AEK Athens F.C.

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Further information: Athletic Union of Constantinople

AEK F.C.
Full name	PAE Athlitiki Enosis Konstantinoupoleos (Athletic Union of Constantinople F.C.)
Nickname(s)	Enosis (Union) Dikefalos Aetos (Double-Headed Eagle) Kitrinomavri (Yellow-Blacks)
Founded	April 13, 1924
Ground	Olympic Stadium Athens, Greece (Capacity 71,030 (all-seated)[1])
Chairman	Demis Nikolaidis
Manager	Giorgos Donis
League	Super League Greece (Σούπερ Λίγκα Ελλάδα)
2007-08	Super League Greece, 2nd
Home colours 　 Away colours
Current season

AEK F.C. (Greek: AEK - Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως – Athlitiki Enosis Konstantinoupoleos), the Athletic Union of Constantinople, known in European competitions as AEK Athens, is a Greek association football club based in the city of Athens, Greece. Established in Athens on April 13, 1924^[2] by Greek refugees from Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War, AEK has grown to become one of the most successful clubs in Greek football, winning 28 national titles (including 11 Championships, 13 Greek Cups, 1 League Cup, 2 Super Cups, 1 Pre-Mediterranean Cup)^[3] ,providing the Greek National Football Team with many of its star players, and continuously appearing in European (UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup) competitions, having participated in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1977. AEK is also a member of the European Club Association^[4] . The club currently competes in the Super League Greece^[5]

Contents 1 History 2 Crest 3 Colours 4 Stadium 5 Organised supporters 6 Feeder clubs 7 First-team squad 7.1 Players on loan 7.2 Foreign players 7.3 International players 7.4 Squad changes (2008/09) 8 Personnel 8.1 Technical staff 8.2 Board 9 Honours 10 Europe 10.1 Other notable records 10.2 UEFA club rankings 10.3 UEFA club competition record 11 Notable former players 12 Managerial history 13 Notable former managers 14 Chairmen history 15 Notable stats 16 Shirt sponsors and manufacturers 17 Club anthem 18 References 19 External links

[edit] History

For more details on this topic, see History of AEK Athens F.C.

The large Greek population of Constantinople (now Istanbul), not unlike those of the other Ottoman urban centres, continued its athletic traditions in the form of numerous athletic clubs. Clubs such as Enosi Tataoulon (Ένωση Ταταούλων) from the Tatavla district, Megas Alexandros (Μέγας Αλέξανδρος) of Vathyriakos, and Hermes (Ερμής - Ermis) of Galata existed to promote Hellenic athletic and cultural ideals; Hermes, one of the more popular clubs, was formed in 1875 by the Greek community of Pera (Galata). Forced by the Kemalist regime to change its name to Pera Club in 1921, many of its athletes fled during the population exchanges at the end of the Greco-Turkish War, and settled in Athens and Thessaloniki.

On April 13, 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^[6]

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 (Nea Filadelfeia, Nea Ionia, Nea Chalkidona, Nea Smyrni, e.t.c.). AEK’s first game was a 2-0 win against Aias Athinon.

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.^[7] 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.^[8] The first home game, in November 1930, was an exhibition match against Olympiacos that ended in a 2-2 draw.

In 1932, AEK won their first Greek Cup title, beating Aris FC 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 1930's was highlighted by the first Greek Championship-Cup double in 1939 and the second consecutive championship in 1940. AEK was also champion in 1941 and 1943, but these championships have not been recognised by EPO (Greek Football Federation), due to second world war.

AEK was Cup winner in 1949, 1950 (when was also Athens champion) and 1956.Thence, took the championship in 1963, with Nestoridis to be the top scorer of 1st division for 5th consecutive time. The club followed up with Cup victories in 1964 and 1966, championship in 1968 and became the first Greek football club to reach the quarter-final of European Champions Cup in 1969.^[9]

In addition, AEK was champion in 1971 (for second time at the last four years) and also Super Cup winner. 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.^[10]

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 Dinamo Moscow 2-0, Derby County FC 2-0 and 3-2, Red Star Belgrade 2-0, and QPR 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.

AEK was champion and cup winner in 1978 (double) and again champion 1979.

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

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.

