Francis Benali
Encyclopedia
Francis Vincent Benali (born 30 December 1968) is an English
professional
footballer
and coach
who spent most of his playing career at Southampton
.
and attended Bellemoor School. He played for Winsor United in the Southampton Tyro League. At this level he was playing as a forward and was a prolific goal-scorer, being an early developer and quicker and stronger than most footballers of his age. He was selected to represent Southampton and Hampshire Schools, and progressed to the England schoolboy team, scoring on his debut against Northern Ireland and making nine appearances at this level.
and signed for his local club as an apprentice in July 1985, along with Matthew Le Tissier
. He was initially played as a forward but as other players caught up with him, it became clear to coach David Merrington
and first-team manager Chris Nicholl
that his future in professional football lay as a defender
.
He signed as a professional on 5 January 1987, and made his first-team debut as a substitute at home to Derby County
on 1 October 1988. In the 1988-89 season, he made three starts and four substitute appearances. He gradually made the left-back position his own over the next few seasons. He was recognised as a tough-tackling defender who rarely ventured forward.
His distribution was somewhat wayward and his crosses when going forward rarely reached their intended target. Nonetheless, he rapidly gained a cult status amongst Saints’ supporters for his whole-hearted commitment to the club and his dedication to the cause.
Unfortunately, he gained a poor reputation amongst officials, and regularly received yellow cards for challenges which were deemed to be outside the laws, and was sent-off 11 times, including on 7 February 1993 at White Hart Lane
in a 2–4 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur for a high challenge on Nick Barmby
.
His status amongst the supporters was such that his testimonial match in 1997 was a sell-out and the supporters witnessed his first goal as a first team player, when he drove the ball in from well outside the goal area.
Like many defenders, he scored several own-goals, the most spectacular being on 30 March 1994 in a 1–3 defeat at home to Oldham Athletic when he made a diving header at the near post and put the ball past his own goal-keeper Dave Beasant
; a goal any forward would have been proud of.
His only FA Premier League
goal came on 13 December 1997 with a header from a Matthew Le Tissier
free-kick against Leicester City
at The Dell.
During his long career at Southampton, several players were signed to replace him at left-back, including John Beresford
, Patrick Colleter
and Simon Charlton
, but Benali saw them all off. In January 2001, under manager Glenn Hoddle
, Benali went out on loan to Nottingham Forest
in order to help their manager David Platt cope with an injury crisis. He made an impressive 15 starts in this time, adding some experience to the youthful Forest backline. Forest wanted to sign Benali but were unable to meet the terms, so he returned to Southampton at the end of the three month loan period.
Benali had lost his regular slot to Wayne Bridge
who had come through the Saints Academy at the end of the 1990s
and Bridge did not miss a league game between March 2000 and January 2003. In the 2001-02 season, Benali made no first team starts with only three substitute appearances and manager Gordon Strachan
offered him a free transfer in order to obtain first-team football. Benali decided to stay at Southampton and when Bridge was injured in January 2003, Benali returned to the starting line-up making two league appearances against Sunderland and Manchester United as well as two in the F.A. Cup against Millwall
. Although Benali did not appear in the F.A. Cup Final on 17 May 2003, he was awarded a runners-up medal for his two appearances in Round 4. The replay against Millwall turned out to be his final competitive appearance for Southampton.
His final appearance in the Southampton first-team came as a substitute in the inaugural Ted Bates trophy match in January 2004 against Bayern Munich.
In the summer of 2005, after Southampton had been relegated from the Premiership, Benali (now aged 36) was invited by manager Harry Redknapp
to join Southampton's pre-season training and played in a friendly against Eastleigh
, but nothing further materialised. He then retired from playing after 20 years at the club.
During his time at Southampton, he made 389 first-team appearances, but only scored once in his professional career, a header at the far post.
and took charge of the under-12 side at the Academy
.
On the departure of Harry Redknapp in December 2005, Benali and Matthew Le Tissier
put themselves forward as joint candidates for the vacant position, but were not interviewed by chairman Rupert Lowe
.
He is now a youth coach at Romsey Town F.C.
He is a partner in a property development company - Luken Homes - with his father-in-law. The company was set up in 2002 and is named after Benali's children, Luke and Kenzie.
He is also patron of the following charities:
Francis Benali has won a national award - for curries. Benali picked up a Golden Curry prize for the Bangladeshi cuisine at his Southampton restaurant.
