AEK Athens F.C.

Further information: A.E.K. (sports club)

A.E.K.

File:AEK Athens.svg
Full name	Athlitiki Enosis Konstantinoupoleos
Nickname(s)	Enosis (Union) Dikefalos Aetos (Double-Headed Eagle) Kitrinomavroi (Yellow-Blacks)
Founded	13 April 1924 (1924-04-13)
Ground	Olympic Stadium
Capacity	69,618
Owner	Dimitris Melissanidis
Chief Director	Dušan Bajević
Head Coach	Traianos Dellas
League	Football League
2013–14	Football League 2, 1st (Group 6)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Athlitiki Enosis Konstantinoupoleos (Greek: Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, Athletic Union of Konstantinoúpolis) is a Greek association football club based in Athens.

Established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War, A.E.K. is one of the more successful clubs in Greek football, winning 29 national titles (including 11 Championships, 14 Greek Cups, 1 League Cup and 3 Super Cups) and the team has regularly appeared in European (UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League) competitions. AEK is a member of the European Club Association.

The club was relegated from the Greek Superleague after the 2012–13 season for the first time in its history. In an effort to discharge the immense debt created by years of mismanagement, its directors chose for the team to compete in the third tier Football League 2 for the 2013-14 season, thus turning the club into an amateur club.

History

Main article: History of A.E.K. Athens F.C.

The team of 1925.

The large Greek population of Constantinople, not unlike those of the other Ottoman urban centres, continued its athletic traditions in the form of numerous athletic clubs. Clubs such as Enosis Tataoulon (Ένωσις Ταταούλων) from the Tatavla district, Megas Alexandros (Μέγας Αλέξανδρος) of Vathyriakos, Hermes (Ερμής – Ermis) of Galata, Olympias (Ολυμπιάς) of Therapia, and Kati Kioi (Κατί Κίοϊ) of Chalcedon existed to promote Hellenic athletic and cultural ideals. These were amongst a dozen Greek-backed clubs that dominated the sporting landscape of the city in the years preceding World War I. After the war, with the influx of mainly French and English soldiers to Constantinople, many of the city clubs participated in regular competition with teams formed by the foreign troops. Taxim, Pera and Tatavla became the scene of weekly competitions in not only football, but of athletics, cycling, boxing and tennis.

Of the clubs in the city, though, football was dominated by Enosis Tataoulon and Hermes. Hermes, one of the more popular clubs, was formed in 1875 by the Greek community of Pera (Galata). Forced to change its name to Pera Club in 1921, many of its athletes, and those of most other sporting clubs, fled during the population exchanges at the end of the Greco-Turkish War, and settled in Athens and Thessaloniki.

1924–1939

Kostas Negrepontis

File:Kleanthis-maropoulos.jpg

Kleanthis Maropoulos

In 1924, a group of Constantinopolitan refugees (among them athletes from Pera Club and the other Constantinopolitan clubs) met at the athletic shop of Emilios and Menelaos Ionas on Veranzerou Street, in the center of Athens, and established AEK.

The founders of AEK established the club with the intention of providing athletic and cultural diversions for the thousands of predominantly Constantinopolitan and Anatolian refugees who had settled in the new suburbs of Athens (predominantly Nea Filadelfeia, Nea Ionia, Nea Chalkidona, Nea Smyrni).

A.E.K. F.C. first football team

GK: N. Kitsos, DF: Ieremiadis, DF: T. Asderis, MF: Kehayas, MF: Paraskevas, MF: Dimopoulos, MF: Karagiannidis, FW: Baltas, FW: Milas, FW: Iliadis, FW: Georgiadis. The first match was against Aias Athinon in November 1924 and A.E.K. won it with 2–0.

AEK's football team grew rapidly in popularity during the year 1920s, eclipsing the already-established Athens-based refugee clubs (Panionios, Apollon Smyrnis), 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 Olympian Zeus and the Leoforos Alexandras 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' sports activities. 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 70 years, the Nikos Goumas Stadium. The first home game, in November 1930, was an exhibition match against Olympiacos Piraeus 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 P.O.K. (acronym for Podosfairikes Omades Kentrou – English: Football Teams of the Centre meaning the centre of Greece, Athens). 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 Thessalonikis 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 the Greek Championship in 1940. With English coach Jack Beby 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.

AEK won also the Athens regional championship of 1950, but the playoff games for the Pan-Hellenic title were not played, due to many players being called up for a prolonged training camp for the national team.

The early 1950s saw the addition of the next generation of star footballers in Giannis Kanakis, Andreas Stamatiadis, and goalkeeper 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

File:AEK lineup 1962-63.jpg

AEK lineup in 1962-63

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, levelling the scores at 3–3 and giving AEK its first post-war championship title on goal aggregate. Coached by Hungarian-German Jenő Csaknády, the championship team also consisted of veterans Nestoridis, 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 on papers, and with the 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, Alekos Iordanou, Nikos Stathopoulos and Andreas Papaemmanouil, AEK won the championship with relative ease, and became the first Greek football club to reach the quarter-final of European Champions Cup. The addition of goalkeeper Stelios Konstantinidis and Apostolos Toskas reinforced the team and allowed AEK to take its fifth championship title in 1971. AEK won also the unofficial Super-Cup of 1971 beating Olympiacos 4–2 on penalty kicks, after 2 draws of 2–2 at Piraeus and 1–1 at Nea Filadelfia (normal time). Mavros, Eleutherakis and Ardizoglou were part of the AEK outfit that dominated the Greek league in the late 1970s.

