Hellas Football

The Ethniki Omada has once again come into the spotlight with the inaugural draw of the UEFA Nations League (UNL) pitting us against Hungary, Finland and Estonia. After such a disappointing result in the World Cup playoff tie against Croatia, the Ethniki will be looking for a fresh start in one of world football’s most interesting new competitions. The UNL was created by UEFA to spice things up in international football with friendly games being deemed too drab and meaningless. Thus, the UNL was created with the aim of having more competitive fixtures to replace the friendlies. UEFA national teams have been divided into four leagues (A,B,C and D) based on existing coefficient rankings and were then drawn into groups of 3 or 4. The aim is to win the League however this can only be achieved by League A teams, whilst the other leagues play for relegation and promotion within the four-tiered UEFA pyramid. The inaugural UNL campaign will begin after the FIFA World Cup, in Septe

Just two seasons ago Panachaiki where relegated to the third division (under the nightmare ownership of Kougias), they where in disarray, disjointed, with players and coaches often changed and young players sold off too quickly (Plegas to Olympiakos for example) It was inevitable that the team would struggle in those conditions but getting knocked down to the third division seemed to wake the club up and moves where made in the right direction. None being more important then hiring Euro 2004 winner Kostas Katsouranis As the new technical director of the club. Katsouranis’ appointment in 2016 initiated many changes that where simple which gradually stabilised the club. None more so then starting a Panachaiki alliance which consisted of a group of businessmen from Patra having ownership shares in the team (About 15-20 people so far & with Katsouranis stating 35-50 would be the ideal number). Katsouranis has stated himself it was the main key to a succesfully run club since he'

When faced with difficulties or tough situations we tend to adapt or change whether by force or on our own. And for Panathinaikos this season that couldn't be more of the case. A club with a 110+ year history that throughout it all have always been at the top of the Greek League competing for titles or simply winning. Now they have been forced to live with a mid table place without much hope of something better with the current owner Alafouzos making a mess of things and now having distanced himself from the club (financially) making things worse. More importantly he's stopped funding the club completely putting the team in a situation where the only solution is to sell their best players in order to stay afloat and avoid punishment from FIFA, who usually doesn't take situations where players aren't getting paid very lightly.  ​ Panathinaikos' first football team in 1908 How the club got to this point is a story in itself, the club overspent several times to t

Just when AEK Athens thought their schedule couldn’t get tougher, the draw for the Quarter Finals of the Greek Cup has paired them with one of the toughest team they could get… 27 time Greek Cup winner and rival, OIympiakos. AEK’s schedule is immense with 9 games in 36 days thanks to progress in the Greek Cup and UEFA Europa League, a great situation to be in however depth and history will need to be strong and different. If that was not enough, what is ahead for Greek Football fans is something special, a 2 week Odyssey between AEK and Olympiakos as they play each other twice for the Cup, home and away, and sandwiched in between those two matches is a critical league match. The first leg of the Cup is this week on Wednesday night in Piraeus, the two teams have met frequently in the Greek Cup, especially of late, and only last season did the two Giants of Greek Football meet, on that occasion it was AEK that prevailed on away goals after AEK won 2-1 at the Karaiskakis, a

Original Badge When one talks of the big clubs in Greece, the “Big 4” are invariably mentioned. Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, AEK, PAOK and depending on your view, you might throw Aris in there to make a Big 5.  Panionios is not a name you generally hear of when this type of discussion takes place, but they are right up there if you want to talk of history, players, its contribution to Greek Football and its importance to Greece. Founded in 1890 as ( Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης) in the historic Greek city of Smyrna, Ionia (modern-day Izmir, now part of Turkey). The club had a strong tradition in all sports: athletics, gymnastics, cycling, tennis, football, swimming, shooting, fencing and were one of the first clubs to create volleyball & basketball divisions. Panionios was one of the biggest sporting institutions in all of Hellenism. By the 1920’s, it boasted great new facilities, a first-class gymnasium, a full-length running track, football fields, the fu

Was it right to remove Takis Lemonis from Olympiakos mid season?  Time will tell.  From the moment the rumour appeared that Oscar Garcia was being liked with the club we knew his time was up. He had done a great job picking up the pieces after the stuttering start Olympiakos had under Besnik Hasi and this seemed a bit too harsh for Lemonis who had the club sitting on the top of the table during the winter Christmas break.  Now being linked with a lucrative move to China we wish him well. I’m a betting man and if there was a market that gave odds Lemonis will be back managing the club in the future in an interim form I would put money on it too. So Oscar Garcia is there now and by all reports has been given an 18 month contract. The club craves European success, not necessarily winning the UCL or the UEL but making the knockout stages and hopefully going on a run afterwards. The questions that comes to mind,  Is it a smart move by the club going for a short term contract?

In a World Cup year where International teams become the focus for all the world to see one team that will be missing out is none other than Greece.  Greece's recent World Cup qualifying campaign has divided opinions. Some felt the team failed whilst others thought there was progress made after the disastrous Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. The truth is it probably lies somewhere in between. German Michael Skibbe has now been in charge since 2015 having taken over towards the end of our Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. His results have for the most part been good considering the mess he inherted. Regardless the coach is one of the main keys to success so it’s understandable that many will blame him. While the Greek Football Federation can do more to help (more on that later) and give the first team coach more resurces, the expectations are to win games so often veterans or players they trust are chosen to get results. With our National team that has often been the center of

Top 10 Chants in Greek Football By Nick Tsambouniaris, Greek ultras are known around the world for their passionate support. Atmospheres at games are electric to say the least as fans act as the 12 th man for their team. Here are my top 10 chants in Greek football with a hyperlink to the YouTube video of them being belted out in full glory. 10. AEK – RE BIN LADEN This cheeky party starter aimed at Olympiakos from AEK’s Original 21 makes it as number 10. As you can see in the below link, every single fan is jumping and singing along with purpose, making for a great atmosphere. 10. AEK – RE BIN LADEN 9. PAOK – IRTHAME SKASTOI APO TIN KLINIKI Gate 4 of PAOK are notoriously known for creating an intimidating atmosphere wherever they go. This particular chant gets extra points for its climax ending when the fans rise from the ground as one jumping all over the place. The chant itself is also funny and sums up the passion of Greek football fans in general as it says they