José Sánchez Pérez, better known as Pepe Sánchez, was born in Alcazarquivir (Morocco) 10th August 1945. After playing with various local teams in Málaga, he started his career as coach at the beginning of the 70s with Antiguos Alumnos, a team that played their matches at the current IES Rosaleda. Midway through the decade, he became coach of Centro de Deportes El Palo and in 1978, under the presidency of Federico Brinkmann, joined Club Deportivo Málaga as coach of the ‘juvenil’ team.
He remained in that role for three years, and in 1981 moved to head up Third Division outfit Atlético Benamiel. That year he obtained the title of national coach in Gerona, along with Antonio Benítez and Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, amongst others.
The following season he returned to CD EL Palo, and in the 1983-84 campaign moved back to CD Málaga, with Antonio Pérez-Gascón as president. Again, he took charge of Atlético Malagueño’s ‘juvenil’ squad, until the 1985-86 season when due to José Luis Fuentes moving from Malaguista reserve team coach to head up CD Málaga, Pepe Sánchez took over his role within the Blue and White reserve team.
Two seasons later, he would follow the same path as José Luis Fuentes and, after the dismissal of Ladislao Kubala, Pepe Sánchez became CD Málaga coach for the team’s last five matches in the 1987-1988 campaign, the ‘Súper Málaga’ that moved up to the First Division. As a man of the house, the following year he returned to head upAtlético Malagueño, where he stayed until the 1990-1991 season.
In 91-92 he coached CD Los Boliches, in 2ª División B, then had a small break to return to the dugout in the 1993-1994 season, where he started with Motril CF in the Third Division and ended with Atlético Malagueño in 2ª División B. He returned to the Costa Tropical team the following year and then from 1995 to 1998, coached historic Málaga footballing side, CD Alhaurino.
In the 1998-1999 season he was with CP Granada 74 and, at the end of that campaign, returned to Martiricos once again, heading up the Juvenil de División de Honor side. From 2000 to 2006 he was in charge of coordinating the youth ranks, except for the 2001-2002 season when he coached Málaga B in the Third Division. During this time as coach, Málaga CF’s División de Honor Juvenil team won Spain’s Copa de Campeones for the first time in history. His last campaign with the Blue and Whites was in 2006-2007, again linked to the youth teams.
His last time on the bench was with Centro de Deportes El Palo between 2007 and 2011, where he went from coaching the team in Regional Preferente to leaving them at the doors of promotion to 2ªB.
Pepe Sánchez always stood out for his chivalry and affable character. A historic part of Málaga football, and above all a wonderful person, has left us. Rest in peace.