In 1989 AEK was champion for 10th time and also Greek Super Cup winner.

After the 1989 triumphs, under Dušan 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) and the Mediterranean Cup of 1991 (beating OFI 1-0).

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 and Super Cup and also the 1997 Greek Cup. During seasons 1996-1997 and 1997-1998, AEK progressed to the Quarter-Final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

AEK was also Greek cup winner in 2000 and 2002 (for 4th time at the last seven years).

Despite AEK’s on-field successes, the period was best remembered for the return of Dusan Bajevic as coach in the summer of 2002, a move that sparked open hostility towards Bajevic from a section of AEK supporters. Modest performances, though, were not enough as more off-field dramas unfolded. Punctuated by the demolition of Nikos Goumas Stadium, home to AEK for over 70 years, Demis Nikolaidis was let on free transfer by mutual consent and signed for Atlético Madrid, Unable to cope with the negativity from a large section of AEK fans, Bajević resigned in 2004 during a season match against Iraklis FC.

By now, on the brink of bankruptcy, and losing most of its Euro 2004 stars and experienced players to other European clubs,^[11] AEK needed a miracle to prevent it from being relegated to the Greek amateur leagues. Though both Kostas Katsouranis and Nikos Liberopoulos remained, Vassilis Borbokis, Grigoris 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 2004 Demis Nikolaidis, at the head of a consortium of businessmen, bought out the beleaguered AEK and became the new club president.^[12] His primary task was to lead AEK out of its precarious financial position.^[13] 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^[14] . A key factor to the recent AEK FC revival was the dynamic fans' come-back.^[15] AEK surprising many people finished 2nd, after media prediction had them to finish mid table. The following season Demis apointed Llorenç Serra Ferrer as head coach, and after a first succesful season , finishing AEK in second and to within 1 point of a Last 16 spot in the Champions League, however during the 2007-08 season after unsuccesful signings and poor performances, he was sacked and replaced by Nikos Kostenoglou on a caretaker bases ^[16],After 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.^[17] AEK president Demis Nikolaidis and several other managers and chairmen have been angered with the alleged court decision, stating that the Hellenic Football Federation knew about the usage of the iligal player prior to the game but didnt do anything about it. Giorgos Donis was apointed head coach on May 14 ^[18].

[edit] Crest

Since the club's foundation, AEK have had three main crests, though all underwent minor variations. In 1924, AEK adopted as their first crest the image of a double-headed eagle (Δικέφαλος Αετός - Dikefalos Aetos), which remained for the next half-century, on a golden yellow background. 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 were chosen as a reminder of lost homelands; they represent the club's historical ties to Constantinople. Its usage also survived as a decorative element in the Greek Orthodox Church, which was the inheritor of the Byzantine legacy during the Ottoman Empire, while it remained a popular symbol among Greeks. In modern Greece various variations of the two-headed eagles are used in Church flags (based on Byzantine flag patterns and heraldic emblems) and, officially, by the Greek Army; the bird found its way into the Greek coat of arms for a brief period in 1925-1926.^[19]

[edit] Colours

The colours of yellow and black were adopted from AEK's connections with Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire.^[20]

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 or a grey kit as a third kit. In Greece there are no Home and Away kits, per se. Teams always wear their 1st kit unless there is a resemblance between both team kits. In case of a colour clash, the home team usually wears one of its alternate kits; AEK has often worn their 3rd kit at home against other teams that wear yellow kits.

AEK's current kit is manufactured by Puma, which is contracted to supply the club's kit from 2007 to 2011. Their previous kit manufacturer were Diadora, Kappa, Nike and Adidas. AEK's first shirt sponsor was Ethniki Asfalistiki, Following that, the club were sponsored by Geniki Bank (1996-98), Firestone (1999), Marfin (1999-2001),Alpha Digital (2001-02), Piraeus Bank (2002-04) (Piraeus Bank caused controversy because it was situated in Pireaus - home of fierce rivals Olympiacos), TIM (2004-06). AEK's current shirt sponsor is LG.^[21]

[edit] Stadium

Main articles: Olympic Stadium (Athens)

Since the demolition in 2003 of the Nikos Goumas Stadium – AEK’s home ground since 1930,^[22] 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 Main Olympic Stadium was designed in 1979 and inaugurated in 1982 at the 13th European Athletics Championship. The following years a number of other sport facilities surrounded the Main Olympic Stadium: the Olympic Velodrome (inaugurated in 1991), the Olympic Aquatics Center (1991), the Olympic Indoor Sports Center (1995), the Olympic Tennis Center (2004), as well as other supplementary sport facilities. The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens hosted the Mediterranean Games in 1991, the World Championship in Athletics in 1997 ,the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final well as other important athletic and cultural events, the most significant of which remains the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.

