Legendary South African coach Jomo Sono has topped a unique global ranking ahead of Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone and others.
Sono is currently the head coach of GladAfrica Championship side Jomo Cosmos; a team that he founded in the early 1980s and at which he currently serves as owner, president and head coach.
The 66-year-old's remarkable longevity with Cosmos has been recognised by the CIES Football Observatory who have confirmed Sono as the longest-serving coach at one club in any country and across any league around the world.
#JomoSono ???? (@Jomo_CosmosFC) world leader for longest tenure duration as a coach: 2?7? years ?? One team, one man ?? More in last @CIES_Football ??Monthly Report ???? https://t.co/QXK5D87WUW pic.twitter.com/GqgbCfgduT
— CIES Football Obs (@CIES_Football) March 27, 2022
Sono is credited with 27 years and seven months of service – a figure which does not even fully account for his tenure before the onset of the PSL era* – which puts him a decade clear of any other manager on the planet.
Northern Irish coach Stephen Baxter – of no relation to Kaizer Chiefs' coach Stuart Baxter – is second with 17 years' service to Crusaders, while Atlético Madrid's Diego Simeone and SC Freiburg's Christian Streich are among the other notable names who feature in the top 10.
The 10 longest-serving coaches at one club: