AEK Athens FC (Greek: AEK - Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως – Athletic Union of Constantinople) is a professional football (soccer) club based in the city of Athens, Greece.
| AEK Athens FC emblem | |||
| Full name | Athlitiki Enosis Konstantinoupoleos (AEK) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Enosis (Union) Dikefalos (Double-Headed) Kitrinomavri (Yellow-Blacks) | ||
| Founded | 1924 | ||
| Ground | Olympic Stadium (Athens), Athens, Greece | ||
| Capacity | 71,030 (all-seated) | ||
| Chairman |  Demis Nikolaidis | ||
| Manager |  Llorenç Serra Ferrer | ||
| League | Super League Greece (Σούπερ Λίγκα Ελλάδα 2007) | ||
| 2005-06 | 2nd | ||
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Formed in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople and Anatolia in the wake of the Asia Minor War (1919-1922), AEK has grown to become one of the most successful in Greek football, winning 27 national titles (including 11 Championships and 13 Greek Cups), providing the Greek national team with many of its star players, and regularly appearing in European (UEFA) competitions.
The team currently competes in the Greek Super League.
Crest and Colours
AEK’s crest bears the double-headed eagle (Greek: Δικέφαλος Αετός - Dikefalos Aetos) on a yellow background. It represents the club’s ties to Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire, and the Greek Orthodox Church.
Originating in Paphlagonia and used for centuries as the dynastic symbol of several Byzantine noble families (Komnenos, Laskaris, Palaeologus), the double-headed eagle first appeared as the emblem of Isaac I Komnenos (1057-1059). The Orthodox Church of Constantinople later adopted the colours of the Komneni (yellow and black) and the double-headed eagle as its official symbol.
With a few minor modifications over the years, the symbol gained widespread popularity within the Byzantine Empire after the recapture of Constantinople from the Franks in 1261 by Michael Palaeologus. Since the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the double-headed eagle has continued in popularity, and still remains a powerful national symbol for the Greeks.
Stadium
Since the demolition in 2003 of the Nikos Goumas Stadium – AEK’s home ground since 1930, the club plays its home games at the 72,000-capacity Spyridon Louis (Athens Olympic) Stadium in Athens.
Supporters
AEK has two major organised supporter groups. Gate 21 (Greek: Θύρα 21), was formed in 1975, and Original 21, the largest of the two, was formed in 1982 by former members of Gate 21. Original 21 have grown to become one of the largest Greek supporter groups, with clubs all over Greece, Europe, and as far away as the USA and Australia.
History
1924 – 1939
Hermes (Greek: Ερμής) sporting club was formed in 1875 by the Greek community of Pera, a district of Constantinople, to promote Hellenic athletic and cultural ideals. Forced by the Kemalist regime to change its name to Pera Club in 1922, many of its athletes fled to Greece during the population exchanges after the Asia Minor War (1919-1922).
Settling in Thessaloniki, Macedonia in 1924 the Constantinopolitan refugees formed a club under the name of AEK Thessaloniki. Later that year, several of the club’s athletes moved to Athens, and along with other Asia Minor refugees, formed AEK Athens. In 1925, members of Thessaloniki’s AEK club decided to break away and form another club – PAOK. Experiencing growing financial difficulties, AEK Thessaloniki eventually merged with PAOK in 1929, leaving the Athenian club with the AEK moniker.
In Athens, the founders of AEK formed the club with the intention of providing athletic and cultural diversions for the thousands of predominantly Constantinopolitan and Smyrnaian refugees who had settled in new suburbs of northern Athens (Nea Filadelfia, Nea Ionia, Nea Smyrni). AEK’s first game was against a united team from the port city of Pireaus (the predecessor of Olympicos CFP) in 1925. AEK won 3-2. Success followed the fledgling refugee club, allowing it to take the Athens regional championships of 1925 and 1926.
