APOEL FC
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| Full name | Άθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Θρύλος (Legend) | ||
| Founded | 1926 | ||
| Ground | Neo GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus | ||
| Capacity | 23,404 | ||
| Chairman |  Kyriacos Zivanaris | ||
| Manager |  Marinos Ouzounidis | ||
| League | Cypriot First Division | ||
| 2006-07 | 1st | ||
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APOEL FC (Greek: ΑΠΟΕΛ; Aθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Eλλήνων Λευκωσίας, Athlitikos Podosfairikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias, Hellenic Athletic Football (Soccer) Team of Nicosia) is a Cypriot multisport club, based in Nicosia, Cyprus. With an overall tally of 19 league plus 18 cup titles APOEL is the most successful football team in the country.
History
Founded on November 8, 1926 as POEL (standing for Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias, or, Football Club of the Greeks of Nicosia), the club is a founding member of the Cyprus Football Federation. 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 all the Greeks of the capital and whose base would be in Nicosia. The meeting took place at a traditional confectionery, owned by Charalambos Hadjioannou, down town in Ledra Street and the first president of the club was Giorgos Poulias.
After a journey to the football (soccer) 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'.
In 1934, APOEL played a constructive role and helped immensely in setting up the Cyprus Football Association and was one of the founding members. Two years later the APOEL football team celebrated its first championship title of the official Cyprus football league, the first of many trophies APOEL would celebrate in the years ahead. Politics, however, would soon spark conflict within the team and in 1948 the club was divided over its position regarding the Greek Civil War. This led to the withdrawal of certain members and athletes of the club who went on to create Omonia Nicosia Football Club in 1948. This newly created team was to become the arch rival of APOEL and until today there has been a traditional animosity between the fans of the two teams.
More conflicts led to further struggles for APOEL. Athletes belonging to the club frequently participated in national clashes. During the 1955-59 national up-rise 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 Michalakis Karaolis who was hanged by the British colonial authorities. It was during this period that the APOEL football team had their closest brush with relegation as most of their football players were actively taking part in the national struggle.
The football team were quickly back to full strength, however, and made their debut appearance in European Competitions (the first not only for APOEL but for any Cypriot team) in 1963, when they faced the Norwegian team Gjovik 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.
Other triumphs followed in the early 1970s. In 1973 the domestic double was achieved with coach Panos Markovic. The following year APOEL became the first Cypriot team to avoid relegation from the pan-Hellenic Greek Championship (Until the mid-1970s the champions of Cyprus played in the Greek Football League the next year). From 1974 till today APOEL counts 8 Championships (1980, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2007), 10 Cups (1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2005) and 6 Super Cups (1984, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2002). From 1936 till 2005 APOEL counts 45 titles: 19 Championships, 18 Cups and 8 Super Cups.
1973 also saw triumphs for the basketball side of APOEL, who gained their first trophy by winning the national cup. Three years later in 1976 they succeeded in winning the first basketball championship. The volleyball side of the club experienced their most successful period between 1979 and 1985 when they won six championships and five cups. APOEL achieved a celebratory double in 1995/96, the season of their 70th anniversary, by winning the national championship, finishing unbeaten in the process, as well as winning the basketball championship. Most recently, in 2002, the football team embarked on an impressive European run, playing ten games before being knocked out, an impressive feat for a Cypriot club.
Current squad
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 2007/08 season
In:
Nuno Morais - Signed in Summer Period from Chelsea FC
Jane Nikolovski - Signed in Summer Period from Maccabi Herzliya
Emerson - Signed in Summer Period from AEK Athens FC
Out:
Rónald Gómez - Free in Summer Period- Marios Neophytou - Signed in Summer Period with AEK Larnaca FC
- Giannakis Sampson - Signed in Summer Period with AEL Limassol FC
Esteban Solari - Signed in Summer Period with UNAM Pumas- Stelios Okkaridis - Signed in Summer Period with Apollon Limassol FC
- Panagiotis Kithreotis - Signed in Summer Period with ASIL Lisis FC
Technical Team
- Manager: Marinos Ouzounidis
- Assistant Manager: Loukas Hadjiloukas
Goalkeeper's Coach: Foto Strakosha- Fittness Coach: Peter Papapetrou
- Team Doctor: Dr Costas Shizas
Selected Former Players
Selected Former Managers
- Ioannis Matzourakis
- Nikos Alefantos
- Georgios Paraschos
- Takis Lemonis
Kurt Jara
Hristo Bonev
Dušan Uhrin
Ray Wood- Mike Walker
Werner Lorant
Béla Guttmann
Jacek Gmoch- Jerzy Engel
Achievements
Football
- Cypriot Championship (19 in total): 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1965, 1973, 1980, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2007
- Cyprus Cup (18 in total): in 1937, 1941, 1947, 1951, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2006
- Cyprus FA Shield (8 in total): 1963, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002,
Basketball
- Cyprus Championships (8 in total): 1976, 1979, 1981, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002
- Cyprus Cups (11 in total): 1973, 1979, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2003
- Cyprus Supercups (7 in total): 1972, 1976, 1986, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998
Volleyball
- Cyprus Championships (7 in total):1971, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985
- Cyprus Cups (5 in total): 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985
Records
- Record League win - 17-1 (vs Aris Limassol 1966-67)
- Record League defeat - 6-1 (vs Nea Salamina 1997-98)
- Record defeat - 16-1 (vs Sporting Clube de Portugal 1963-64)
UEFA Rankings
Current Club Ranking
Current Country Ranking
- 25
Slovakian League - 26
Croatian League - 27 Cypriot League
- 28
Swedish League - 29 Slovenian League
- Full List