APOEL FC

APOEL
Full name Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias
Nickname(s) Τhrylos (The Legend)
Founded 8 November 1926
Ground GSP Stadium,
Nicosia, Cyprus
Capacity 22,859
Chairman Prodromos Petrides
Manager Thorsten Fink
League Cypriot First Division
2013–14 1st
Website Club home page
Active departments of APOEL
Football Basketball Volleyball
Futsal Table tennis Cycling
Bowling Archery Swimming
Water polo Runners Team The Club
Main article: APOEL Nicosia

APOEL FC (Greek: ΑΠΟΕΛ; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias, "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") is a professional football club based in Nicosia, Cyprus. They are one of the founding members of the Cyprus Football Association.[1] APOEL is the most popular football team in Cyprus[2][3] and they are the most successful with an overall tally of 23 championships, 20 cups and 13 super cups.[4]

APOEL's greatest moment in the European competitions occurred in the season 2011–12, when the club participated in the group stages of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League (along with F.C. Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Zenit St. Petersburg) and achieved qualification for the quarter-finals of the competition by topping the group and eliminating Olympique Lyonnais in the last 16, becoming the only Cypriot club to reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. APOEL's European competitions highlights include also appearances in the group stages of the 2009–10 and 2014–15 UEFA Champions League and the group stages of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League. APOEL is the only Cypriot club who have reached the group stages of both major UEFA competitions (UEFA Champions League & UEFA Europa League).

APOEL FC is part of the APOEL multi-sport club, which was founded in 1926 and maintains departments for several sports including football, basketball, volleyball, futsal, table tennis, bowling, cycling, archery, swimming and water polo. APOEL is also an ordinary member of the European Club Association, an organization that replaced the previous G-14 which consists of major football clubs in Europe.

History

1926–1929 : The early years

The club was formed as POEL (Greek: ΠΟΕΛ; Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias, Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia) on 8 November 1926. The club's formation came about when a group of forty people, with a common vision, met and set the foundations for creating a football club that would represent the Greek residents of the capital and express their deep desire for Cyprus' incorporation (enosis) into Greece. The meeting took place at a traditional confectionery, owned by Charalambos Hadjioannou, downtown in Ledra Street and the first president of the club was Giorgos Poulias.[1] The first clubhouse was the "Athenians Club" (Λέσχη Αθηναίων) at the end of Ledra Street.[1]

After a journey to the football club in Alexandria, Egypt in 1927 the General Assembly of 1928 decided the players showed that they were not just good footballers but also excellent track and field athletes. Hence it was decided to create a track and field team in addition to the football team. The name APOEL was adopted to reflect this, with the 'A' standing for 'Athletic'. Soon after a volleyball team and a table tennis team were established.

The '30s : The first league titles

Cyprus did not have any country-wide league until 1932. Football clubs of the time played friendly matches only. In 1932, Pezoporikos Larnaca organised an unofficial league, the first island-wide league, and it was won by APOEL after defeating AEL Limassol in the final by 4–0. In 1934, there was a disagreement between Trast AC and Anorthosis Famagusta on the organisation of the fourth unofficial league. APOEL and AEL Limassol organised a meeting for the foundation of a country-wide governing body and an official country-wide league. The meeting took place in APOEL's clubhouse on 23 September and the establishment of the Cyprus Football Association was agreed. Two years later the APOEL football team celebrated its first championship title of the official Cyprus football league. APOEL also won the championship for the following four years, making this a very successful period for the club with 5 consecutive championships (1936–1940).[1]

The 1948 conflicts

Politics, however, would soon spark conflict within the team. On 23 May 1948 the board of the club send a telegram to the Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics (Greek: Σ.Ε.Γ.Α.Σ.), with the opportunity of the annual Panhellenic Track and Field Competition, which included wishes that "the rebellion" is finished. Several leftist club members perceived the telegram as a political comment on the Greek Civil War and they distanced themselves from the club.[5] A few days later, on 4 June 1948, they founded AC Omonia, which until today is the arch rival of APOEL and there has been a traditional animosity between the fans of the two teams.[5]

1955–59 period

More conflicts led to further struggles for APOEL. Athletes belonging to the club frequently participated in national clashes. During the 1955–59 national uprising against the British, many of APOEL's athletes and members of the club were active members of EOKA (the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters), the most outstanding example being the club's track and field athlete Michalakis Karaolis who was hanged by the British colonial authorities. During this period the football team had their closest brush with relegation as most football players were actively taking part in the national struggle.