In April 2004, Francis appeared for Testwood Baptist Church in the Roger Frapwell Testimonial Match at BAT ground, Totton, near Southampton. Also in that team were former Saints managers Alan Ball and Dave Merrington. The game was played with the proceeds going to local charity SCRATCH.
, just outside Southampton, in the summer of 2006, and played 22 games in two seasons before he finally retired from playing in 2008.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
who spent most of his playing career at Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
.
Schoolboy football
Benali was born in SouthamptonSouthampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and attended Bellemoor School. He played for Winsor United in the Southampton Tyro League. At this level he was playing as a forward and was a prolific goal-scorer, being an early developer and quicker and stronger than most footballers of his age. He was selected to represent Southampton and Hampshire Schools, and progressed to the England schoolboy team, scoring on his debut against Northern Ireland and making nine appearances at this level.
Southampton
As a schoolboy, Benali regularly attended matches at The DellThe Dell (Southampton F.C.)
The Dell in Milton Road, Southampton, England was the home ground of Southampton Football Club, between 1898 and 2001.-New stadium:Since 1896, Southampton had been tenants of Hampshire County Cricket Club at the County Ground, having vacated the Antelope Ground in the summer of 1896...
and signed for his local club as an apprentice in July 1985, along with Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...
. He was initially played as a forward but as other players caught up with him, it became clear to coach David Merrington
David Merrington
David Robert Merrington is a former football manager.As a player Merrington appeared in midfield for Burnley, playing 98 league games including a spell as captain. He later played for Bristol City before retiring and going into coaching .Merrington was a brief caretaker manager for Sunderland A.F.C...
and first-team manager Chris Nicholl
Chris Nicholl
Christopher John "Chris" Nicholl is an English-born former Northern Ireland international footballer.-Playing career:Nicholl was born in Macclesfield...
that his future in professional football lay as a defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
He signed as a professional on 5 January 1987, and made his first-team debut as a substitute at home to Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
on 1 October 1988. In the 1988-89 season, he made three starts and four substitute appearances. He gradually made the left-back position his own over the next few seasons. He was recognised as a tough-tackling defender who rarely ventured forward.
His distribution was somewhat wayward and his crosses when going forward rarely reached their intended target. Nonetheless, he rapidly gained a cult status amongst Saints’ supporters for his whole-hearted commitment to the club and his dedication to the cause.
Unfortunately, he gained a poor reputation amongst officials, and regularly received yellow cards for challenges which were deemed to be outside the laws, and was sent-off 11 times, including on 7 February 1993 at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
in a 2–4 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur for a high challenge on Nick Barmby
Nick Barmby
Nicholas Jon "Nick" Barmby is an English footballer who plays for Hull City as a midfielder, where he is also caretaker manager. At his peak he earned a total of 23 caps for England between 1995 and 2001...
.
His status amongst the supporters was such that his testimonial match in 1997 was a sell-out and the supporters witnessed his first goal as a first team player, when he drove the ball in from well outside the goal area.
Like many defenders, he scored several own-goals, the most spectacular being on 30 March 1994 in a 1–3 defeat at home to Oldham Athletic when he made a diving header at the near post and put the ball past his own goal-keeper Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant
David John "Dave" Beasant, is a retired English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan...
; a goal any forward would have been proud of.
His only FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
goal came on 13 December 1997 with a header from a Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...
free-kick against Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
at The Dell.
During his long career at Southampton, several players were signed to replace him at left-back, including John Beresford
John Beresford (footballer)
John Beresford is a former English football player who played as a defender, who is currently a pundit for ITV Tyne Tees and ESPN.-Football career:...
, Patrick Colleter
Patrick Colleter
Patrick Colleter born Brest, France 6 November 1965 is a former professional football player who played a brief spell for Southampton in the English Premiership.-French career:Colleter begin his football career with his local team Brest...
and Simon Charlton
Simon Charlton
Simon Thomas Charlton is an English former footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing for Huddersfield Town, Southampton, Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers, Norwich City and Oldham Athletic. He played most frequently as a left back, but could...
, but Benali saw them all off. In January 2001, under manager Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
, Benali went out on loan to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
in order to help their manager David Platt cope with an injury crisis. He made an impressive 15 starts in this time, adding some experience to the youthful Forest backline. Forest wanted to sign Benali but were unable to meet the terms, so he returned to Southampton at the end of the three month loan period.