Dušan Bajević

Loukas Barlos took over the presidency of AEK in 1974, and with the help of Czech-Dutch coach Frantisek Fadrhonc built one of the finest teams in the club's history. The Barlos "Golden Era" saw 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, Bosnian Dušan Bajević, Takis Nikoloudis, Stefanos Theodoridis, Christos Itzoglou, Nikos Christidis. Stelios Manolas was the mainstay in AEK's defence from 1980 to 1998.

Captained by Papaioannou, 1976–1977 saw AEK reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup competition, the first Greek football club to do so. Beating FC Dynamo Moscow (Russia) 2–0, Derby County F.C. (U.K.) 2–0 and 3–2, Red Star Belgrade (Yugoslavia) 2–0, and QPR (U.K.) 3–0 and 7–6 on penalties, AEK were eventually eliminated by Gianni Agnelli’s Juventus FC. Juventus went on to win their first European title.

It was during this period that AEK signed one of Greece's finest strikers, Thomas Mavros. He was an integral part of the team that reached the UEFA Cup semi finals in 1976, but it was his devastating form (top goal scorer of 1978 and 1979 – 22 and 31 goals, respectively) that helped AEK take the 1978 Championship-Cup double. The addition of former Panathinaikos FC stars Dimitris Domazos and Kostas Eleutherakis 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 (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

Vassilios Tsiartas

With new president Michalis Arkadis and Austrian head coach Helmut Senekowitsch, AEK won the 1983 Greek Cup, beating PAOK FC 2–0 in the newly built Athens Olympic Stadium. Thomas Mavros and 21-year-old captain Vangelis Vlachos were the goalscorers.

Mirosław Okoński

AEK also chased the elusive Championship title and it finally came in 1989. Coached by former player Dušan Bajević, 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. AEK won also the Greek Super-Cup of 1989, beating Panathinaikos on penalties, (normal time 1–1).

After the 1989 triumphs, under Bajević, AEK built what was to become one of the most successful teams in its history. Led by Stelios Manolas, the team, which included Toni Savevski, Daniel Batista, Vaios Karagiannis, Vasilis Dimitriadis, Giorgos Savvidis, Alekos Alexandris and Refik Šabanadžović dominated the Greek league through the 1990s with three successive Championship titles (1992, 1993, 1994). AEK also won the Greek League Cup of 1990 (beating Olympiakos 3–2).

In 1994–1995 AEK was the first Greek football club that participated in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League after defeating Scottish champions Rangers FC; AEK was eliminated by Ajax Amsterdam and AC Milan, who made it to the final. With Michalis Trochanas as president and Dušan Bajević as coach, the club won the 1996 Greek Cup.

Former player Petros Ravousis took over the coaching position when Dušan Bajević defected to Pireaus-based rivals Olympiacos at the end of 1996, and led the team to its second Super-Cup (August 1996), beating Panathinaikos on penalties, and to its eleventh Cup title in 1997, again beating Panathinaikos on penalties. By far AEK's most successful run with titles, the period also saw AEK sign talented players in Demis Nikolaidis, Christos Kostis, Vassilis 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 FC to sign for his beloved club. During seasons 1996–1997 and 1997–1998, AEK progressed to the Quarter-Final of the European Cup Winners' Cup.

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.

21st century

Traianos Dellas

AEK won its twelfth Cup title in 2000 under Coach Giannis Pathiakakis, defeating Ionikos 3–0 in the final. The club continued its consistency in the Championship of 2001–02 finishing second by goal aggregate to Olympiacos, and beating Olympiakos in the Greek Cup final.

Dusan Bajevic returned as coach in the summer of 2002, a move that sparked open hostility towards Bajevic from a section of AEK supporters. Under Bajevic, AEK progressed through the qualifying rounds in the 2002 UEFA Champions League by eliminating APOEL FC. Drawn in Group A with AS Roma, Real Madrid, and Racing Genk, AEK drew all their games and were knocked out of the competition. Off the field, AEK's home stadium for over 70 years, Nikos Goumas Stadium, was demolished and 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 was let on free transfer by mutual consent to Atlético Madrid. Unable to cope with the negativity from a large section of AEK fans, Bajević resigned in 2004 during a match against Iraklis.

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 both Kostas Katsouranis and Nikos Lymperopoulos remained, Vassilis Borbokis, Grigorios Georgatos, Theodoros Zagorakis, Michalis Kapsis, Michalis Kasapis, Michel Kreek, Vassilis Lakis, Vassilis Tsiartas, and Ioannis Okkas all left the club in the wake of the troubles.

In 2003 Demis Nikolaidis and other significant AEK followers formed a supporters' club Enosis 1924 (Union 1924) in order to motivate all AEK supporters into taking up the club's shares and governance. The project was not fully realised because, in the meantime, businessmen decided to buy shares and invest money to the club. However, until today, Enosis 1924's chairman is member of the AEK F.C. board.