Triumph in the 1963–64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

The football team were quickly back to full strength and made their debut in European Competitions (the first not only for APOEL but for any Cypriot team) in 1963, when they faced the Norwegian team SK Gjøvik-Lyn in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Two victories for APOEL over both legs (6–0, 1–0) marked APOEL's successful European debut, as they became the first Hellenic team to progress in a European Competition. The next round against the tournament winners Sporting Clube de Portugal met APOEL with their heaviest defeat ever (16–1) and put an end to APOEL's European debut.[6]

The successful participation in pan-Hellenic Greek Championship

Other triumphs followed in the early 1970s. In 1973 the domestic double was achieved with coach Panos Markovic. The following year APOEL became the only Cypriot team to avoid relegation from the pan-Hellenic Greek Championship. That was also the last season that the Cypriot champion played in the Greek Football League the following year due to the volatile situation in Cyprus during 1974.[7]

The '80s: European Cup 1986–87 withdrawal

The 1980s were a relatively fruitless period for APOEL. They have only won two championships (1980,1986), one cup (1984) and two super cups (1984, 1986). In 1986 APOEL was drawn against Beşiktaş J.K. for the second round of the European Cup. This was the first time that a Cypriot team faced a Turkish team in a European football competition. The Cypriot government prohibited APOEL from playing against the Turkish team, so APOEL was punished with two years disqualification from any UEFA competition.[8] This penalty was later reduced to one-year.

The '90s : The unbeaten "double" in 1995–96

The 90s[9] were a successful decade for APOEL with 3 championships (1990, 1992, 1996), 5 cups (1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999) and 4 super cups (1992, 1993, 1996, 1999). The most successful season in the 90s was 1995–96 in which APOEL achieved a celebratory double while remaining undefeated in the league. The basketball team won a double on the same season, making this the ideal season for a 70th anniversary celebration.

APOEL FC Company formation

On 1996 the APOEL Football Ltd. was formed.[10] This had a significant effect on the club because it separated the activities of the football team from those of the sports club. The formation of the company was necessitated by the financial difficulties the team faced at the time. The company began its operations with a capital of CY £600,000.

2002–present: 7 championships, 3 cups and 6 super cups

APOEL is the most successful football team in Cyprus in the 2000s. Since 2002, the club won 7 championships (2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014), 3 cups (2006, 2008, 2014) and 6 super cups (2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013). In season 2013-14, APOEL achieved a historical domestic treble by winning all the Cypriot competitions trophies, the league, the cup and the super cup.

European ambitions

APOEL's first great run in European competitions came in 2002, when the team was knocked out on the third qualifying round of the Champions League, entered the UEFA Cup and reached the second round of the competition. Also, APOEL qualified twice for the UEFA Champions League group stages (2009–10 & 2011–12) and reached the quarter-finals in 2011–12 season. The team also participated in the group stages of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.

2002–03 European campaign

In the 2002–03 season, the football team embarked on an impressive run, playing ten games before being knocked out from the European competitions. The team participated in the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League and after eliminating Flora Tallinn (0–0 away draw, 1–0 home win) and NK Maribor (1–2 away loss, 4–2 home win), was knocked out by AEK Athens (2–3 home loss, 0–1 away loss) in the third qualifying round. So, they entered the UEFA Cup on the first round and after eliminating Grazer AK (2–0 home win, 1–1 away draw) they advanced until the second round when they were knocked out by Hertha BSC Berlin (0–1 home loss, 0–4 away loss).

Champions League 2009–10 group stages

The first big success of the club in European competitions came on season 2009–10, when the team reached the group stages of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League for the first time, by eliminating EB/Streymur (2–0 away win, 3–0 home win), FK Partizan (2–0 home win, 0–1 away loss) and F.C. Copenhagen (0–1 away loss, 3–1 home win) in the play-off round. APOEL were drawn in Group D against Chelsea F.C., F.C. Porto and Atlético Madrid. APOEL drew 0–0 against Atlético Madrid in the first game at Vicente Calderón, lost 0–1 from Chelsea F.C. at GSP stadium on matchday 2, lost 2–1 from F.C. Porto at Dragão in the third match and lost again 0–1 from F.C. Porto at GSP Stadium on matchday 4. In the fifth match of the group APOEL drew with Atlético Madrid 1–1 at GSP Stadium and on matchday 6, APOEL drew with Chelsea F.C. at Stamford Bridge. So, APOEL finished fourth having equal (3) points with the eventual UEFA Europa League winner Atlético Madrid, but failed to qualify to UEFA Europa League, because of the away goal that Atlético Madrid had scored in Nicosia.

Champions League 2011–12 quarter-finals

APOEL's 2011–12 UEFA Champions League starting line-up that managed to beat Lyon 1–0 (4–3 pen.) at home and reached the quarter-finals.[12]

APOEL's greatest success in European competitions came on season 2011–12. Two years after its first participation, APOEL qualified again for the UEFA Champions League group stages by eliminating Skënderbeu Korçë (2–0 away win, 4–0 home win), Slovan Bratislava (0–0 home draw, 2–0 away win) and Wisła Kraków (0–1 away loss, 3–1 home win) in the play-off round. APOEL drawn in Group G, alongside F.C. Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Zenit St. Petersburg. On matchday 1, APOEL won 2–1 against Zenit St. Petersburg at GSP Stadium and secured its first ever victory in the UEFA Champions League group stage. On matchday 2, APOEL held Shakhtar Donetsk to a 1–1 draw at the Donbass Arena and in the third match they drew 1–1 with F.C. Porto at Dragão. On matchday 4, APOEL won 2–1 against F.C. Porto at GSP Stadium and on the next matchday they made history and reached the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League by holding Zenit St. Petersburg to a 0–0 draw in Petrovsky Stadium.[13] Eventually, APOEL reached the last 16 as a group winner, despite losing 0–2 at home from Shakhtar Donetsk on the last matchday. In the last 16, APOEL was drawn against Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon won 1–0 in the first leg at Stade de Gerland, but in the second leg at GSP Stadium APOEL won 1–0, sending the match to penalties where they won 4–3, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time. In the quarter-finals, APOEL hosted Real Madrid in the first leg, but were defeated 0–3 by the Spanish giants. In the second leg at Santiago Bernabéu, APOEL managed to score twice but Real Madrid won by 5–2 and reached the semi-finals with an aggregate score of 8–2.

