Azmi Nassar

Azmi Nassar was born in 1957 in Nazareth

Azmi Nassar was born in Nazareth on 3 October 1957. He was a Christian and lived in Nazareth. He was married to Ruthy, the daughter of an Arab Christian father from Bir Zeit and a Jewish mother from Petah Tikva.

As a young man he played as a striker for Maccabi Ahi Nazareth and Hapoel Haifa. After retiring he coached several clubs, including Hapoel Daliyat al-Karmel, Maccabi Tamra, Maccabi Kafr Kanna and Hapoel Majd al-Krum. He won promotion with Daliyat al-Karmel and Kafr Kanna.

In 1999 he became coach of the Palestinian national team, which finished third at the Pan Arab Games. He then coached Bnei Sakhnin and took the club up two divisions. To lead the national team he needed a Palestinian ID and passport, and he returned to the post in 2001.

In the 2002/2003 season he led Maccabi Ahi Nazareth to the Israeli Premier League. He left the club early in the next season and the team was relegated. He later coached the Palestinian team in qualifying for the 2007 Asian Cup, but it did not qualify. He died of brain cancer on 26 March 2007.