AEK’s football team grew rapidly in popularity during the 1920s, eclipsing the already-established Athens-based refugee clubs (Panionios, Apollon), thanks mainly to the large pool of immigrants that were drawn to the club and due in no small part to the political connections and wealth of several of the club’s board members. Not possessing a football ground, AEK played most of its early matches at various locations around Athens, including the grounds of the Temple of Zeus and the Panathinaiko Stadium.
AEK’s first president, Konstantinos Spanoudis (1871-1941), a journalist and associate of the then Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, petitioned the government to set aside land for the establishment of a sports ground. In 1926, land in Nea Filadelfia that was originally set aside for refugee housing, was donated as a training ground for the refugees. AEK began using the ground for training (albeit unofficially) and by 1930 the property was signed over to the club. Venizelos soon approved the plans to build what was to become AEK’s home ground for the next 75 years, the Nikos Goumas Stadium. The first home game, in November 1930, was an exhibition match against Olympiacos CFP that ended in a 2-2 draw.
In 1928 Panathinaikos FC, Olympiacos, and AEK began a dispute with the fledgling Hellenic Football Federation (EPO), decided to break away from the Athens regional league and form an alliance called POK (acronym for Panathinaikos-Olympiacos-Konstantinoupolites). During the dispute, POK organised friendly matches against each other and several continental European clubs. In 1929, though, the dispute ended and AEK, along with the other POK clubs, entered the EPO fold once again.
In 1932, AEK won their first Greek Cup title, beating Aris 5-3 in the final. The team boasted a number of star football players in Kostas Negrepontis (a veteran of the original Pera Club of Constantinople), Kleanthis Maropoulos, Tryfon Tzanetis, Michalis Delavinias, Giorgos Mageiras and Spyros Sklavounos.
The club’s mixed success during the 1930s was highlighted by the first Greek Championship-Cup double in 1939.
1940 – 1959
Under former player Kostas Negrepontis as coach, AEK won its second Greek Championship in 1940. The club also went on to win the 1941 and 1943 titles, but due to World War II and the Axis occupation of Greece, these two titles were not officially recognised by the Hellenic Football Federation. With English coach Jack Bimby at the reins, veteran players Maropoulos, Tzanetis, Delavinias and Mageiras, along with new blood Kostas Poulis, Giorgos Goulios, and Pavlos Emmanoualidis, AEK won the Greek Cup competitions of 1949 and 1950, beating Panathinaikos 2-1 and Aris 4-0, respectively.
The early 1950s saw the addition of the next generation of star footballers in Giannis Kanakis, Andreas Stamatiadis and Stelios Serafeidis, and along with Poulis and Emmanoualidis, AEK again won the Greek Cup title of 1956, this time beating Olympiacos 2-1 in the final. 1957 saw the debut of one of the greatest forwards of the era, Kostas Nestoridis. Having joined AEK from Panionios in 1956, Nestoridis was forced to sit out the 1956 season because of a dispute between the two clubs over his transfer. In 1958 and 1959 he finished top goal scorer in the league, but it wasn’t enough for AEK to take any titles.
1960 – 1979
With Kostas Nestoridis scoring goals aplenty in the early 1960s (top goalscorer 1958-1963), and the timely signing of attacker Dimitris Papaioannou in 1962, AEK went on to win the 1963 Championship.
Known affectionately as “Mimis” by the AEK supporters, Papaioannou scored twice in the 1963 playoff against Panathinaikos, locking the scores at 3-3 and giving AEK its first post-war championship title on goal aggregate. Coached by Hungarian-German Jenő Csaknady, the championship team also consisted of veterans Serafeidis and Stamatiadis, Alekos Sofianidis, Stelios Skevofilakas, Giorgos Petridis, Manolis Kanellopoulos, and Miltos Papapostolou.
