Vitaly Vitalyevich Kafanov (Russian: Виталий Витальевич Кафанов; Turkmen: Witaliý Witalýewiç Kafanow; born 24 May 1960) is a Kazakhstani-Turkmenistani football coach and a former player.

[citation needed] In the USSR championship, he also played for the Sokol Saratov, before spending one season with Uralmash Yekaterinburg in the Soviet First League.

[6] At the beginning of his career in Russia in 2001, Kafanov headed Kristall Smolensk, which finished the season in 10th place out of 18.

[7] In 2019, he entered into an agreement with the FC Rostov football club, in which he previously worked from 2015 to 2017.

[8] On 26 October 2021, FC Rostov announced new appointment of Kafanov as a manager of the team.