In 2004, on the back of strong AEK fan support, Demis Nikolaidis, at the head of a consortium of businessmen, bought out the beleaguered club and became the new president. His primary task was to lead AEK out of its precarious financial position. The first success was an arrangement through the Greek justice system to write off most of the massive debt that previous club administrators had amassed, and to repay any remaining public debts in manageable installments.

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 Ivić 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 to strengthen a depleted team. Led by the experienced Katsouranis and Lymperopoulos, and featuring Brazilian Júlio César, the club made it to the Greek Cup final for seventh time in 13 years but lost to Olympiacos with 3–0, finished second in the Championship, and in the process, secured a place in the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League. For the 2006–07 season, former Real Betis coach Llorenç Serra Ferrer was appointed to the coaching position after Fernando Santos's contract was not renewed.

Ismael Blanco

By beating Hearts over both legs (2–1 in Scotland and 3–0 in Greece), AEK progressed to the group stage of Champions-League, the club obtained a total of 8 points, having beaten AC Milan 1–0, Lille 1–0, and managing two draws with Anderlecht (1–1 in Greece and 2–2 in Belgium). AEK finished second in the Greek Super League, qualifying again for the 3rd round in the UEFA Champions League.

For the 2007/08 season AEK changed kit sponsors from adidas to Puma, they have played with Sevilla FC in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, the 1st leg has been played on 15 August, away at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán when AEK was defeated by 2 goals and the 2nd leg played on 3 September at the Athens Olympic Stadium where AEK lost again by 1–4.

In 2008, AEK completed the signings of Brazilian legend Rivaldo after he was left free from Olympiacos, Rodolfo Arruabarrena, Charis Pappas and Argentine striker Ismael Blanco. Traianos Dellas was rewarded with a new contract, keeping him at the club until summer 2009. On 25 August the Super League and EPO decided to postpone the opening season's games due to the fire disaster in the Peloponnese.,

After being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, AEK were drawn to play FC Salzburg in the UEFA Cup. On 20 September in Athens, AEK defeated FC Salzburg 3–0. The second leg was played in Salzburg on 4 October AEK lost the match but still went through 3–1 on agg. On 9 October AEK were drawn in Group C in the UEFA Cup group stage along with Villarreal, Fiorentina, Mladá Boleslav, and Elfsborg. On 25 October AEK kicked off the group stage's with a 1–1 draw away to Elfsborg, on 29 November AEK again drew 1–1,this time at home to Fiorentina. On 5 December AEK won Mlada Boleslav 1–0 away and on 20 December although AEK was home defeated 1–2 by Villarreal CF, finally booked a place in the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup, finishing third in the group. They were then drawn against Getafe CF in the third round (phase of 32). AEK has been advanced to the third round of UEFA Cup, for second consecutive season.

On 12 February AEK parted company with Llorenç Serra Ferrer after a poor run of form and un-successful signings and replaced him with former player Nikos Kostenoglou, on a caretaker basis, at the end of an indifferent season. The team initially finished in first place in the league, but after the court case between Apollon Kalamaria and Olympiacos for the illegal usage of a player in the 1–0 Apollon Kalamaria win earlier in the season, Olympiacos were awarded the 3 points in a court hearing, thus finishing 2 points ahead of AEK. AEK president Demis Nikolaidis and several other managers and chairmen have been angered with the court's decision, stating that the Hellenic Football Federation knew about the usage of the illegal player prior to the game and had indeed issued a registration (blue card) but didn't do anything about it. Rival Panathinaikos challenged this result at the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) with no success, as the Hellenic Federation did not support the claim. Giorgos Donis was appointed head coach of AEK on 14 May.

His reign at the club did not go well. It all began when AEK failed to surpass AC Omonia in the UEFA Cup second qualifying round, meaning there elimination from European competitions for the season. Key player Rivaldo asked to leave the club to sign for Bunyodkor on 27 August.

File:Scocco.jpg

Nacho Scocco

The league campaign started very well after a win over rivals Panathinaikos in the opening game of the season, but poor performances and results from then on left AEK in a difficult situation. Head coach Giorgos Donis was eager to leave the club, but president Demis Nikolaidis did not allow him to leave. Nevertheless, Nikolaidis left due to these disappointing results and after a controversy with the clubs supporters Original 21, leaving temporarily the presidency to member of the D.C., Nikos Koulis and Takis Kanellopoulos.

However, the series of disappointing results continued, bringing anger and insecure situations for everyone in the team. The first to be hit by this wave of disappointment and with the council of the team upset, was the coach Giorgos Donis, who was asked to leave the team. On 21 November 2008, AEK hired Dušan Bajević as head coach for the third time. However, after a while, Takis Kanellopoulos left the team, as he sparked a rivalry with Bajević.

On 4 February 2009, Nikos Thanopoulos was elected as the 41st president of AEK FC. Bajevic brought some much-needed stability to the club, and performances on the pitch improved vastly towards the end of the season, culminating in AEK's progression to the Greek Cup final against Olympiacos which was played on 2 May 2009 at Athens Olympic Stadium. AEK lost in the final 14–15 on penalties. AEK finished the regular season at 4th position, thus qualifying for the season's playoff's, in which they eventually finished second, just missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification.