The club followed up with Cup victories in 1964 and 1966, and with return of Csaknady to the coach’s position in 1968 and with some great players in Kostas Nikolaidis, Giorgos Karafeskos, Panagiotis Ventouris, Fotis Balopoulos, Spyros Pomonis, Nikos Stathopoulos and Andreas Papaemmanouil, AEK won the championship with relative ease. The addition of goalkeeper Stelios Konstantinidis and Apostolos Toskas reinforced the team and allowed AEK to take out its fifth championship title in 1971.
Loukas Barlos took over the presidency of AEK in 1974, and with the help of Dutch-Czech coach Frantisek Fadrhonc built one of the finest teams in the club’s history. The Barlos “Golden Era” (1974-1981) saw the arrival of some of the greatest players ever to have played for AEK. Christos Ardizoglou, Giorgos Dedes, Giorgos Skrekis, the Germans Walter Wagner and Timo Zahnleiter, Dionysis Tsamis, Pantelis Nikolaou, Petros Ravousis, Serbian Dusan Bajevic, Takis Nikoloudis, Stefanos Theodoridis, Christos Itzoglou, Nikos Christidis.
Captained by Mimis Papaioannou, 1976 saw AEK reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup competition, where it was eliminated by Gianni Agnelli’s Juventus FC. Juventus went on to win its first European title.
It was during this period that AEK signed one of Greece’s finest strikers in Thomas Mavros. He was an integral part of the team that reached the UEFA Cup semi finals in 1976, but his devastating form (top goal scorer of 1978 and 1979 - 22 and 31 goals, respectively) helped AEK take the 1978 Championship-Cup double. The addition of former Panathinaikos star Dimitris Domazos to the AEK roster the following year saw the club cap off their most successful decade to-date by winning the 1979 Championship.
Under Loukas Barlos, the Nikos Goumas Stadium was finally completed with the addition of the iconic “Covered Stand”, or Skepasti (Greek: Σκεπαστή), which eventually became home to the most fanatic of AEK supporter groups, Original 21. The next generation of star players, fresh out of the AEK Academy, made their debut during this period – Stelios Manolas, Spyros Ekonomopoulos, Vangelis Vlachos and Lysandros Georgamlis.
1980 – 1999
With new president Michalis Arkadis and Austrian head coach Helmut Senekowitsch, AEK won the 1983 Greek Cup, beating PAOK 2-0 in the newly-built Spyridon Louis (Athens Olympic) Stadium. Thomas Mavros and 21-year old captain Vangelis Vlachos were the goalscorers.
AEK looked for the elusive Championship title and it finally came in 1988. Coached by former player Dusan Bajevic, AEK clinched the title after a winning a crucial match 1-0 against Olympiacos at the Athens Olympic Stadium. Takis Karagiozopoulos scored the goal that gave AEK its first Championship in a decade.
After the 1988 triumph, under Coach Dusan Bajevic, AEK built what was to become one of the most successful teams in its history. Captained by Stelios Manolas, the team of Toni Savevski, Daniel Batista, Vaios Karagiannis, Vasilis Dimitriadis, Giorgos Savvidis, Alekos Alexandris and Refik Sabanadzovic dominated the Greek league through the 1990s with three successive Championship titles (1992, 1993, 1994). 1994 saw AEK compete in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League after defeating Scottish champions Rangers FC. AEK was eliminated by Ajax and AC Milan, who made it to the final. With Michalis Trochanas as president and Dusan Bajevic as coach, the club won the 1996 Greek Cup. Former player Petros Ravousis took over the coaching position when Dusan Bajevic defected to Pireaus-based rivals Olympiacos at the end of 1996, and led the team to its eleventh Cup title in 1997. By far AEK’s most successful run with titles, the period also saw AEK sign talented players in Themistoklis “Demis” Nikolaidis, Christos Kostis, Vasilis Tsiartas, Christos Maladenis, Andreas Zikos and Michalis Kasapis. Demis Nikolaidis, in particular, an AEK fan since childhood, declined more lucrative offers from Olympiacos and Panathinaikos to sign for his beloved club.
