Raymond Zarpanelian (17 May 1933 – 29 March 2011) was an Armenian-French football coach who was last known to have been based at Al-Ansar in Saudi Arabia.
[3] Assisted by Sam Obi Metzger, Zarpanelian guided Sierra Leone to a 4–0 defeat to Ivory Coast and a 0–0 stalemate with Zambia at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, causing him to step down as coach and go back to Paris.
[4] Working with ASFA Yennenga in early 1997, the Franco-Armenian took charge of ASF Bobo Dioulasso by summer of that year, driving them to a runners-up position in the league and a national cup trophy.
[5] Visited Uganda with French journalist Frank Simon to watch the 2000 CECAFA Cup and observe East African football.
[6] The Raymond Zarpanelian Trophy was launched in 2014 to honor an African-based French football technician each year,[9] with Pascal Janin getting the award for his achievements with Stade Malien.