Europa League 2013–14 group stages

APOEL began their 2013–14 European campaign in the third qualifying round of the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League against Slovenian side NK Maribor. In the first leg, the two teams drew 1–1 at GSP Stadium, but in the second leg at Slovenia, APOEL only managed a goalless draw and eliminated by NK Maribor on away goals rule after a 1–1 aggregate score.

After being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, APOEL dropped down into the UEFA Europa League play-off round, and drawn against Belgian side Zulte Waregem. The first leg was held at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Brussels and ended in a 1–1 draw. In the second leg, APOEL lost 1–2 at GSP Stadium and Belgians went through 3–2 on aggregate. Despite losing to Zulte Waregem in the play-off round, APOEL reinstated in Europa League replacing the Turkish side Fenerbahçe who were banned because of the match-fixing case related to the 2010–11 Süper Lig title.[14] APOEL were selected by a random drawing among all the losing teams from the play-off round[15] and drawn in Group F, alongside Bordeaux, Eintracht Frankfurt and Maccabi Tel Aviv. APOEL began their group stage adventure with a goalless draw at Bloomfield Stadium against Maccabi Tel Aviv on 19 September 2013. On matchday 2, APOEL were beaten 0–3 at GSP Stadium by German side Eintracht Frankfurt. On matchday 3, APOEL were stunned by a last-minute Bordeaux winner, as they went down to a 2–1 defeat at Stade Chaban-Delmas in France. On matchday 4, APOEL won 2–1 against French side Bordeaux at Nicosia’s GSP Stadium and secured its first ever victory in the UEFA Europa League group stages. On matchday 5, APOEL were held to a goalless draw by Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv at GSP Stadium and remained in third place of Group F, three points behind second-placed Maccabi Tel Aviv. APOEL’s Europa League adventure was concluded at Commerzbank-Arena with a 2–0 loss to Group F winners Eintracht Frankfurt on 12 December 2013. Eintracht completed the group stage of the competition on top of the Group F standings with 15 points, Maccabi Tel Aviv ended second with 11 points, APOEL ended in third place with five points, while Bordeaux were at the bottom with just three points.

Champions League 2014–15 group stages

APOEL's 2014–15 UEFA Champions League lineup that drew 1–1 with Ajax at home and secured the club's only point in Group F.[16]

Three years after their surprising run to the quarter-finals of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, APOEL qualified again for the UEFA Champions League group stages, for the third time in their history. They eliminated HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round by drawing 2–2 at Finland and winning 2–0 at home and trashed Aalborg BK in the play-off round by drawing 1–1 at Denmark and winning 4–0 at home. APOEL were drawn in Group F alongside Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax.[17]

APOEL opened their Champions League campaign with a 1–0 defeat against Barcelona at Camp Nou thanks to a Gerard Piqué's goal, but left the Catalan capital with all the plaudits following a stellar display which so nearly earned a historic result.[18] On matchday 2, Gustavo Manduca cancelled out Lucas Andersen's opener to secure a first Group F point for APOEL, after an 1–1 draw against Ajax at GSP Stadium.[19] On matchday 3, despite another excellent display against one of the continent’s strongest sides, APOEL were left bitterly disappointed as they went down to a 0–1 home defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain following a late Edinson Cavani goal, just three minutes before the end.[20] On matchday 4, APOEL fell to a 1–0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes, as Edinson Cavani was again the difference between the two teams, scoring the only goal of the match after just 56 seconds.[21] On matchday 5, Barcelona proved too much for APOEL as the Catalan giants cruised to a 4–0 win in a night that belonged to Lionel Messi as his hat-trick in Nicosia made him the UEFA Champions League's all-time top scorer on 74 goals.[22] On matchday 6, APOEL suffered a 4–0 defeat to Ajax at Amsterdam Arena in the battle for third place and were sent out of European competitions after finishing fourth in Group F with just one point.[23]

APOEL FC as a company

The football department of APOEL is legally owned by APOEL Football Ltd (Greek: ΑΠΟΕΛ Ποδόσφαιρο Λτδ.), a public limited company,[24] since 1997. The company owns all the rights for the football department under an agreement with the APOEL sports club. The company pays the club CY£100,000 annually for the privilege.[9] The agreement between the company and the club is renewed every five years. The company, besides the football club, also maintains a team boutique (Orange Shop), the APOELFC (Greek: ΑΠΟΕΛFC) magazine and the apoelfc.com.cy website among others.