In the summer transfer period of 2010, AEK, despite being low on budget, manage to reinforce its ranks with many notable players. Club idols Nikos Liberopoulos and Traianos Dellas signed the last 1-year contract of their careers, and many new and experienced players signed to AEK, the most notable of whom were Papa Bouba Diop, Cristian Nasuti and Christos Patsatzoglou amongst others. AEK qualified for the 2010–2011 Europa League group stage after defeating Dundee United 2–1 on aggregate.

On 7 October 2010, Manolo Jiménez took over from Dušan Bajević at AEK Athens after he stepped down as AEK manager, agreeing to a two-year deal.

On 30 April 2011, AEK won the Greek Cup for 14th time, by defeating 3–0 Atromitos FC at the final.

To compensate the departures of Nacho Scocco, Papa Bouba Diop, Sebastian Saja and Ismael Blanco in the summer of 2011 A.E.K. signed amongst others the captain of Iceland's Eiður Guðjohnsen and the Colombian international Fabián Vargas. Due to financial problems on 25 June 2012 A.E.K.'s legend Thomas Mavros took club's management and on 1 August 2012 became president in an effort to save the club from financial disaster. Many other A.E.K. former players like Vassilis Tsiartas, Mimis Papaioannou, Kostas Nestoridis, Christos Kostis, Vangelis Vlachos, Christos Arvanitis, Giorgos Karafeskos, were hired to help the club return to previous glory days. Due to the bad results in 30 September 2012 Vangelis Vlachos was fired and Ewald Lienen hired as A.E.K.'s head coach. On 9 April 2013 Ewald Lienen was fired after disappointing results and AEK hired as head coach Traianos Dellas, with Vassilis Borbokis and Akis Zikos for assistants.

On 19 April 2013, a Super League disciplinary committee voted to dock AEK three points and award Panthrakikos a 3–0 win, after fans stormed the pitch and chased players from the field during the AEK-Panthrakikos match on 14 April 2013. As a result, AEK was relegated from the Super League to the Football League for the first time in its history. In addition, AEK will start their Football League campaign on minus 2 points.

However in June 7, 2013 after an AEK Athens council, it was decided that A.E.K. F.C. would become an amateur club and they would not participate in the Football League division for the season 2013-14.The club "self" relegated and would participate to the amateur Football League 2 division. On the same day Dimitrios Melissanidis became president of the club, under the supervision of AEK Athens Sports Club, who returned to help the club.

AEK managed to win easily the sixth group of the amateur Football League 2 division with a record of 23 wins, 3 draws and only one defeat. Thus, AEK will participate in the Football League (Greece) division for the season 2014-15.

Colours and kit

AEK's first home colours, used from 1924 until c.1927.

2011–12

2010–11

2009–10

2008–09

File:AEK shirt.jpg

AEK's shirt history

The colours of yellow and black were adopted from AEK's connections with Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire.

AEK have always worn predominantly yellow shirts (striped or plain), black shorts, and yellow or black socks. The only exception has been in the unusual, but notable, Kappa kits of the 1990s (which featured a double-headed eagle across the kit), or in recent years, mainly in European competitions, when the club has worn an all-yellow kit.

AEK's traditional away colours are all-black or all-white; on a few occasions, the club has introduced a light blue, a grey, and even a dark scarlet kit as a third kit.

AEK's current kit is manufactured by Puma, which is contracted to supply the club's kit from 2007 to 2014. Their previous kit manufacturer were Diadora, Kappa, Nike and Adidas. AEK's first shirt sponsor was Citizen (1982–83), followed by Nissan (1983–85), Ethniki Asfalistiki and Phoenix Asfaleies (1988–96), Geniki Bank (1996–98), Firestone (1999), Marfin (1999–2001), Alpha Digital (2001–02), Piraeus Bank (2002–04), which caused controversy because it was situated in Pireaus – home of fierce rivals Olympiacos, TIM (2004–06), LG with Chevrolet on the sleeves, Forthnet on the shorts and Diners Club on the back (2006–09) and 2009–2010 was Diners Club. AEK's current shirt sponsor for 2010–2013 is OPAP and International Service on the back of the shirt.

Crest

Emblem of the Palaiologos dynasty and the Byzantine Empire

Greek Orthodox Church flag

In 1924, AEK adopted as their emblem the image of a double-headed eagle (Δικέφαλος Αετός – Dikefalos Aetos). When AEK was created by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the years following the Greco-Turkish War and subsequent population exchange, the emblem and colours (yellow & black) were chosen as a reminder of lost homelands; they represent the club's historical ties to Constantinople. After all, the double-headed eagle is featured in the flag of the Greek Orthodox Church, whose headquarters are in Constantinople, and served as Imperial emblem under the Palaiologos dynasty.