On September 6, 2007 a contract was signed between the Greek State and AEK that finalised the details of a project to build a new 50,000-seater 5-star stadium at Ano Liosia to be called AEK Arena. The State undertook to make public land and access infrastructure available, while the club will finance stadium construction.^[23]

[edit] Organised supporters

AEK has many organised supporter groups. Gate 21 (Greek: Θύρα 21 - Thyra 21) was formed in 1975, Original 21.^[24] was formed in 1982 by former members of Gate 21, Pan-Hellenic Federation was formed in 1976, Peirates tou Oneirou was formed in 1993, AEK FANS was formed in 2001, Defenders was formed in 2003, etc.^[25]

Original 21 has grown to become the largest Greek supporter group, with clubs all over Greece, Europe, and as far away as Australia (Original 21 Melbourne). The USA-based AEK fans clubs are located in Astoria, Queens and in Detroit, Michigan, where a football team has been established with the name "AEK FC" and participates in USA amateur championships and cups. In Australia, Melbourne-based AEK fans have established AEK Waverley, an amateur football team playing in the Victorian State League 2nd Division.

One of the biggest AEK fan clubs in Europe is based in Britain. Based in London, AEK Fans made their dream come true in 1999 with the help of Original 21. The history of the fan club goes back to 1992 when they gathered at a house. They started their trips across Europe to watch their favourite team play.

There is also a so called triangle of brotherhood between the most populous fan clubs of Olympique de Marseille, AS Livorno and AEK Athens FC, namely between Commando Ultras 84, Brigate Autonome Livornesi 99 and Original 21. Their connection is mostly an ideological one since the three fan clubs share nearly the same ideology.

[edit] Feeder clubs

• Anagennisi Karditsa F.C.
• Nea Ionia

[edit] First-team squad

As of 16:56, 10 June 2008 (UTC).

No. Position Player 1 MF Pantelis Kafes 2 DF Edson Ramos 3 DF Rodolfo Arruabarrena 4 DF Geraldo Alves 5 DF Traianos Dellas 6 DF Giorgos Alexopoulos 7 MF Charis Pappas 8 MF Tamandani Nsaliwa 9 FW Pantelis Kapetanos 10 FW Rivaldo 11 FW Gustavo Manduca 14 DF Federico Azcárate 15 DF Sokratis Papastathopoulos 17 MF Antonis Rikka 18 FW Ismael Blanco

No. Position Player 19 MF Panagiotis Lagos 22 MF Panagiotis Kone 25 MF Vassilis Pliatsikas 27 DF Christos Bourbos 31 DF Nikos Georgeas 33 FW Nikos Liberopoulos vice- 34 MF Panagiotis Tachtsidis 36 FW Edinho 50 GK Jürgen Macho 80 FW Giorgos Tofas 83 FW Michalis Pavlis 84 GK Yiannis Arabatzis TBD GK Sebastián Saja TBD FW Nathan Burns TBD DF Daniel Majstorović

[edit] Players on loan

Out:

No. Position Player 24 DF Andreas Chronis (at Nea Ionia until June 2008) 24 MF El Hadji Diouf (at Ilisiakos until June 2008) 28 GK Stefano Sorrentino (at Recreativo Huelva until June 2008)[26] 56 MF Perparim Hetemaj (at Apollon Kalamarias until June 2008) 56 GK Giannis Fysekis (at Anagennisi Karditsa until June 2008) 87 DF Dimitris Koutroumanos (at Anagennisi Karditsa until June 2008) 89 DF Nikos Barboudis (at Fostiras until June 2008) 90 DF Savvas Gentsoglou (at Nea Ionia until June 2008)

[edit] Foreign players

Up to five non-EU nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Greek Super league. Those non-EU nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Greek citizenship after playing in Greece for 7 years. Players such as Rivaldo do not count as non-EU because they have dual citizenship with a EU country.

