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Omer Karime Ali Riza (born 8 November 1979) is a football coach and former player who is the current manager of EFL Championship club Cardiff City.

A forward, Riza signed for Arsenal and West Ham United, making one substitute appearance for Arsenal in the League Cup only. He played in the fourth tier of English football for Barnet, Cambridge United, Shrewsbury Town and Aldershot Town. Abroad, he featured for ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands and Turkish duo Denizlispor and Trabzonspor. Born in England of Turkish Cypriot descent, Riza was capped for the Turkish A2 team on one occasion.

In his coaching career, Riza was head coach of Leyton Orient in 2017 and was appointed interim manager at Cardiff City in 2024. Later, he was given the role on a contract until the end of the 2024/2025 season. He also held numerous roles in a five-year spell at Watford.

Playing career

Arsenal

Born in Edmonton, London, of Turkish Cypriot descent, Riza started his career as a youth with English club Arsenal. He made his only appearance for the club on 28 October 1998 in the League Cup third round, a 2–1 win away to Derby County in which he came on in the last minute as a substitute for Christopher Wreh. Riza said in 2018 that he believed he should have played more, due to his form for the under-19 and reserve teams; he said that although Nicolas Anelka, Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp were first-team forwards for Arsenal, players that he considered inferior to himself such as Kaba Diawara, Fabián Caballero and Wreh were getting more opportunities.

During the 1998–99 season, Riza went on loan to ADO Den Haag for three months.

Turkey and Football League

In the 1999–2000 season, Riza moved to West Ham United, but again was unable to break into the first team. He went on loan to Barnet and Cambridge United, and signed a permanent deal with the latter in 2002.

Riza went on trial at Aberdeen in July 2002. He scored the equaliser in a 4–4 pre-season friendly against nearby part-time club Brechin City, but was passed over by manager Ebbe Skovdahl for being too much like their player Darren Mackie.

During the 2002–03 season he scored 17 goals for Cambridge, which prompted a move to Süper Lig side Denizlispor during the 2003 close season. In January 2006, he signed for Trabzonspor. In January 2008, Riza walked out of the club, claiming he had not been paid. The Turkish Football Federation banned him from playing for any club.

In February 2009, Riza returned to English football with a trial at League Two club Shrewsbury Town, and impressed manager Paul Simpson, but Riza could not take part in any official matches due to the ban imposed upon him by the TFF. The players legal representatives submitted a case to football's World governing body FIFA in early April 2009, from which a Swiss judge over-ruled the TFF decision, on 17 April, that Riza shall be allowed to compete in English football. Riza made his debut for Shrewsbury Town as a second-half substitute against Rotherham United the following day. He made five appearances that season, ending on 23 May in the 1–0 loss to Gillingham in the 2009 Football League Two play-off final, in which he came on for Nick Chadwick with 11 minutes of regulation time remaining.

On 22 January 2010, Riza left Shrewsbury Town after struggling to break into the first team during the first half of the season, with player and club coming to an agreement regarding paying off the rest of his contract. On 25 February, he joined Aldershot Town until the end of the season.

Non-league

Following the appointment of David Livermore as manager at Histon, Riza joined Histon on a non-contract basis and made his debut against Kettering Town in a Conference National fixture on 28 August 2010. He scored his first goal via a penalty in their league match against Hayes & Yeading United, which turned out to be the winning goal. Due to the cost of his wages, Histon released Riza in January 2012, giving him seven days notice to leave the club.

In February 2012, Riza signed for Boreham Wood scoring on his debut in a 3–0 win against Maidenhead United. On 28 January 2013, he signed for Chelmsford City and scored on his debut on the same day against Dorchester Town in a 4–0 win, being named Man of the Match.

In August 2015, Riza signed for Harlow Town, hoping to bounce back from a knee injury.

In December 2017, Riza came out of retirement, signing for Eastern Counties League Premier Division side Newmarket Town as a player. One month later, Riza left Newmarket due to injury.

On 1 January 2022, 42-year-old Riza played for Hertford Town in the Southern Football League.

Coaching career

In August 2013, Riza moved clubs again, this time signing for Cheshunt. Following the departure of manager Tony Faulkner, Riza was appointed as caretaker manager of Cheshunt. The holder of a UEFA A Licence badge, Riza said of his new role: "It's new to me but I am ready for the challenge. I am ready for the next step of my career. I have always wanted to go into this side of the game. I feel quietly confident I have what it takes to build something." His first game in charge was on 31 August 2013, an away game against Hertford Town in the FA Cup. Riza scored to make the game 3–1 before they finally lost 4–2. His player-manager position was made permanent in November 2013. He scored 17 goals during that season, but damaged his cruciate ligament in one of his knees in a charity match for Arsenal XI in June 2014, sidelining him for 15 months. He was sacked from his Cheshunt duties in September 2014.