AEK's main emblem underwent numerous minor changes between 1924 and 1982. The design of the eagle on the shirt badge was often not identical to the design of the eagle depicted on official club correspondence, merchandise and promotional material. All designs were considered "official" (in the broadest sense of the word), however, it was not until 1982 that an identifiable, copyrighted design was established as the club's official, and shirt, badge. The emblem design was changed in 1989, and again in 1993 to the current shield design.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
1976–82	Adidas	—
1982–83		Citizen
1983–85	Zita Hellas	Nissan
1985–89		Ethniki Asfalistiki
1989–93	Diadora
1993–95	Basic	Phoenix Asfaleies
1995–96	Kappa	Ethniki Asfalistiki
1996–98		Geniki Bank
1999		Firestone
1999–00		Marfin Investment Group
2000–01	Nike
2001–02		Alpha Digital
2002–04		Piraeus Bank
2004		TIM
2005–06	Adidas
2006–07		LG
2007–08	Puma
2009–10		Diners Club
2010–		OPAP

Stadium

File:Gipedo aek nikos goumas.jpg

Nikos Goumas Stadium.

OAKA, Athens' Olympic Stadium.

Main articles: Nikos Goumas Stadium, Olympic Stadium (Athens), and AEK Arena

Nikos Goumas Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Nea Filadelfeia ("New Philadelphia"), a northwestern suburb of Athens, Greece. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home stadium of AEK Athens FC. It was named after a one-time club president, Nicholas Goumas, who contributed to its building and later upgrading. Since the demolition in 2003 of one of the most historical home grounds in Greece the Nikos Goumas Stadium – AEK's home ground since 1930, the club plays its home games at the 70,000-capacity "Spiridon Louis" (Athens Olympic Stadium) in Athens. The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens, also known as OAKA, is one of the most complete European athletic complexes.

The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens hosted the Mediterranean Games in 1991, the World Championship in Athletics in 1997, the 1994 and 2007 UEFA Champions League Finals well as other important athletic and cultural events, the most significant of which remains the Summer Olympics in 2004.

Stadium name	Capacity	Years
Agia Sofia Stadium	33,000	1928–03, 2015–present
Athens Olympic Stadium	69,618	1985–87, 2004–present

Records

Record home attendance – 74,473 v. Panathinaikos, 23 May 1986

Training facility

AEK Athens training complex in Spata is the most expensive, the most new and one of the 3 biggest training centers in Greece. There are 3 regular pitches and one in synthetic grass. The main building of the centre hosting amongst many others the team's offices, a press room and the players rooms. The training ground houses both AEK Athens first team and Reserves.AEK moved to the complex on November 2010.

Affiliated clubs

• Beyoğlu SK (Pera Club)
• A.S. Livorno Calcio
• Olympique de Marseille

Supporters and rivalries

Supporters

AEK Athens has a large fanbase, the majority of AEK supporters are refugees or of refugee descent from Constantinople and the forced population exchange of the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1923. Original 21 is the largest AEK Athens supporters club. The first attempt to organise AEK supporters was Gate 21 (formed in 1975), which took its name from the gate in the Nikos Goumas Stadium, Nea Filadelfia, where the most hardcore fans gathered. AEK Athens have also many supporters worldwide, most of them Greek immigrants, in places as North America, England, Australia and Cyprus.

File:Original21AEK.jpg

A.E.K. F.C. fans in Athens Olympic Stadium

Supporters friendships

There is a strong relationship between AEK Athens and AS Livorno, and Olympique Marseille,. A.E.K. fans often lift banners and create choreography in support of the fellow teams. A so-called "triangle of brotherhood" has developed between the most heavily supported fan clubs of Olympique de Marseille, Livorno, and AEK Athens, namely between Commando Ultras 84, Brigate Autonome Livornesi 99, and Original 21.

In 25 April 2013, Fenerbahçe S.K. fans arose a banner supporting AEK Athens, saying "AEK, ΚΡΑΤΑ ΓΕΡΑ", meaning "AEK, hold on tightly". The clubs are also connected by the Greek star, Lefter Küçükandonyadis, who played in both teams. However, it is not confirmed whether the clubs have a brotherhood.

Rivalries

Main articles: A.E.K.–Panathinaikos rivalry, Olympiacos–A.E.K. rivalry, and Double-headed eagles derby

A.E.K. F.C.'s biggest rivalries are with Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. Against neighbours Panathinaikos they contest the Athens local football derby. The rivalry started not only because of both competing for the title but also because of the refugee ancestry of AEK Athens fans and, by contrast, the fact that Panathinaikos was considered the classic representative of Athenian high class society. The rivalry with Olympiacos stems from the rivalry between two of the most successful Greek football clubs . The rivalry was particularly inflammed after the 1996 season when AEK former star player and then manager Dusan Bajevic, moved to Olympiacos.

Relationships with other clubs

A.E.K. F.C. has links with many football clubs in Greece and in other countries where Greek immigrants live, for example A.E.K. London Ontario and A.E.K. Olympians F.C. in Canada, A.E.K. Waverley Wanderers SC in Australia,A.E.K. Beloiannisz in Hungary, A.E.K. Kouklia in Cyprus, A.E.K. Archaggelou, A.E.K. Chanion, A.E.K. Argous, A.E.K. Patron, A.E.K. Kalamatas, A.E.K. Kavalas, A.E.K. Agiou Konstantinou, A.E.K. Tripolis and A.E.K. Katsaba Iraklion in Greece. The club also has a football academy in collaboration with Bankstown Berries F.C. in Sydney.