Youth Academy

APOEL's youth academy is a separate legal entity from the football club. They are responsible for the under 21 teams for football, basketball and volleyball and they have their own board of directors and budget. The football academy has produced many quality Cypriot players over the years. Players started from the academy and had great contribution APOEL are: Marinos Satsias, Constantinos Charalambides, Nektarios Alexandrou, Michalis Morfis and Marios Antoniades. All of them have also competed at international level with the Cyprus national football team while Charalambides and Alexandrou have played for teams in the Greek Super League in the past.

UEFA Youth League participation

APOEL's U19 team participated for the first time in the UEFA Youth League group stage during 2014–15 season, drawn in Group F alongside Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax.[25] APOEL managed to collect only one point after drawing 0–0 with Ajax at home[26] and lost their other five Group F matches. They lost twice to Barcelona (2–3 at home, 0–3 away), lost twice to Paris Saint-Germain (0–3 at home, 0–6 away) and also lost to Ajax 1–4 away, finishing fourth in their group.

Colours and badge

The club's colours and badge displayed by APOEL fans in the 2009–10 Champions League match against Chelsea.

APOEL's colours are blue and yellow. Blue symbolizes Greece and yellow symbolizes Byzantium.[27][28] The logo is a blue and yellow shield with the name of the club written diagonally in blue. After the club won their 20th championship (2008–09 season), two stars were added above the logo to symbolize the 20 championship titles (one star for every ten championships won). Other than that, the badge has remained the same since the establishment of the club.

Stadium

APOEL's home ground since 23 October 1999, is the 22,859 seater GSP Stadium. It is the largest stadium in Cyprus and they share it with local rivals Omonia and Olympiakos Nicosia.[29]

Before moving to GSP Stadium, APOEL used as home grounds the Makario Stadium (from 1978 until 1999) and the old GSP Stadium (prior to 1978).

Supporters

APOEL fans celebrating after eliminating Wisła Kraków in the play-off round of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League.

APOEL is the most popular team in Cyprus.[2][3] APOEL fans are right-wing in their majority but there are no strong ties between the organised fans and any political party.[27] That wasn't always the case but during the past years they have actively avoided association with any political party.[27]

The main supporter group is PAN.SY.FI (Greek: ΠΑΝ.ΣΥ.ΦΙ). PAN.SY.FI was founded in 1979[30] and has branches in all major cities in Cyprus and also in other countries. The PAN.SY.FI (and most ultras) wear orange jackets (or T-shirts). The first game they sported the orange jackets was during the first round game of the 1992–93 championship against AEL Limassol in Makario Stadium.[30] APOEL have reserved the shirt number 79 in honour of PAN.SY.FI. (APOEL Ultras), to denote the year the group was founded, 1979.[31]

The club record for ticket sales in a single season is 141,268[32] (15 matches, home league games only) during the 2010–11 season. The club record for average league games attendance in a single season is 9,582 (13 matches, home league games only) during the 2012–13 season.[33] The club's season tickets sales record was set on season 2014–15, in which more than 8,000 season tickets were sold.[34]

APOEL holds the record of the highest home attendance for Cyprus First Division in the game against Omonia with 23,043[35] tickets for 2002–03 season. The match was held at GSP Stadium on 7 December 2002 and ended in a goalless draw.

The club holds also the record of the highest attendance of a Cypriot team for a European Competition game with 22,701[36] tickets in the match against Olympique Lyonnais for the return leg of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League last 16. The match which was held on 7 March 2012 at GSP Stadium of Nicosia ended with a 1–0 win for APOEL after extra time and 4–3 win on penalties.

On 8 December 2009, APOEL fans created another impressive record. More than 6,000[37] fans of the team travelled to London at Stamford Bridge for the last match of the 2009–10 Champions League group D against Chelsea F.C. which ended in a 2–2 draw. This is the biggest number of fans of any Cypriot team that had ever travelled away from Cyprus. A similar record created on 14 February 2012, in APOEL's participation to the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League last 16, when more than 5,000[38] APOEL fans travelled in France to support their team against Olympique Lyonnais. The match was held at Stade de Gerland and Olympique Lyonnais took a slender advantage into the second leg by winning 1–0. Also, on 4 April 2012, about 4,000[39] APOEL fans travelled to Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, to support APOEL against Real Madrid for the return leg of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, in a match which Real Madrid won by 5–2.

During 2009–10 season APOEL sold in total 244,977 tickets for its home matches in all competitions (Championship, Cup, Champions League), which is the biggest number of tickets sold by a Cypriot club in a single season.

