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Pablo Franco

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Pablo Franco
Personal information
Full name Pablo Franco Martín
Date of birth (1980-06-11) 11 June 1980 (age 46)
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Team information
Current team
 Espérance de Tunis (manager)
Managerial career
Years Team
2008–2009 Coria (assistant)
2009–2010 Fuenlabrada (assistant)
2010–2012 Santa Eugenia
2012–2013 Illescas
2013–2014 Puertollano
2014–2015 Getafe B
2015 Getafe
2016 Saburtalo Tbilisi
2017-2018 BSU (assistant)
2018 Real Madrid (assistant)
2019–2021 Qadsia
2021–2022 Simba
2023–2024 AmaZulu
2024–2025 Al Faisaly
2025–2026 Maghreb Fez
2026– Espérance de Tunis

Pablo Franco Martín (born 11 June 1980) is a Spanish football manager who is the manager of Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 club Espérance de Tunis. He is best known for leading Botola Pro club Maghreb of Fez to the 2025–26 Moroccan league title, the club's first championship in 41 years, before departing the club weeks later.

Manager career

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Born in Madrid, Franco was an assistant manager at Coria and Fuenlabrada, and started his managerial career at Santa Eugenia in 2010.[1] On 27 January 2012, he returned to Fuenlabrada, now as a fitness coach.[2]

On 5 July 2012 Franco was named the manager of Illescas, with his side in Tercera División.[3] On 11 June of the following year, he was appointed at the helm of fellow league team Puertollano;[4] in his first and only campaign he led the club to a first position in their group, but the Castile-La Mancha side renounced promotion due to financial problems.[citation needed]

On 28 July 2014 Franco was appointed as manager of Getafe B.[5] On 26 February of the following year, after the resignation of Quique Flores, he was named as interim manager of the main squad,[6] and appeared in his professional match two days later, a 2–3 away loss against Málaga.[7]

On 3 March 2015, Franco's spell in the main squad was further extended, with Javier Casquero as his assistant.[8] Eight days later, after a 2–1 away win against Córdoba, the duo was officially granted until the end of the season.[9]

On 1 June 2015, after avoiding relegation with the main squad, he was relieved from his duties.[10] On 10 March of the following year, he was appointed as manager of Georgian club Saburtalo Tbilisi, joining compatriot Manolo Hierro.[11]

In June 2023, Franco was appointed as manager of South African Premiership club AmaZulu.[12]

On 30 December 2024, Franco was appointed as manager of Saudi First Division League club Al-Faisaly.[13]

On 22 June 2025, Franco was named head coach of Botola Pro club Maghreb of Fez on a one-year contract, becoming the club's fourth manager to arrive with previous experience in Arab and African football, having previously worked in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania and South Africa.[14]

In the 2025–26 Botola Pro season, Franco led MAS Fès to the club's first Moroccan championship in 41 years and its fifth overall title, sealed with a 2–0 win over Olympique Dcheira on the final matchday, 5 July 2026.[15] MAS Fès finished the campaign with 59 points from 16 wins, 11 draws and only 3 defeats in 30 matches, two points ahead of runners-up RS Berkane, with the division's best defensive record, conceding just 17 goals.[16][17]

The title win secured MAS Fès a place in the 2026–27 CAF Champions League.[18]

On 14 July 2026, MAS Fès announced the termination of Franco's contract, a day after the club also parted ways with sporting director Badr Elkaddouri as part of a wider restructuring of its sporting department.[19][20] In its statement, the club said Franco would "forever be associated with one of the most prominent chapters in MAS Fès's history."[21] According to Moroccan media, club officials had tried to persuade Franco to extend his stay, but he opted to pursue other opportunities after receiving offers from clubs in the Gulf.[22]