Benali had lost his regular slot to Wayne Bridge
Wayne Bridge
Wayne Michael Bridge is an English footballer who plays as a left back for Manchester City.A graduate of the Southampton Academy where he made his debut in 1998, he has also played for Chelsea and Fulham during his Premiership career....
who had come through the Saints Academy at the end of the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
and Bridge did not miss a league game between March 2000 and January 2003. In the 2001-02 season, Benali made no first team starts with only three substitute appearances and manager Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
offered him a free transfer in order to obtain first-team football. Benali decided to stay at Southampton and when Bridge was injured in January 2003, Benali returned to the starting line-up making two league appearances against Sunderland and Manchester United as well as two in the F.A. Cup against Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
. Although Benali did not appear in the F.A. Cup Final on 17 May 2003, he was awarded a runners-up medal for his two appearances in Round 4. The replay against Millwall turned out to be his final competitive appearance for Southampton.
His final appearance in the Southampton first-team came as a substitute in the inaugural Ted Bates trophy match in January 2004 against Bayern Munich.
In the summer of 2005, after Southampton had been relegated from the Premiership, Benali (now aged 36) was invited by manager Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
to join Southampton's pre-season training and played in a friendly against Eastleigh
Eastleigh F.C.
Eastleigh Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Eastleigh, Hampshire. The club are currently members of the Conference South and play at the Silverlake Stadium.-History:...
, but nothing further materialised. He then retired from playing after 20 years at the club.
During his time at Southampton, he made 389 first-team appearances, but only scored once in his professional career, a header at the far post.
Coaching
In July 2003, Benali joined the coaching staff at St. Mary'sSt Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium is the home of Southampton F.C., in the city of Southampton. It is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium and with a capacity of 32,689 is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London.-History:...
and took charge of the under-12 side at the Academy
Southampton F.C. Academy
Southampton Football Club Academy or Saints Academy is the youth organisation run by Southampton Football Club to encourage and develop young footballers in the South of England...
.
On the departure of Harry Redknapp in December 2005, Benali and Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...
put themselves forward as joint candidates for the vacant position, but were not interviewed by chairman Rupert Lowe
Rupert Lowe
Rupert James Graham Lowe is a British businessman, who was the chairman of Southampton Football Club from 1996 to 2006. He regained his power in May 2008, teaming up with Michael Wilde, who had previously forced Lowe out, becoming chairman of the club's parent company, Southampton Leisure Holdings...
.
He is now a youth coach at Romsey Town F.C.
Romsey Town F.C.
Romsey Town F.C. is a football club based in Romsey, Hampshire, England. They were among the founding members of the Wessex League in 1986. The club currently competes in the Wessex Premier Division which is the 9th tier of English football...
Business activities
With Matthew Le Tissier, Benali was the founder in October 2003 of the True Greats website. He was a partner in Kuti's Brasserie, an Indian Restaurant in Southampton, before selling his shares to focus on his other business interests.He is a partner in a property development company - Luken Homes - with his father-in-law. The company was set up in 2002 and is named after Benali's children, Luke and Kenzie.
Charitable activities
As a player, he was regularly involved in community affairs in Southampton, and since retiring from full-time football has become patron of a Saints community programmeHe is also patron of the following charities:
- The Children's Fire and Burn Trust
- The Dave Wellman Cancer Trust
Francis Benali has won a national award - for curries. Benali picked up a Golden Curry prize for the Bangladeshi cuisine at his Southampton restaurant.
In April 2004, Francis appeared for Testwood Baptist Church in the Roger Frapwell Testimonial Match at BAT ground, Totton, near Southampton. Also in that team were former Saints managers Alan Ball and Dave Merrington. The game was played with the proceeds going to local charity SCRATCH.
Eastleigh
He signed for non-league club EastleighEastleigh F.C.
Eastleigh Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Eastleigh, Hampshire. The club are currently members of the Conference South and play at the Silverlake Stadium.-History:...
, just outside Southampton, in the summer of 2006, and played 22 games in two seasons before he finally retired from playing in 2008.
Honours
SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
- Full Members CupFull Members CupThe Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
finalist: 1992
- 2003FA Cup Final 2003The 2003 FA Cup Final saw the holders Arsenal, beat Southampton. The match took place on Saturday, 17 May 2003 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and ended 1–0 with a 38th minute goal by Robert Pirès separating the sides....
F.A. Cup runners up medal (Awarded by club for contributions en route to final)