EU Nationals Geraldo Alves Edinho Jürgen Macho Daniel Majstorović Giorgos Tofas

EU Nationals (Dual citizenship) Rodolfo Arruabarrena Federico Azcárate Sebastián Saja Gustavo Manduca Rivaldo Tamandani Nsaliwa

Non-EU Nationals Ismael Blanco Nathan Burns Edson Ramos

[edit] International players

Giorgos Alexopoulos Traianos Dellas Pantelis Kafes Panagiotis Lagos Nikos Liberopoulos

Sokratis Papastathopoulos Rodolfo Arruabarrena Sebastián Saja Nathan Burns Jürgen Macho

Rivaldo Tamandani Nsaliwa Daniel Majstorović

[edit] Squad changes (2008/09)

In:

No. Position Player 17 MF Antonis Rikka (from Skoda Xanthi for €600,000)[27] 18 FW Ismael Blanco (from Colón for €850,000)[28] 36 FW Edinho (from Vitória Setúbal for €350,000)[29] TBD GK Sebastián Saja (from San Lorenzo for free) TBD FW Nathan Burns (from Adelaide United for free)[30] TBD DF Daniel Majstorović (from Basel for free)[31]

Total spending: ▼ €1,800,000

Out:

No. Position Player 16 MF Akis Zikos (retired) 18 FW Ismael Blanco (loan return to Colón) 20 MF Manú (loan return to Benfica) 23 FW Mohamed Kallon (released) 32 GK Marcelo Moretto (loan return to Benfica) 36 FW Edinho (loan return to Vitória Setúbal) 88 MF Dániel Tőzsér (to Racing Genk for €1,500,000) 99 FW Júlio César (released)

Total income: ▲ €1,500,000

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Technical staff

• Manager: Giorgos Donis
• Assistant Manager: Makis Aggelinas & Miodrag Mendan
• First Team Coach: Antonis Kezos
• Fitness Coach: Grigorios Georgitsas
• Goalkeeping Coach: Slobodan Suica
• Youth Team Coach: Georgos Vamvakas

[edit] Board

• President: Demis Nikolaidis
• Vice Presidents: Takis Canelopoulos & Nikos Koulis
• Deputy Managing Director: Kostas Stavropoulos
• General & Financial Director: Kostas Stavropoulos
• Commercial Director: Andreas Bekios
• Marketing Drector: Dimitris Tzavaras
• Public Relations: Anthi Papakosta
• Legal Advisors: Xaris Grigoriou,
• Press Office: Lina Roditou, Panagiotis Aroniadis & Thodoris Zagas
• Event Manager: Alexis Papageorgiou
• Security Department: Akis Takis & Giannis Kapogiannis
• Ticketing Department Manager: Spilios Fotopoulos
• Ticketing Department: Dimitris Alexandris & Nikos Xirokostas

• Board Members: Nasos Thanopoulos, Nikos Notias, Petros Pappas, Stratos Fanaras, Panagiotis Zachopoulos & Grigoris Psarianos

[edit] Honours

Domestic

• Greek Championships

Winners (11): 1939, 1940, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994

• Greek Cup

Winners (13): 1932, 1939, 1949, 1950, 1956, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1983, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002

• Greek League Cup

Winners (1): 1990

• Greek Super Cup

Winners (2): 1989, 1996

• Pre-Mediterranean Cup

Winners (1): 1991

Note: AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have won all national titles.

[edit] Europe

Notable European campaigns

Season	Round	Notes
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
1968-69	Quarterfinal	eliminated by Spartak Trnava
1978-79	Last 16	eliminated by Nottingham Forest
1989-90	Last 16	eliminated by Olympique Marseille
1992-93	Last 16	eliminated by PSV Eindhoven
1994-95	Last 16	eliminated by Ajax and Milan
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
1995-96	Last 16	eliminated by Borussia Mönchengladbach
1996-97	Quarterfinal	eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain
1997-98	Quarterfinal	eliminated by Lokomotiv Moscow
UEFA Cup
1976-77	Semifinal	eliminated by Juventus
1991-92	Last 16	eliminated by Torino
2000-01	Last 16	eliminated by Barcelona
2001-02	Last 16	eliminated by Inter Milan
2002-03	Last 16	eliminated by Málaga