European notable matches

Notable matches Season Match Score Champions League / European Cup 1971-72 AEK Athens - Inter 3 – 2 1978-79 AEK Athens - Porto 6 – 1 1989-90 AEK Athens - Dynamo Dresden 5 – 3 1992-93 AEK Athens - PSV 1 – 0 1994-95 Rangers - AEK Athens 0 – 1 1994-95 AEK Athens - Rangers 3 – 0 1994-95 AEK Athens - Milan 0 – 0 2002-03 AEK Athens - Real Madrid 3 – 3 2002-03 Real Madrid - AEK Athens 2 – 2 2002-03 AEK Athens - Roma 0 – 0 2002-03 Roma - AEK Athens 1 – 1 2003-04 AEK Athens - Deportivo La Coruña 1 – 1 2006-07 AEK Athens - Milan 1 – 0 Cup Winners' Cup 1964-65 AEK Athens - Dinamo Zagreb 2 – 0 1996-97 PSG - AEK Athens 0 – 0 Europa League / UEFA Cup 1976-77 AEK Athens - Dynamo Moscow 2 – 0 1976-77 Derby County - AEK Athens 2 – 3 1976-77 AEK Athens - QPR 3 – 0 1985-86 AEK Athens - Real Madrid 1 – 0 1988-89 AEK Athens - Bilbao 1 – 0 2000-01 Bayer Leverkusen - AEK Athens 4 – 4 2000-01 AEK Athens - Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 0 2001-02 AEK Athens - Inter 2 – 2 2009-10 AEK Athens - Benfica 1 – 0

Biggest wins Season Match Score Champions League / European Cup 1968-69 AEK Athens - Jeunesse Esch 3 – 0 1978-79 AEK Athens - Porto 6 – 1 2006-07 AEK Athens - Hearts 3 – 0 Cup Winners' Cup 1996-97 AEK Athens - Olimpija Ljubljana 4 – 0 1997-98 AEK Athens - Dinaburg 5 – 0 Europa League / UEFA Cup 1976-77 AEK Athens - QPR 3 – 0 1977-78 AEK Athens - ASA Târgu Mureş 3 – 0 1998-99 AEK Athens - Ferencváros 4 – 0 1999-00 AEK Athens - Torpedo Kutaisi 6 – 1 2000-01 AEK Athens - Herfølge 5 – 0 2001-02 AEK Athens - Grevenmacher 6 – 0 2002-03 AEK Athens - Maccabi Haifa 4 – 0 2002-03 Maccabi Haifa - AEK Athens 1 – 4 2007-08 AEK Athens - Red Bull Salzburg 3 – 0 2009-10 AEK Athens - Vaslui 3 – 0

• A.E.K. Athens in Europe

Domestic Trophies and European Achievements

Domestic

League

• Super League Greece
  • Champions (11): 1939, 1940, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994
• Football League 2
  • Champions (1): 2014

Cups

• Greek Cup
  • Winners (14): 1932, 1939, 1949, 1950, 1956, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1983, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2011
• Athens FCA Championship (4):

1940, 1946, 1947, 1950

• Greek Super Cup (3):

1971 (unofficial), 1989, 1996

• Greek League Cup (1):

1990

European competitions

• Finalist in Balkans Cup (1) : 1967
• Semi-finalist in UEFA Cup (1) : 1977
• Quarter-Finalist in European Champion Clubs' Cup (1) : 1969
• Quarter-Finalist in European Cup Winners Cup (2) : 1997, 1998

Players

First-team squad

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

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	GRE	Ilias Vouras
—	GK	GRE	Fotis Karagiolidis
—	GK	GRE	Panagiotis Ntounis
—	DF	GRE	Nikolaos Georgeas (captain)
—	DF	ITA	Bruno Cirillo
—	DF	GRE	Stavros Stathakis
—	DF	GRE	Anastasios Tsoumagas
—	DF	GRE	Kostas Tsoupros
—	DF	GRE	Sokratis Tsoukalas
—	DF	GRE	Stavros Petavrakis
—	DF	GRE	Nikolaos Argiriou
—	DF	GRE	Adam Tzanetopoulos
—	DF	CYP	Fotis Kezos
—	MF	ESP	Miguel Ángel Cordero
—	MF	GRE	Dimitris Anakoglou
—	MF	GRE	Vasilios Rovas

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	GRE	Vangelis Platellas
—	MF	ALB	Renaldo Rama
—	MF	GRE	Dimitris Grontis
—	MF	GRE	Enias Kalogeris
—	MF	GRE	Roberto Katsikas
—	MF	GRE	Orestis Paliaroutas
—	MF	GRE	Vasileios Tsevas
—	MF	SRB	Nikola Zivanovic
—	MF	GRE	Tryfonas Kazviropoulos
—	MF	BIH	Edin Murga
—	FW	BRA	Alexandre D'Acol
—	FW	CRO	Ivan Brečević
—	FW	CRO	Zdravko Popović
—	FW	GRE	Lambros Thanailakis
—	FW	GRE	Demetris Tzathas
—	FW	AUS	Alexander Novatsis