Current squad

Last Update: 21 April 2015[40]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
3 Brazil DF João Guilherme
4 Cyprus MF Kostakis Artymatas
5 Brazil DF Carlão
6 Norway DF John Arne Riise
7 Cyprus MF Georgios Efrem
8 Portugal MF Tiago Gomes
9 Republic of Ireland FW Cillian Sheridan
10 Cyprus MF Constantinos Charalambides (captain)
11 Cyprus MF Nektarios Alexandrou (vice-captain)
13 Germany MF Martin Lanig
14 Cyprus MF Alex Konstantinou
15 Cyprus DF Marios Antoniades
16 Brazil MF Vinícius
20 Cyprus FW Pieros Sotiriou
22 Greece GK Dionisis Chiotis
25 Cyprus DF Andreas Christofides
No. Position Player
26 Portugal MF Nuno Morais (3rd captain)
28 Portugal DF Mário Sérgio
30 Argentina MF Tomás De Vincenti
31 Cyprus MF Vasilios Papafotis
32 Cyprus DF Andreas Assiotis
34 Republic of Macedonia FW Valmir Nafiu
40 Cyprus MF Demetris Charalambous
44 Cyprus DF Nicholas Ioannou
45 Cyprus MF Georgios Christodoulou
46 Cyprus FW Efstathios Aloneftis
73 Brazil DF Kaká
78 Spain GK Urko Pardo
79 Algeria FW Rafik Djebbour
88 Cyprus GK Tasos Kissas
96 Cyprus GK Giorgos Tasouris

For recent transfers, see List of Cypriot football transfers summer 2014.
Also, see List of Cypriot football transfers winter 2014–15.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
– Cyprus MF Christos Djamas (at Ayia Napa)

Loan deals expire at the end of 2014–15 season

International players

Foreign players

EU Nationals

EU Nationals (Dual citizenship)

Non-EU Nationals

Retired number(s)

79 – In honour of PAN.SY.FI (APOEL Ultras), to denote the year the group was founded, 1979.[31]

Club officials

Board of directors

Position Staff
Chairman Cyprus Prodromos Petrides
Vice-Chairman Cyprus Vassos G. Eliades
Vice-Chairman Cyprus Harris Photiou
Secretary Cyprus Christodoulos Papachrysostomou
Member Cyprus Charalambos Prountzos
Member Cyprus Andreas Theodosiou
Member Cyprus Stefan Fysentzides
Member Cyprus Ioannis Demetriou
Member Cyprus George Stamatis
Member Cyprus Alexis Andreou
Member Cyprus Costas Schizas
Member Cyprus Stelios Zampas

Source: apoelfc.com.cy

Personnel

Position Staff
General Manager Cyprus Efthymios Agathokleous
Operations Manager Cyprus Marios Christodoulou
Financial Controller Cyprus Alexis Demetriou
Youth General Manager Cyprus Konstantinos Papapostolou
Head of Communications Department Cyprus Nectarios Petevinos
Team Manager Cyprus George Savvides
Accountant Cyprus Antigoni Lambrou

Source: apoelfc.com.cy

Technical and medical staff

Technical staff
Head coach Germany Thorsten Fink
Assistant coach Germany Sebastian Hahn
Greece Georgios Kostis
Goalkeeping coach Serbia Dragoslav Jevrić
Fitness coach Croatia Nikola Vidović
Opposition scout & analyst Greece Periklis Papapanayis[41]
Football director Brazil Gustavo Manduca[42]
Academy technical director Cyprus Savvas Paraskeva[43]

Source: apoelfc.com.cy

Medical staff
Head doctor Cyprus Costas Schizas
Assistant doctor Cyprus Giannis Papagiannis
Head physio Cyprus Constantinos Voniatis
Assistant physios Cyprus Constantinos Kaparis
Cyprus Marinos Nicolaou
Cyprus Marinos Evripidou
Caregiver Cyprus Costas Stefanou
Nutritionist Cyprus Nicoletta Michaelidou

Source: apoelfc.com.cy

Sponsorship

Main sponsors

Source: apoelfc.com.cy

Former players[44]

Cyprus
Albania
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Colombia
Costa Rica
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
England
France
Ghana
Greece
Hungary
Israel
Morocco
Netherlands
Nigeria
Northern Ireland
Paraguay
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia
Skopjie
Slovakia
Slovenia
Togo
Tunisia

Managerial history

Last Update: 10 January 2015[46]

  • 1931–1933 Hungary Antone Jean
  • 1933–1951 Hungary József Künsztler
  • 1951–1952 Cyprus Pambos Avraamides
  • 1952–1953 Hungary Béla Guttmann
  • 1953–1954 Cyprus Pambos Avraamidis
  • 1954–1955 Israel Schwartz
  • 1955–1956 Austria Hanz
  • 1956–1958 Cyprus Kostas Talianos
  • 1958–1959 Cyprus Takis Tsigkis
  • 1959–1961 Greece Vaggelis Choumis
  • 1961–1962 Cyprus Andreas Lazarides
  • 1962–1963 England Jesse Carver
  • 1963–1964 England Neil Franklin
  • 1964–1965 Cyprus Kostas Talianos
  • 1965–1966 Hungary Gyula Zsengellér
  • 1966–1967 Hungary Lajos Szendrödi
  • 1967 Cyprus Lykourgos Archontidis
  • 1967–1969 Cyprus Pambos Avraamides
  • 1969–1970 England Jesse Carver
  • 1970–1971 Cyprus Andreas Lazarides
  • 1971–1972 England Ray Wood