Notable games Season Match Score European Cup / UEFA Champions League 1968-69 AB - AEK Athens 0-2 1971-72 AEK Athens - Inter Milan 3-2 1978-79 AEK Athens - Porto 6-1 1989-90 AEK Athens - Dynamo Dresden 5-3 1992-93 AEK Athens - PSV Eindhoven 1-0 1994-95 AEK Athens - Rangers 2-0 1994-95 Rangers - AEK Athens 0-1 2002-03 AEK Athens - Real Madrid 3-3 2002-03 Real Madrid - AEK Athens 2-2 2006-07 Hearts - AEK Athens 1-2 2006-07 AEK Athens - Milan 1-0 UEFA Cup 1976-77 AEK Athens - Dynamo Moscow 2-0 1976-77 Derby County - AEK Athens 2-3 1976-77 AEK Athens - Red Star 2-0 1976-77 AEK Athens - Queens Park Rangers 3-0 1985-86 AEK Athens - Real Madrid 1-0 1991-92 AEK Athens - Spartak Moscow 2-1 2000-01 Bayer Leverkusen - AEK Athens 4-4 2000-01 AEK Athens - Bayer Leverkusen 2-0

Biggest wins Season Match Score European Cup / UEFA Champions League 1968-69 AEK Athens - Jeunesse Esch 3-0 1978-79 AEK Athens - Porto 6-1 2006-07 AEK Athens - Hearts 3-0 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1996-97 AEK Athens - Olimpija 4-0 1997-98 AEK Athens - Dinaburg 5-0 UEFA Cup 1976-77 AEK Athens - Queens Park Rangers 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

[edit] Other notable records

• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have participated in the quarter-final round of all the major European competitions.
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have reached the semi-final round of the UEFA Cup (1976-77).
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have participated in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League without losing a single game (2002-03).
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have advanced to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup in 3 consecutive seasons (2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03).
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have advanced to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 3 consecutive seasons (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98).
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have advanced to the last 16 of European Competitions in 4 consecutive seasons 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998.
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have participated in a European competition's quarter-final round in two consecutive seasons (1996-97, 1997-98).
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club that participates in European Competitions for 21 consecutive years (1988-2009), excluding the season 1990-91 when was punished by UEFA.
• AEK Athens is the first Greek club to have reached the quarter-final round of the Champions Cup (1968-69).
• AEK Athens is the first Greek club to have participated in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (1994-95).

[edit] UEFA club rankings

Rank	Form	Previous Rank	Country	Team	Points
81		89		Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk	31.932
82		86		Austria Vienna	31.840
83		69		AEK Athens	31.525
84		77		Slavia Prague	31.496
85		79		Strasbourg	31.380

As of April 9, 2008

[edit] UEFA club competition record

Competition	App	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
ECCC	14	62	16	20	26	71	98
ECWC	6	22	10	3	9	33	27
UCUP	19	86	32	17	37	123	127
SCUP	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
UIC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
EUSA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	39	170	58	40	72	227	252

As of February 22, 2008^[32]

[edit] Notable former players

Giorgos Agorogiannis Alexandros Alexandris Christos Ardizoglou Ilias Atmatsidis Vassilis Borbokis Nikos Christidis Giorgos Dedes Vasilis Dimitriadis Mimis Domazos Giorgos Donis Kostas Eleftherakis Lysandros Georgamlis Grigoris Georgatos Christos Itzoglou Ioannis Kalitzakis Michalis Kapsis Giorgos Karafeskos Vaios Karagiannis Takis Karagiozopoulos Michalis Kasapis Charis Kopitsis Nikos Kostenoglou Christos Kostis Kostas Katsouranis Vassilis Lakis

Stelios Manolas Dimitris Markos Kleanthis Maropoulos Thomas Mavros Antonis Minou Tasos Mitropoulos Dimitris Nalitzis Kostas Negrepontis Kostas Nestoridis Demis Nikolaidis Kostas Nikolaidis Lakis Nikolaou Takis Nikoloudis Mimis Papaioannou Pavlos Papaioannou Andreas Papaemmanouil Petros Ravousis Dimitris Saravakos Stelios Serafeidis Stelios Skevofilakas Andreas Stamatiadis Stefanos Theodoridis Apostolos Toskas Vasilis Tsiartas Tryfon Tzanetis