Managerial statistics

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As of 14 July 2026
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Santa Eugenia Spain 1 July 2010 27 January 2012 552110248794−7038.18
Illescas Spain 5 July 2012 11 June 2013 381212144952−3031.58
Puertollano Spain 11 June 2013 28 July 2014 3831528818+70081.58
Getafe B Spain 28 July 2014 26 February 2015 2611783528+7042.31
Getafe[23] Spain 26 February 2015 1 June 2015 143291332−19021.43
Saburtalo Tbilisi Georgia (country) 10 March 2016 4 December 2016 2210663727+10045.45
Qadsia Kuwait 1 June 2019 30 June 2021 6440141012352+71062.50
Simba Tanzania 8 November 2021 31 May 2022 3419965222+30055.88
AmaZulu South Africa 1 July 2023 1 October 2024 166641613+3037.50
Al Faisaly Saudi Arabia 30 December 2024 1 June 2025 204882432−8020.00
Maghreb of Fez[24] Morocco 22 June 2025 14 July 2026 30161134017+23053.33
Espérance de Tunis Tunisia 24 September 2026 present 000000+0!—
Total 3571739094564387+177048.46

Honours

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Maghreb of Fez

References

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  1. ↑ Pablo Franco, de ayudante en Tercera División a entrenador en Primera en tres años (Pablo Franco, from assistant in Tercera División to manager in Primera in three years); Noticias Para Getafe, 27 February 2015 (in Spanish)
  2. ↑ Pablo Franco, nuevo preparador físico del Fuenlabrada (Pablo Franco, new fitness coach of Fuenlabrada) Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine; Fuenlabrada's official website, 27 January 2012 (in Spanish)
  3. ↑ El Illescas firma a Pablo Franco como nuevo entrenador (Illescas signs Pablo Franco as the new manager); ABC, 5 July 2012 (in Spanish)
  4. ↑ Pablo Franco, nuevo técnico del CD Puertollano (Pablo Franco, new manager of CD Puertollano); ABC, 11 June 2013 (in Spanish)
  5. ↑ Pablo Franco ya dirige al Getafe B (Pablo Franco already manages Getafe B); Vavel, 28 July 2014 (in Spanish)
  6. ↑ Pablo Franco dirigirá al Getafe frente al Málaga (Pablo Franco will manage Getafe against Málaga); El Mundo Deportivo, 26 February 2015 (in Spanish)
  7. ↑ Estado de euforia en La Rosaleda (State of euphoria at La Rosaleda); Marca, 28 February 2015 (in Spanish)
  8. ↑ Pablo Franco sigue y Casquero será su ayudante (Pablo Franco remains and Casquero will be his assistant); Marca, 3 March 2015 (in Spanish)
  9. ↑ Pablo Franco entrenador del Getafe (Pablo Franco manager of Getafe); Getafe's official website, 11 March 2015 (in Spanish)
  10. ↑ Agradecemos su trabajo y compromiso (We thank your work and commitment); Getafe's official website, 1 June 2015 (in Spanish)
  11. ↑ Pablo Franco se marcha a entrenar a Georgia (Pablo Franco goes to manage in Georgia); Marca, 10 March 2016 (in Spanish)
  12. ↑ "Who is new AmaZulu coach Pablo Franco Martin who has history with Real Madrid?". IOL. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "الإسباني بابلو فرانك مدرباً للفيصلي".
  14. ↑ "Botola : l'entraîneur espagnol Pablo Franco prend les rênes du MAS". Le Matin (in French). 23 June 2025.
  15. ↑ "Football: Le MAS de Fès champion du Maroc 2025–26". APA News (in French). 5 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Ex-AmaZulu coach's fairytale ends in shock exit…". Kick Off. 15 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Botola Pro 2025–2026: le MAS, un solide champion". Medias24 (in French). 7 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Football: Le MAS de Fès champion du Maroc 2025–26". APA News (in French). 5 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "MAS Part Ways with Title-Winning Coach Franco". Morocco World News. 14 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "Le MAS officialise la fin du contrat de son entraîneur Pablo Franco". Telquel (in French). 14 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "Botola: après son sacre, le MAS se sépare de son entraîneur Pablo Franco". H24info (in French). 14 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "Pablo Franco quitte le MAS après une saison historique". Le Site info (in French). 14 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Pablo Franco". Soccerbase. 20 February 2016.
  24. ↑ "Classement Botola Pro Maroc pour la saison 2025/2026". Foot Africa (in French).
  25. ↑ "Football: Le MAS de Fès champion du Maroc 2025–26". APA News (in French). 5 July 2026.
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