Presidential history

APOEL has had numerous presidents over the course of their history. Since the establishment of APOEL Football Ltd, the presidents of the board of directors of the company (chairmen) have assumed all presidential duties for the football club. Here are complete lists of both:[47]

Presidents:

  • 1926–1958 – Georgios Poulias
  • 1958–1967 – Εfthyvoulos Αnthoullis
  • 1967–1968 – Michalakis Triantafyllides
  • 1968–1969 – Takis Skarparis
  • 1969–1971 – Constantinos Loukos
  • 1971–1974 – Michalakis Zivanaris
  • 1974–1975 – Kikis Lazarides
  • 1975–1983 – Iakovos Filippou
  • 1983–1988 – Michalakis Zivanaris
  • 1988–1991 – Andreas Papaellinas
  • 1991–1992 – Kykkos Fotiades
  • 1992–1994 – Mike Ioannides
  • 1994–1996 – Christos Triantafyllides
  • 1996–1999 – Ouranios Ioannides
  • 1999–2000 – Dinos Palmas
  • 2002–2004 – Dinos Fisentzides
  • 2004–2007 – Yiannos Ioannou
  • 2007–2008 – Costas Schizas
  • 2008–2009 – Christodoulos Ellinas
  • 2009–2011 – Prodromos Petrides
  • 2011–2012 – Aris Vasilopoulos
  • 2012–2014 – Christoforos Potamitis
  • 2014–present – Marios Charalambous

Chairmen:

  • 1997–1998 – Mike Ioannides
  • 1998–2000 – Christos Triantafyllides
  • 2000–2001 – Harris Papanastasiou
  • 2001–2006 – Prodromos Petrides
  • 2006–2008 – Kyriakos Zivanaris
  • 2008–2013 – Phivos Erotokritou
  • 2013–present – Prodromos Petrides

Honours[4]

Winners (23) (record): 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1964–65, 1972–73, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1995–96, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14
Winners (20) (record): 1936–37, 1940–41, 1946–47, 1950–51, 1962–63, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2013–14
Winners (13): 1963, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

Records

Updated: 10 December 2014

3 for win: 82, 2008–09 (full season) – 69, 2008–09 (regular season)
2 for win: 51, 1976–77

League and Cup history

European competitions record

Last update: 10 December 2014[51]

UEFA competitions
Competition Played Won Drawn Lost Goals For Goals Against Last season played
UEFA Champions League 62 18 16 28 68 88 2014–15
UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup 64 24 17 23 88 87 2013–14
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 30 6 6 18 27 78 1997–98
Total 156 48 39 69 183 253

Matches

#Q = #preliminary, #R = #round, PO = play-offs, G = Group stage, R16 = last 16, QF = quarter-finals

Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
1963–64 Cup Winners' Cup Q Norway SK Gjøvik-Lyn 6–0 1–0 7–0
1R Portugal Sporting CP 0–21 1–16 1–18
1965–66 European Cup Q West Germany Werder Bremen 0–52 0–5 0–10
1968–69 Cup Winners' Cup 1R Scotland Dunfermline Athletic 0–2 1–10 1–12
1969–70 Cup Winners' Cup 1R Belgium Lierse S.K. 0–13 1–10 1–11
1973–74 European Cup 1R Soviet Union Zorya Voroshilovgrad 0–1 0–2 0–3
1976–77 Cup Winners' Cup 1R Greece Iraklis Thessaloniki 2–0 0–0 2–0
2R Italy S.S.C. Napoli 1–1 0–2 1–3
1977–78 UEFA Cup 1R Italy Torino Calcio 1–1 0–3 1–4
1978–79 Cup Winners' Cup 1R Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers 0–2 0–1 0–3
1979–80 Cup Winners' Cup Q Denmark Boldklubben 1903 0–1 0–6 0–7
1980–81 European Cup 1R East Germany Dynamo Berlin 2–1 0–3 2–4
1981–82 UEFA Cup 1R Romania Argeş Piteşti 1–1 0–4 1–5
1984–85 Cup Winners' Cup 1R Switzerland Servette 0–3 1–3 1–6
1985–86 UEFA Cup 1R Bulgaria Lokomotiv Sofia 2–2 2–4 (aet) 4–6
1986–87 European Cup 1R Finland HJK Helsinki 1–0 2–3 3–3 (a)
2R Turkey Beşiktaş J.K. Withdrew (Political reasons)
1988–89 UEFA Cup 1R Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia RŠD Velež 2–5 0–1 2–6
1990–91 European Cup 1R West Germany Bayern Munich 2–3 0–4 2–7
1992–93 Champions League 1R Greece AEK Athens 2–2 1–1 3–3 (a)
1993–94 Cup Winners' Cup Q Northern Ireland Bangor City 2–1 1–1 3–2
1R France Paris Saint-Germain 0–1 0–2 0–3
1995–96 Cup Winners' Cup Q Azerbaijan Neftchi Baku 3–0 0–0 3–0
1R Spain Deportivo La Coruña 0–0 0–8 0–8
1996–97 UEFA Cup 1Q Faroe Islands B71 Sandur 4–2 5–1 9–3
2Q Greece Iraklis Thessaloniki 2–1 1–0 3–1
1R Spain RCD Espanyol 2–2 0–1 2–3
1997–98 Cup Winners' Cup Q Faroe Islands HB Tórshavn 6–0 1–1 7–1
1R Austria SK Sturm Graz 0–1 0–3 0–4
1999–00 UEFA Cup Q Bulgaria Levski Sofia 0–0 0–2 0–2
2000–01 UEFA Cup Q Albania Tomori Berat 2–0 3–2 5–2
1R Belgium Club Brugge 0–1 0–2 0–3
2002–03 Champions League 1Q Estonia Flora Tallinn 1–0 0–0 1–0
2Q Slovenia NK Maribor 4–2 1–2 5–4
3Q Greece AEK Athens 2–3 0–1 2–4
2002–03 UEFA Cup 1R Austria Grazer AK 2–0 1–1 3–1
2R Germany Hertha BSC 0–1 0–4 0–5
2003–04 UEFA Cup Q Republic of Ireland Derry City 2–1 3–0 5–1
1R Spain RCD Mallorca 1–2 2–4 3–6
2004–05 Champions League 2Q Czech Republic Sparta Prague 2–2 1–2 3–4
2005–06 UEFA Cup 1Q Malta Birkirkara 4–0 2–0 6–0
2Q Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 1–0 2–2 (aet) 3–2
1R Germany Hertha BSC 0–1 1–3 1–4
2006–07 UEFA Cup 1Q San Marino S.S. Murata 3–1 4–0 7–1
2Q Turkey Trabzonspor 1–1 0–1 1–2
2007–08 Champions League 1Q Belarus BATE Borisov 2–0 0–3 (aet) 2–3
2008–09 UEFA Cup 1Q Republic of Macedonia FK Pelister 1–0 0–0 1–0
2Q Serbia Red Star Belgrade 2–2 3–3 (aet) 5–5 (a)
1R Germany Schalke 04 1–4 1–1 2–5
2009–10 Champions League 2Q Faroe Islands EB/Streymur 3–0 2–0 5–0
3Q Serbia FK Partizan 2–0 0–1 2–1
PO Denmark F.C. Copenhagen 3–1 0–1 3–2
Group D Spain Atlético Madrid 1–1 0–0 4th place
England Chelsea 0–1 2–2
Portugal F.C. Porto 0–1 1–2
2010–11 Europa League 2Q Lithuania FK Tauras 3–1 3–0 6–1
3Q Czech Republic FK Jablonec 1–0 3–1 4–1
PO Spain Getafe CF 1–1 (aet) 0–1 1–2
2011–12 Champions League 2Q Albania Skënderbeu Korçë 4–0 2–0 6–0
3Q Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 0–0 2–0 2–0
PO Poland Wisła Kraków 3–1 0–1 3–2
Group G Russia Zenit St. Petersburg 2–1 0–0 1st place
Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 0–2 1–1
Portugal F.C. Porto 2–1 1–1
R16 France Olympique Lyonnais 1–0 (aet) 0–1 1–1 (4–3 p)
QF Spain Real Madrid 0–3 2–5 2–8
2012–13 Europa League 2Q Slovakia FK Senica 2–0 1–0 3–0
3Q Norway Aalesunds FK 2–1 1–0 3–1
PO Azerbaijan Neftchi Baku 1–3 1–1 2–4
2013–14 Champions League 3Q Slovenia NK Maribor 1–1 0–0 1–1 (a)
2013–14 Europa League PO Belgium Zulte Waregem 1–2 1–1 2–3 4
Group F4 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 0–0 0–0 3rd place
Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 0–3 0–2
France Bordeaux 2–1 1–2
2014–15 Champions League 3Q Finland HJK Helsinki 2–0 2–2 4–2
PO Denmark Aalborg BK 4–0 1–1 5–1
Group F Spain Barcelona 0–4 0–1 4th place
Netherlands Ajax 1–1 0–4
France Paris Saint-Germain 0–1 0–1

1: Both matches played in Portugal.
2: Both matches played in Germany.
3: Both matches played in Belgium.
4: APOEL reinstated in the Europa League by random draw after Fenerbahçe's exclusion from the UEFA competitions due to match-fixing.[14][15]

UEFA & IFFHS rankings

UEFA Club Ranking

Rank Country Team Points
59TurkeyTrabzonspor36.520
60FranceLille36.483
61GermanyVfB Stuttgart36.325
62CyprusAPOEL35.460
63BelarusBATE Borisov35.150
64GermanyGladbach33.825
65SpainLevante32.628

Last update: 24 April 2015
Source: xs4all.nl

IFFHS Club World Ranking

Rank Country Team Points
34ParaguayClub Nacional172,50
35BrazilGrêmio172,00
36FranceOlympique Lyonnais170,00
37CyprusAPOEL168,00
38CroatiaHNK Rijeka167,50
39EcuadorIndependiente del Valle164,50
40ItalyAS Roma162,00