Michalis Vlachos Vangelis Vlachos Akis Zikos Theodoros Zagorakis Bruno Alves António Folha Paulo Assunção Emerson Júlio César Veridiano Marcelo Dušan Bajević Dragan Ćirić Ilija Ivić Daniel Batista Hristo Bonev Ilian Iliev Milen Petkov Walter Centeno Mauricio Wright Bruno Cirillo Stefano Sorrentino Anton Doboş Márton Esterházy Carlos Gamarra Arnar Grétarsson

Temuri Ketsbaia Mohamed Kallon Fernando Navas Frank Klopas Bledar Kola Michel Kreek Lefter Küçükandonyadis Henrik Nielsen Ioannis Okkas Giorgos Savvidis Mirosław Okoński Jim Patikas Trevor Ross Refik Šabanadžović Franjo Vladić Håkan Sandberg Toni Savevski Christopher Wreh Ifeanyi Udeze Oleh Venglinsky Milton Viera Walter Wagner

see also AEK Athens players

[edit] Managerial history

For more details on this topic, see List of AEK Athens F.C. managers.

This is a list of AEK Athens last ten managers:

Takis Karagiozopoulos	8/1/2000	9/1/2000
Giannis Pathiakakis	10/1/2000	24/1/2001
Toni Savevski and Eugene Gerards	25/1/2001	14/6/2001
Fernando Santos	2001	2002
Dušan Bajević	18/5/2002	26/1/2004
Ilie Dumitrescu	2/2/2004	20/5/2004
Fernando Santos	2004	2006
Llorenç Serra Ferrer	2006	12/02/2008
Nikos Kostenoglou	12/02/2008	14/05/2008
Giorgos Donis	14/05/2008	present

[edit] Notable former managers

Kostas Negrepontis Giannis Pathiakakis Tryfon Tzanetis Stan Anderson Dušan Bajević

Ljubiša Tumbaković Dragoslav Stepanović Oleg Blokhin Zlatko Čajkovski Jenő Csaknady

Ferenc Puskás Frantisek Fadrhonc Eugene Gerards Jacek Gmoch Fernando Santos

Helmut Senekowitsch Llorenç Serra Ferrer

[edit] Chairmen history

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 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 Eleftherios Panagidis: 1983-84 Andreas Zafiropoulos: 1984-88 Efstratios Gidopoulos: 1988-91 Konstantinos Generakis: 1991-92 Dimitrios Melissanidis: 1992-93

Ioannis Karras: 1993-1994 Dimitrios Melissanidis: 1994-95 Michalis Trochanas: 1995-97 Georgios Kiriopoulos: 1997 Alexis Kougias: 1997 Lakis Nikolaou: 1997-98 Konstantinos Generakis: 1998-99 Stefanos Mamatzis: 1999-00 Cornilios Sirchaouz: 2000-01 Filonas Antonopoulos: 2001 Charilaos Psomiadis: 2001-03 Ioannis Granitsas: 2003-04 Demis Nikolaidis: 2004-present

[edit] Notable stats

Most league appearances for the club Rank Name Nationality Apps Active 1 Mimis Papaioannou 483 No 2 Stelios Manolas 451 No 3 Toni Savevski 356 No 4 Stelios Skevofilakas 293 No – Lakis Nikolaou 293 No 6 Thomas Mavros 277 No 7 Andreas Stamatiadis 269 No 8 Petros Ravousis 263 No 9 Christos Ardizoglou 261 No 10 Pavlos Papaioannou 255 No

Most league goals for the club Rank Name Nationality Gls Active 1 Mimis Papaioannou 233 No 2 Thomas Mavros 174 No 3 Kostas Nestoridis 140 No 4 Demis Nikolaidis 125 No 5 Kostas Nikolaidis 94 No 6 Vasilis Dimitriadis 81 No 7 Vasilis Tsiartas 80 No 8 Daniel Batista 67 No – Nikos Liberopoulos 67 Yes 10 Dušan Bajević 65 No

