Panthrakikos contested the premature termination of his loan agreement.

Due to budgetary restrictions at Omonia, Cherfa was unable to reach an agreement on reduced wages and trained independently. Although linked with a move to OFI, Omonia initially kept him on their roster. Following a subpar performance in the Europa League, contract discussions resumed, resulting in Cherfa signing a new three-year deal.

Subsequent career

On 15 January 2016, shortly after parting ways with Panthrakikos, Cherfa inked a two-year contract with Algerian outfit CS Constantine. Two years later, after becoming a free agent, he joined Italian amateur club Abano Calcio on a one-year deal.

Cherfa made a return to Cyprus's premier division on 27 July 2018 by signing with Alki Oroklini for a single season. On 18 August 2019, he agreed terms with Akritas Chlorakas.

International

In April 2005, Cherfa received a call-up to join the Algerian under-23 squad for a brief training camp held in France.

Personal life

Cherfa's younger sibling, Walid, also pursued a career as a defender and spent the majority of his playing days competing in France.

Club statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Louhans-Cuiseaux	2005–06	Championnat National	29	2	1	0	—		30	2
	2006–07		30	3	2	0	—		32	3
	Total		59	5	3	0	0	0	62	5
Reims	2007–08	Ligue 2	30	2	4	0	—		34	2
Sedan	2008–09	Ligue 2	15	0	1	0	—		16	0
Châteauroux	2009–10	Ligue 2	8	0	1	0	—		8	0
	2010–11		32	0	3	0	—		35	0
	Total		40	0	3	0	0	0	43	0
Omonia	2011–12	Cypriot First Division	22	2	7	1	1	0	30	3
	2013–14		27	1	3	0	—		30	1
	Total		49	3	10	1	1	0	60	4
Panthrakikos	2012–13 (loan)	Superleague Greece	29	0	8	1	—		37	1
	2014–15		14	0	2	0	—		16	0
	2015–16		15	0	0	0	—		15	0
	Total		58	0	10	1	0	0	68	1
Career total			251	10	31	2	1	0	283	12

Achievements

Omonia

• Cypriot Cup: 2011–12