Last update: 13 January 2015
Source: IFFHS

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ιστορική Αναδρομή (in Greek). APOEL FC. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Πρώτος σε φιλάθλους ο ΑΠΟΕΛ (in Greek). balla.com.cy. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Είμαστε οι περισσότεροι! (in Greek). apoel.net. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Championships". APOEL FC. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Τα γεγονότα του 1948 (in Greek). apoel.net. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Περίοδος 1960 - 1970 (in Greek). APOEL FC. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Ο θρύλος της Ά Εθνικής (in Greek). APOEL FC. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Περίοδος 1980–1990 (in Greek). APOEL FC. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Περίοδος 1990 – σήμερα (in Greek). APOEL FC. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  10. ↑ "APOEL FC LTD – HISTORY". APOEL FC. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  11. ↑ "APOEL consoled by well-made point". UEFA. 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
  12. ↑ "Lyon stunned as APOEL fairy tale continues". UEFA. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  13. ↑ "APOEL boss Ivan Jovanovic ecstatic after qualifying". ESPN soccernet. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Draw to decide Fenerbahçe replacements". UEFA. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "APOEL reinstated in UEFA Europa League". UEFA.com. 30 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "Ajax thrash APOEL to finish third in Group F". UEFA. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  17. ↑ "Holders Real Madrid draw Liverpool in group stage". UEFA. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "Piqué the head boy as Barça edge past APOEL". UEFA. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  19. ↑ "Ajax pegged back by APOEL". UEFA. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  20. ↑ "Cavani ensures Paris patience pays off at APOEL". UEFA. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  21. ↑ "Quick-fire Cavani sends Paris through, APOEL out". UEFA. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  22. ↑ "Record-breaker Messi leads Barça stroll at APOEL". UEFA. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  23. ↑ "Ajax thrash APOEL to finish third in Group F". UEFA. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  24. ↑ "APOEL Football Ltd". APOEL FC. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  25. ↑ "Contenders learn group stage opponents". UEFA. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  26. ↑ "APOEL 0-0 Ajax". UEFA. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 ΑΠΟΕΛ: Η κυπριακή Δεξιά, Οι "αποτυχημένοι" με αίμα στα πορτοκαλί μπουφάν (in Greek). epikaira.gr. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  28. ↑ Πανίκος Χατζηλιασής : "Τους διαψεύσαμε όλους..." (in Greek). libero.fm. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  29. ↑ "GSP stadium". APOEL FC. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 ΠΑΝ.ΣΥ.ΦΙ (in Greek). APOEL FC. Retrieved 23 May 2008.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "To "79" ανήκει στους πορτοκαλί!" (in Greek). sentragoal.philenews.com. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  32. ↑ Πέρσι, φέτος και διαφορές (in Greek). Cyprus Football Association. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Το ΑΠΟΕΛ διέθεσε τα περισσότερα εισιτήρια (in Greek). APOEL FC. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  34. ↑ Η ξεχωριστή επίδοση του κόσμου (in Greek). APOEL FC. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "COMMERCIAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL AT GSP STADIUM". gsp.org.cy. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "22701 εισιτήρια...". kerkida.net. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  37. ↑ ΑΠΟΕΛ: Πέραν από 6000 χιλιάδες! (in Greek). Sigmalive. 8 December 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  38. ↑ "UEFA Champions League 2012: Lyon Holds Serve, Takes 1–0 Lead to Cyprus". World Soccer Reader. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  39. ↑ "Madrid make serene progress past APOEL". UEFA. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  40. ↑ "Squad 2014-15". APOEL FC. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  41. ↑ Πρόσληψη Π.Παπαπαναγή ως Αναλυτή αντιπάλων (in Greek). APOEL FC. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  42. ↑ Ανακοίνωση εταιρείας ΑΠΟΕΛ ΠΟΔΟΣΦΑΙΡΟ (ΔΗΜΟΣΙΑ) ΛΤΔ (in Greek). APOEL FC. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  43. ↑ Πρόσληψη Τεχνικού Διευθυντή Ακαδημιών (in Greek). APOEL FC. 8 June 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  44. ↑ http://www.apoel.net/apoel2/soccer/previousPlayers.shtml
  45. ↑ "David Esser". truegreats.com. 16 April 2008. Archived from the original on 30 March 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
  46. ↑ Προηγούμενοι προπονητές (in Greek). apoel.net. 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  47. ↑ "Presidents" (in Greek). APOEL FC. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  48. ↑ "UEFA Cup Winners' Cup – Season 1963–1964 – Preliminary round". UEFA. 16 January 2000. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  49. ↑ "UEFA Cup Winners' Cup – Season 1997–1998 – Qualifying round". UEFA. 16 January 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  50. ↑ "UEFA Cup Winners' Cup – Season 1963–1964 – First Round". UEFA. 16 January 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  51. ↑ "APOEL FC – History". UEFA. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2014.

External links