He had a short spell as assistant manager for Heybridge Swifts, between December 2014 and February 2015.

On 30 March 2017, following the resignation of Daniel Webb as manager of Leyton Orient, Riza was promoted from his role as assistant manager and placed in charge until the end of the 2016–17 season. In his first game as manager, on 1 April, Orient lost 0–2 to Wycombe Wanderers and Riza was sent to the stands for verbally abusing referee Charles Breakspear. Three weeks later, after losing to Crewe Alexandra, Orient were relegated to the National League, ending the club's 112 years in the Football League. Riza's contract expired on 30 June 2017 and was not extended.

In August 2018, Riza joined Watford as an academy coach. In September 2019, Riza was named as a coach for the England U16s as part of The FA's 2019–20 Elite Coach Placement Programme. In October 2020, he was confirmed as the Watford's under-23 coach, having stepped up temporarily into the role in December 2019 after Hayden Mullins was promoted to the club's first-team staff.

On 26 August 2021, Riza was confirmed as an assistant coach for the England U17s, working with Tom Curtis and Paul Davis.

In June 2023, Riza was promoted to first-team coach at Watford under head coach Valérien Ismaël. He and fellow assistant Dean Whitehead left upon the Frenchman's sacking in March 2024.

Riza joined EFL Championship club Cardiff City in June 2024, as first team coach in Turkish manager Erol Bulut's backroom staff. In September 2024, he was appointed as interim manager following Bulut's sacking. Riza lost 4–1 away to Hull City on his debut on 28 September, before earning Cardiff's first win of the season three days later with a 1–0 home victory over Millwall; he then said that he hoped to receive the job permanently.

On the 5th December 2024, Riza was given the Cardiff City job on a contract until the end of the 2024/2025 EFL Championship season.

Managerial statistics

As of 14 December 2024

References

1. "Omer Riza". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
2. ^ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 524. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.
3. "Profiles". Shrewsbury Town F.C. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
4. "Omer Riza profile" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
5. ^ "Ömer Kerim Ali Rıza statics". Mackolik.com. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
6. Zaman. "İngiliz futbolu,Kıbrıs Türklerini keşfetti!". Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
7. Yaffe, Simon (15 February 2018). "Ömer Riza on his one Arsenal game, 'wasted' time at West Ham & more". Planet Football. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
8. "Dons' no to Riza". BBC Sport. 14 July 2002. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
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18. Evans, Chris (28 January 2013). "Chelmsford City 4–0 Dorchester Town". www.chelmsfordcityfc.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
19. "Signing of former Stoke, Hull and Reading Premier League star a massive coup for Harlow Town". Harlow Star. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
20. "Former Arsenal and West Ham striker signs for Newmarket Town". Cambridge News. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
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38. Staff, FA (2 September 2019). "CHRIS POWELL AND MICHAEL JOHNSON AMONG COACHES TO JOIN ENGLAND MEN'S SQUADS THIS TERM". Retrieved 3 September 2019.
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47. ^ "Omer Riza managerial statistics". Soccer Base. 23 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.

External links

• Omer Riza at Soccerbase
• Omer Riza at Soccerway

• 1979 births
• Living people
• Footballers from the London Borough of Enfield
• People from Edmonton, London
• English men's footballers
• Turkish men's footballers
• Turkey men's B international footballers
• Men's association football forwards
• Arsenal F.C. players
• ADO Den Haag players
• West Ham United F.C. players
• Barnet F.C. players
• Cambridge United F.C. players
• Denizlispor footballers
• Trabzonspor footballers
• Shrewsbury Town F.C. players
• Aldershot Town F.C. players
• Histon F.C. players
• Boreham Wood F.C. players
• English Football League players
• National League (English football) players
• Isthmian League players
• Southern Football League players
• Süper Lig players
• English expatriate men's footballers
• Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
• Cheshunt F.C. players
• Sportspeople of Turkish Cypriot descent
• Chelmsford City F.C. players
• Harlow Town F.C. players
• English football managers
• Turkish football managers
• Leyton Orient F.C. managers
• English Football League managers
• Newmarket Town F.C. players
• Watford F.C. non-playing staff
• Hertford Town F.C. players
• English people of Turkish Cypriot descent
• English people of Turkish descent
• Association football coaches
• Cheshunt F.C. managers
• Cardiff City F.C. managers