Notes:

• Bold signals active players
• Correct as of May 15, 2008

Highest attendances

Opponent	Stadium	Date	Capacity
Panathinaikos	Athens Olympic Stadium	May 23, 1986	74.473
Olympiacos	Athens Olympic Stadium	February 9, 1986	74.241
PAOK	Athens Olympic Stadium	June 29, 1983	73.000
Milan	Athens Olympic Stadium	November 21, 2006	65.000
Olympiacos	Athens Olympic Stadium	November 7, 2004	63.129
PAOK	Athens Olympic Stadium	September 2, 1985	57.000
Olympiacos	Athens Olympic Stadium	November 2, 1986	56.000
Inter Milan	Athens Olympic Stadium	September 13, 1986	55.196
Panathinaikos	Athens Olympic Stadium	January 8, 2005	45.000
Hearts	Athens Olympic Stadium	August 23, 2006	43.000
Olympiacos	Athens Olympic Stadium	March 30, 2008	42.000
Panathinaikos	Athens Olympic Stadium	March 2, 2008	41.000
PAOK	Athens Olympic Stadium	April 10, 2005	41.000
Real Madrid	Athens Olympic Stadium	September 23, 1985	40.000
Anderlecht	Athens Olympic Stadium	September 26, 2006	38.982
Asteras Tripolis	Athens Olympic Stadium	April 20, 2008	37.996

[edit] Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period	Kit Manufacturer	Shirt Sponsor
1986–89	Zita	Ethniki Asfalistiki
1989–90	Diadora
1990–93		None
1993–95	Basic	Phoenix Asfaleies
1995–96	Kappa	Ethniki Asfalistiki
1996–98		Geniki Bank
1999		Firestone
1999-2000		Marfin
2000-01	Nike
2001-02		Alpha Digital
2002-04		Piraeus Bank
2004		TIM
2005-06	Adidas
2006-07		LG
2007-08	Puma

[edit] Club anthem

AEK Club Anthem

Greek	Greek Transliteration	English Translation
First stanza
ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ Αναστενάζουν τα γκολπόστ και τα δοκάρια σπάζουν Της Ένωσης οι αετοί τα δίχτυα κοματιάζουν	AEK, AEK, AEK Anasthenazoun ta golpost ke ta dokaria spazoun Tis Enosis i aeti ta dihtia komatiazoun	AEK, AEK, AEK The goalposts sigh and the crossbars break The Union's eagles tear the nets
Chorus
Εμπρός της ΑΕΚ παλικάρια Σουτάρετε και σπάστε τα δοκάρια Τα δίχτυα σκίστε Τη δόξα κατακτήστε Νικήστε, νικήστε, νικήστε Τα δίχτυα σκίστε Τη δόξα κατακτήστε Νικήστε, νικήστε, νικήστε	Embros tis AEK palikaria Soutarete ke spaste ta dokaria Ta dihtia skiste Ti doxa kataktiste Nikiste, nikiste, nikiste Ta dihtia skiste Ti doxa kataktiste Nikiste, nikiste, nikiste	Go AEK's lads Shoot and break the crossbars Tear the nets Achieve glory Win, Win, Win Tear the nets Achieve glory Win, Win, Win
Second stanza
ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ Οι κυνηγοί σου κεραυνοί Βράχος η άμυνα σου Και της Ρεάλ το φόβητρο έγινε το όνομα σου	AEK, AEK, AEK I kinigi sou keravni Vrahos i amina sou Ke tis REAL to fovitro egine t'onoma sou	AEK, AEK, AEK Your attackers are lightning Your defence a rock And your name brings fear to Real
Chorus
ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ	AEK, AEK, AEK	AEK, AEK, AEK
Chorus

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• AEK FC (Official website)(Greek) (English)
• AEKSHOP (Official merchandise)
• AEK FC News and Analysis (Unofficial)
• AEK Sports Club (Official website)
• Original21(Official fansite)
• AEK Fans Club (Official fansite)
• AEK London Fans Club site
• AEK TV channel from Goal4Replay.net (English) (Greek)