In 1999, ex-president Dimitris Melissanidis organised a friendly match against FK Partizan, in Belgrade, during the height of the NATO bombing of Serbia. As a gesture of compassion and solidarity towards the embattled Serbs, the AEK players and management staff defied the international embargo and traveled to Belgrade for the match. The game ended 1-1, when after 60 minutes of play thousands of Serbian football fans invaded the pitch to embrace the footballers.
2000 –
AEK won its twelfth Cup title in 2000 under Coach Giannis Pathiakakis. The club defeated Ionikos FC 3-0 in the final with goals scored by club icon Demis Nikolaidis, Milen Petkov, and Christos Maladenis. Nikolaidis was later given an award by FIFA’s Fair Play committee after informing the referee that one of the goals he scored during the match was a handball.
The club continued its consistency in the Championship of 2001 by finishing equal-first with Olympiacos, however the Piraeus club’s better goal aggregate prevented AEK from gaining its twelfth title. AEK gained some consolation from a UEFA Champions League (third qualifying round) place.
Despite AEK’s on-field successes, the period was best remembered for the return of Dusan Bajevic as coach in early 2002, amidst open hostility by AEK supporters to his return.
Under Bajevic, though, AEK won the 2002 Greek Cup and progressed through the qualifying rounds in the 2002 UEFA Champions League by eliminating Grasshopper-Club Zurich over the home-and-away legs. Drawn in Group A with AS Roma, Real Madrid, and Racing Genk, AEK put in a spirited performance and despite being undefeated (the club drew all its games), was unable to progress to the next round.
The transfers of Nikos Lyberopoulos and Cypriot Ioannis Okkas to AEK promised to revitalise the club’s on-field success amid the growing financial problems. Modest performances, though, were not enough as more off-field dramas unfolded. Punctuated by the demolition of Nikos Goumas Stadium, home to AEK for over 70 years, club president Chrysostomos Psomiadis (with the assistance of his bodyguards) allegedly assaulted team captain Demis Nikolaidis. After the altercation, and partly due to the club’s growing financial problems from mismanagement, Nikolaidis forfeited the money his beloved club owed him and left for Atletico Madrid. Unable to cope with the constant harassment from a large section of AEK supporters, Bajevic resigned in 2004 during a regular season match against Iraklis FC.
By now, on the brink of bankruptcy, and losing most of its Euro 2004 stars and experienced players to other European clubs, AEK needed a miracle to prevent it from being relegated to the Greek amateur leagues. Though Kostas Katsouranis remained, Theodoros Zagorakis, Michalis Kapsis, Vasilis Lakis, Vasilis Tsiartas, Ioannis Okkas all left the club in the wake of the troubles.
In 2004, Demis Nikolaidis (at the head of a consortium of businessmen) bought out the beleaguered AEK and became the new club president. His primary task was to lead AEK out of its precarious financial position. The first success was an agreement with the Greek Government to write off most of the massive debt that previous club administrators had amassed, and to repay any remaining public debts in manageable instalments.
Securing the club’s existence in the Alpha Ethniki, Nikolaidis then began a program to rebuild AEK to its former glory. He appointed experienced former player Ilija Ivic as technical director of the club and brought back Fernando Santos as coach. The AEK fans, emboldened by Nikolaidis’s efforts, followed suit by buying season ticket packages in record numbers (over 17,000).
AEK recruited promising young players in Leonidas Kapadais and Vangelis Moras to strengthen a depleted team. Led by the experienced Katsouranis and Lyberopoulos, and featuring Brazilian Julio Cesar, the club made it to the Greek Cup final, finished second in the Championship, and in the process secured a place in the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League.
Despite its initial success, the supporters felt that AEK wasn’t playing a very attractive style of football, and Nikolaidis responded by asking Fernando Santos to step down at the end of Season 2005. Former Real Betis coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer was soon appointed to the coaching position, and with some astute signings in Hungarian Daniel Tozser, Greek youngsters Panagiotis Lagos and Panagiotis Kone, Fin Perparim Hetemaj, Argentine Martin Albano Pautasso, and veterans Akis Zikos and Traianos Dellas, the club resumed its Greek Championship challenge and European campaign with confidence.