Out on loan

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

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	GRE	Petros Mantalos (at Skoda Xanthi)
—	MF	SEN	Ablaye Yare Faye (at Kallithea)
—	DF	ALB	Kledis Hereki (at Nea Ionia)

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	FW	ALB	Flosard Malci (at Nea Ionia)
—	DF	COD	Christoforos Duberet (at Peramaikos)
—	MF	GRE	Alexandros Dimgkiokas (at Peramaikos)

One-Club Men

Player	Nationality	Position	Debut	Last Match
Giorgos "Mageiras" Simos		MF	1931	1949
Kleanthis Maropoulos		FW	1934	1952
Andreas Stamatiadis		MF	1950	1969
Stelios Manolas		DF	1979	1998

-

Superleague Most appearances

No.	Player	Nationality	Games
1	Mimis Papaioannou		480
2	Stelios Manolas		447
3	Lakis Nikolaou		358
4	Toni Savevski		356
5	Thomas Mavros		325
6	Stelios Serafidis		300
7	Stelios Skevofilakas		293
8	Alekos Sofianidis		274
9	Andreas Stamatiadis		267
10	Kostas Nestoridis		207

Superleague most goals

No.	Player	Nationality	Games
1	Thomas Mavros		251
2	Mimis Papaioannou		233
3	Kostas Nestoridis		184
4	Demis Nikolaidis		125
5	Kostas Nikolaidis		94
6	Kleanthis Maropoulos		89
7	Nikos Liberopoulos		85
8	Vassilios Tsiartas		82
9	Vasilis Dimitriadis		81
10	Dusan Bajevic		65

Superleague top scorers

N°	Player	Nationality	Position	Year
5	Kostas Nestoridis		FW	1959-1963
3	Thomas Mavros		FW	1978, 1979, 1985
2	Vasilis Dimitriadis		FW	1992, 1993
2	Mimis Papaioannou		FW	1964, 1966
2	Ismael Blanco		FW	2008, 2009
1	Alexandros Alexandris		FW	1994
1	Nikos Liberopoulos		FW	2008
1	Kostas Vasiliou		FW	1939
1	Giorgos Dedes		FW	1976
1	Kleanthis Maropoulos		FW	1940
1	Demis Nikolaidis		FW	1999
1	Vassilios Tsiartas		MF	1996
1	Dusan Bajevic		F	1980
1	Henrik Nielsen		FW	1988

Notable former players

For former A.E.K. players with a Wikipedia article see Category:AEK Athens F.C. players

Ownership & Current Board

Role	Name
Owner	Dimitris Melissanidis
President & CEO	Manolis Aggelopoulos
Chief Executive	Alexis Dedes
Department Head	Dušan Bajević
Board Members	Vaggelis Aslanidis
Board Members	Petros Christodoulou
Board Members	Vagia Vrettakou
Board Members	Apostolos Poulovasilis
Board Members	Stergios Gatzoulas
Board Members	Ilias Livanis
Board Members	Kwstas Marinakis
Board Members	Giannis Olympios
Board Members	Fotis Papageorgiou
Board Members	Giorgos Skrekis

Coaching staff

Technical and Medical Staff & Academies Staff

Technical staff
Head coach	Traianos Dellas
Assistant coach	Vasilis Borbokis
Physical fitness coach	Antonis Kezos
Physical fitness coach	Dimitris Bouroutzikas
Goalkeeping coach	Kostas Kampolis
Team manager	Vasilis Dimitriadis
Technical Director	Nikos Liberopoulos
Scouter	Michalis Kasapis
Medical staff
Head of Medical team	Lakis Nikolaou
Team doctor	Alkiviadis Kalliakmanis
Team doctor	Panagiotis Alexandropoulos
Physiotherapist	Nikos Pantazis
Physiotherapist	Giannis Bouroutzikas
Physiotherapist	Nikos Siskas
Physiotherapist	Giorgos Zouridakis
Physiotherapist	Dionysis Egkarhos
Academies staff
Academies Director	Akis Zikos
Department Operations	Eric Buracchi
Head of Youth Development Program	Michalis Mitrotasios
General manager	Dimitris Serafidis
Fitness coach	Dimitris Stergiopoulos
Goalkeepers coach	Chrisostomos Michailidis
Under 18 coach	Charis Kopitsis
Under 17 coach	Aggelos Chatzopoulos
Under 17 assistant coach	Michalis Pavlis
Under 14-15 coach	Stavros Letsas
Under 12-13 coach	Stelios Orfanidis

Further information: List of AEK Athens F.C. managers

Key

* Served as Caretaker-manager.
† Served as caretaker manager before being appointed permanently.

Only competitive matches are counted. Wins, losses and draws are results at the final whistle; the results of penalty shootouts are not counted.