AEK Athens F.C. v • d • e
Team AEK F.C. Stadium Athens Olympic Stadium Chairman Demis Nikolaidis Manager Giorgos Donis Players AEK Athens FC players Managers AEK Athens FC managers Other Sports AEK Athens B.C. AEK Athens V.C. AEK Athens H.C. Club Athletic Union of Constantinople Website www.aekfc.gr
AEK Athens F.C. seasons v • d • e
2007-2008 | 2008-2009

Super League Greece 2008-09 v • d • e
AEK Athens | Aris | Asteras Tripolis | Ergotelis | Iraklis | Larissa | Levadiakos | OFI | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | Panionios | Panserraikos | Panthrakikos | PAOK | Skoda Xanthi | Thrasyvoulos
Super League Greece seasons v • d • e
1959-60 | 1960-61 | 1961-62 | 1962-63 | 1963-64 | 1964-65 | 1965-66 | 1966-67 | 1967-68 | 1968-69 | 1969-70 | 1970-71 | 1971-72 | 1972-73 | 1973-74 | 1974-75 | 1975-76 | 1976-77 | 1977-78 | 1978-79 | 1979-80 | 1980-81 | 1981-82 | 1982-83 | 1983-84 | 1984-85 | 1985-86 | 1986-87 | 1987-88 | 1988-89 | 1989-90 | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09
Football in Greece v • d • e
National teams League competitions Cup competitions Greece Super League Greece Greek FA Cup Greece U-21 Beta Ethniki Super Cup Greece U-19 Gamma Ethniki League Cup (defunct) Delta Ethniki Amateurs Cup Local Championships Football League System Other v • d • e Greek football awards · List of clubs · Top goalscorers: (Super League · Beta Ethniki)
UEFA Cup 2007-08 v • d • e
Champions Zenit St. Petersburg Runners Up Rangers Eliminated in Semi-finals Bayern Munich • Fiorentina Eliminated in Quarter-finals Bayer Leverkusen • Getafe • PSV • Sporting CP Eliminated in Round of 16 Anderlecht • Benfica • Bolton Wanderers • Everton • Marseille • Hamburg • Tottenham Hotspur • Werder Bremen Eliminated in Round of 32 Aberdeen • AEK Athens • Atlético Madrid • Basel • Bordeaux • Brann • Galatasaray • Helsingborg • Nuremberg • Panathinaikos • Rosenborg • Slavia Prague • Spartak Moscow • Sporting Braga • Villarreal • Zürich Eliminated in Group Stage Aalborg BK • Aris • Austria Vienna • AZ • Copenhagen • Dinamo Zagreb • Elfsborg • Hapoel Tel Aviv • Larissa • Lokomotiv Moscow • Mladá Boleslav • Panionios • Red Star Belgrade • Rennes • Sparta Prague • Toulouse Eliminated in First Round AIK • Ajax • Anorthosis Famagusta • Artmedia Bratislava • BATE Borisov • Belenenses • Blackburn Rovers • CSKA Sofia • Club Brugge • Dinamo Bucharest • Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk • Dyskobolia Grodzisk • Empoli • Groningen • Häcken • Hammarby • Heerenveen • Erciyesspor • Lens • Litex Lovech • Lokomotiv Sofia • Metalist Kharkiv • Midtjylland • Odense • Paços Ferreira • Palermo • Rabotnički • Rapid Bucharest • Rapid Vienna • Red Bull Salzburg • Sampdoria • Sarajevo • Sion • Sochaux • Standard Liège • Tampere United • Twente • União Leiria • Vålerenga • Zaragoza

v • d • e AEK Athens F.C. – current squad 1 Kafes • 2 Ramos • 3 Arruabarrena • 4 Alves • 5 Dellas  • 6 Alexopoulos • 7 Pappas • 8 Nsaliwa • 9 Kapetanos • 10 Rivaldo • 11 Manduca • 14 Azcárate • 15 Papastathopoulos • 17 Rikka • 18 Blanco • 19 Lagos • 22 Kone • 25 Pliatsikas • 27 Bourbos • 31 Georgeas • 33 Liberopoulos • 34 Taxtsidis • 36 Edinho • 50 Macho • 80 Tofas • 83 Pavlis • 84 Arabatzis • TBD Saja • TBD Burns • TBD Majstorović • Coach: Donis