In August 2006, AEK beat Scottish club Heart of Midlothian to secure a place in the group stages of the Champions League. Drawn with AC Milan, Lille, and Anderlecht, AEK overcame disappointing results in the early stages of the competition to finish strongly by beating Lille and AC Milan. AC Milan’s unexpected loss to Lille in Italy (and AEK’s 2-2 result against Anderlecht in Belgium) prevented AEK’s progress to the next stage of competition.
Under president Demis Nikolaidis, AEK has once again become a powerhouse in Greek football. Regularly strong performances by the team in the Greek Championship and European competitions, and healthy attendances at its home games (20,000 season tickets sold in 2006), have seen the club return to commanding position in the Greek sporting landscape.
Rivalry
AEK are rivals to fellow Athenians Panathinaikos and Olympiacos from Piraeus (the port of Athens). PAOK Thessaloniki are considered rivals as well, but this rivalry is somewhat less intense since the two clubs have a connection due to their similar historical backgrounds.
Notable European Campaigns
AEK have had several memorable campaigns in Europe, including their undefeated showing in the 2002-3 Champions League First Group Stage. Below is a tabulation of AEK's longest runs in the major European tournaments.
| Season | Round | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Cup | |||
| 1968-69 | Quarterfinal | eliminated by Spartak Trnava | |
| UEFA Cup | |||
| 1976-77 | Semifinal | eliminated by Juventus | |
| Cup Winners Cup | |||
| 1996-97 | Quarterfinal | eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain | |
| 1997-98 | Quarterfinal | eliminated by Lokomotiv Moscow | |
Upcoming Season
Finishing second in last year's championship, AEK F.C qualified for UEFA Champion's League 2006-7 appearance. They played against Heart of Midlothian F.C. of Scotland over two legs to determine the participant of the Champions League Group Stages. The first of these legs was played on 9 August 2006 at Murrayfield Stadium, with AEK winning by 2 goals to 1[1]. The second leg in Athens(In the Olympic Stadium that will host the 2007 Champions League final) on August 23rd reserved another victory for AEK F.C. against Hearts by 3 goals to 0[2].
With a new coach, Llorenç Serra Ferrer, and some exciting new players (Lagos, Pautasso, Zikos, Tozser) in the team, the AEK fans have become optimistic about the upcoming season. With the final of the Champions League being scheduled to take place at AEK's current home stadium (Athens Olympic Stadium) in May 2007, the team is looking forward to a great season.
AEK won for the first time in Champions League, in November 2006, defeating Lille 1-0. In the next Champions League match AEK defeated AC Milan, again by 1-0.
Current roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Squad Changes for 2006/07 season
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In:
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Out:
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Notable Former Players
see also AEK Athens players
Notable Former Coaches
National titles
Championships (11)
1939, 1940, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994
Cups (13)
1932, 1939, 1949, 1950, 1956, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1983, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002
Super Cups (2)
1989, 1996
League Cup (1)
1990
Famous Fans
Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Christodoulos, Lefteris Papadopoulos (lyricist), Nikos Dimou (writer), Nikos Xanthopoulos (actor), Lambros Konstantaras (actor), Kostas Chatzichristos (actor), Anestis Vlachos (actor), George Pantzas (actor), Kostas Voutsas (actor), Panagiotis Mylonas (Byzantinologist/composer), Stelios Kazantzidis (singer), Sotiria Bellou (singer), Despina Vandi (Singer), Christos Mylonas (tv program producer), George Mitsikostas (mimic comedian), Antonis Kafetzopoulos (actor), Michalis Kakiouzis (basketball player), Vasia Loi (model/journalist), Kostas Hardavelas (journalist), Makis Triantafilopoulos (journalist), Nikos Evangelatos (journalist)