Notable managers

Name	Nat	From	To	Championships
				Cups
Kostas Negrepontis		1933 1937 1944 1955 1958	1936 1940 1948 1956 1959	2 Greek Leagues 1 Greek Cup
Jack Beby		1948	1951	2 Greek Cups
Mario Magnozzi		1951	1953	—
Tryfon Tzanetis[A]		1954 1956 1960 1965	1955 1957 1962 1966	—
Heinrich Müller		1963	1964	1 Greek Cup
Jenő Csaknády[A]		1962 1967	1963 1968	2 Greek League
Branko Stanković[A]		1968	1973	1 Greek League
Stan Anderson[A]		1973	1974	—
František Fadrhonc		1974	1977	—
Zlatko Čajkovski		1977 1982	1978 1982	1 Greek League 1 Greek Cup
Ferenc Puskás		1978	1979	—
Helmut Senekowitsch		1983	1983	1 Greek Cup
Giannis Pathiakakis		09/01/2000	24 January 2001	1 Greek Cup
Fernando Santos		2001 2004	2002 2006	1 Greek Cup
Llorenç Serra Ferrer		2006	2008	—
Dušan Bajević		1988 20 May 2002 21 November 2008	1996 25 January 2004 27 September 2010	4 Greek Leagues 1 Greek Cup 2 Greek League Cup 1 Greek Super Cup
Manolo Jiménez		06/10/2010	06/10/2011	1 Greek Cup

Chairmen

List of AEK Chairmen from 1924 to present

Name Year Sarantis Papadopoulos 1924 Konstantinos Spanoudis 1924-32 Alexandros Strogilos 1932-33 Konstantinos Sarifis 1933-35 Konstantinos Theofanidis 1935-37 Konstantinos Chrisopoulos 1937-38 Vassilios Fridas 1938-40 Emilios Ionas 1945-49 Spiridon Skouras 1949-50 Georgios Melas 1950-52 Eleftherios Venizelos 1952 Georgios Chrisafidis 1952-57 Nikolaos Goumas 1957-63 Name Year Alexandros Makridis 1963-66 Georgios Toubalidis 1966 Michail Trikoglou 1966-67 Emmanuil Calitsounakis 1967 Kosmas Kiriakidis 1967-68 Ilias Georgopoulos 1968-69 Georgios Chrisafidis 1969-70 Kosmas Chatzicharalabous 1970-73 Dimitrios Avramidis 1973 Ioannis Theodorakopoulos 1973-74 Loukas Barlos 1974-81 Andreas Zafiropoulos 1981-82 Michalis Arkadis 1982-83 Name Year Eleftherios Panagidis 1983-84 Andreas Zafiropoulos 1984-88 Efstratios Gidopoulos 1988-91 Konstantinos Generakis 1991-92 Dimitrios Melissanidis 1992-93 Ioannis Karras 1993-94 Dimitrios Melissanidis 1994-95 Michalis Trochanas 1995-97 Georgios Kiriopoulos 1997 Alexis Kougias 1997 Lakis Nikolaou 1997-98 Dimitrios Melissanidis 1998-99 Stefanos Mamatzis 1999-00 Name Year Cornelius Sierhuis 2000-01 Filonas Antonopoulos 2001 Petros Stathis 2001 Makis Psomiadis 2001-03 Ioannis Granitsas 2003-04 Demis Nikolaidis 2004-2008 Georgios Kintis 2008-09 Nikos Thanopoulos 2009-10 Stavros Adamidis 2010-12 Andreas Dimitrelos 2012 Thomas Mavros 2012 Andreas Dimitrelos 2012-13 Dimitrios Melissanidis 2013- Club anthem A.E.K.'s club anthem Empros tis A.E.K. pallikaria (Go on A.E.K. lads) was composed by Stelios Kazantzidis, and sung by Mimis Papaioannou, the lyrics were written by Christos Kolokotronis. In Greek ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ! Αναστενάζουν τα γκολπόστ και τα δοκάρια σπάζουν, της Ένωσης οι αετοί τα δίχτυα κομματιάζουν! Εμπρός της ΑΕΚ παλληκάρια σουτάρετε και σπάστε τα δοκάρια τα δίχτυα σκίστε, την δόξα κατακτήστε, νικήστε νικήστε νικήστε! Τα δίχτυα σκίστε, την δόξα κατακτήστε, νικήστε νικήστε νικήστε! ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ! Οι κυνηγοί σου κεραυνοί, βράχος η άμυνά σου και της Ρεάλ το φόβητρο έγινε τ’ όνομά σου! Εμπρός της ΑΕΚ παλληκάρια σουτάρετε και σπάστε τα δοκάρια τα δίχτυα σκίστε, την δόξα κατακτήστε, νικήστε νικήστε νικήστε! Τα δίχτυα σκίστε, την δόξα κατακτήστε, νικήστε νικήστε νικήστε! (δις)

English translation AEK, AEK, AEK! The goalposts sigh and the posts break, the Union's eagles tear the nets! Go AEK lads, shoot and break the posts tear the nets, achieve glory, win win win! tear the nets, achieve glory, win win win! AEK, AEK, AEK! Your attackers are lightning, your defence a rock, and your name brings fear to Real! Go AEK lads, shoot and break the posts tear the nets, achieve glory, win win win! tear the nets, achieve glory, win win win! (twice) References External links *Template:El icon Template:En icon A.E.K. F..C (Official website) A.E.K. Club Anthem A.E.K. F.C. uefa.com A.E.K. Athens Ultras Group A.E.K. ARENA.GR Εδώ παίζει η Α.Ε.Κ.! Template:El icon A.E.K. News A.E.K. History