AEK Athens

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AEK Athens
Club logo
Surname Αθλητική Ένωση Κωνσταντινουπόλεως
Athlitiki Enosi Konstantinoupoleos
Club colors Yellow black
Founded April 13, 1924
Place of foundation Athens
Association headquarters Τυάνων 2 & Πίνδου
14342 Ν. Φιλαδέλφεια
Homepage aek.gr

AEK Athens ( Greek Αθλητική Ένωση Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Athlitiki Enosi Konstantinoupoleos , German 'Sportvereinigung Konstantinopel ' ), abbreviated AEK , is a traditional Greek sports club that maintains several successful departments.

history

The Athlitiki Enosi Konstantinoupoleos was founded on April 13, 1924 in Athens and is actually the sports club of the Greeks who were expelled from Asia Minor and in particular from Constantinople immediately before (1919-1923) by the Asia Minor catastrophe and the subsequent Treaty of Lausanne . The newcomers to Athens wanted to give their team a symbolism that should point back to the glorious past of their place of origin. For example, they chose the Eastern Roman, i.e. Byzantine, double-headed eagle in its original colors of gold (yellow) and black as the emblem of the coat of arms, which is still used today on the flag of the Greek Orthodox Church . The name "Enosi" (association) was deliberately included in the name because the team from the members of various Constantinople teams who fled to Athens, such as the AS Pera (better known as the Pera Club ( Πέρα Club)), Hephaestus ( Ήφαιστος ), Enosi Tataulon ( Ένωση Ταταούλων ) u. a. Founded. Unofficially, AEK (like PAOK ) sees itself as the successor to Pera Club, which made up the largest part of the newly formed teams.

Pera Club was named after the district of Pera (now Beyoğlu ) of Constantinople, where it was also based. The team was originally founded in 1881 (other sources: 1875, 1885 or 1886) under the name Ermis ( Ερμής ). Around 1921 (other source: 1913) the Greek name had to be extinguished under pressure from the Turkish government, so the - shortly afterwards internationally known - AS Pera emerged. He was described by the media at the time as the "Greek team of Turkey", in his homeland the first-class team won the championship title in 1922. Immediately afterwards, the international exchange enforced under the Lausanne Treaty took place and the Greek tribe largely disintegrated. The team continued to be cared for by the few remaining Greeks and Turks in this area and still exists in Istanbul today under the Turkish name Beyoğluspor .

Also in Athens, a team called AO Pera Klub ( ΑΟ undρα Κλουμπ ) was founded by some of the refugees in parallel to AEK, at the same time (1924) and with the same club colors and coats of arms , but this was not able to build on the success of its mother or sister club .

In the following year (1925) a team called AEK was founded in Thessaloniki by refugees of the same origin who had settled there, which merged around 1929 into PAOK , which had been founded in 1926 .

The AEK grew over the years to become one of the largest sports clubs in Greece. Gradually, the association founded further departments. The youngest of these are the departments for gymnastics , swimming , weightlifting , triathlon , taekwondo , wrestling , jiu jitsu , tennis , badminton and rugby, which were founded in early 2016 .

The most successful and largest departments include the following departments:

Soccer

AEK Athens
Club logo
Basic data
Surname Athlitiki Enosi Konstantinoupoleos
Seat Athens
founding April 13, 1924
Colours yellow-black (original: gold-black)
president Dimitris Melissanidis
Website aekfc.gr
First soccer team
Head coach Manolo Jiménez
Venue Athens Olympic Stadium
Places 71.030
league Super League
2018/19 3rd place
home
Away
Alternatively

After relegation from the Super League in 2013 , the club filed for bankruptcy on May 15, 2013 and started the 2013/14 season in the third-rate Football League 2 . There, under the coach Traianos Dellas , the march through with two promotions back into the Super League succeeded straight away. In the first season after the promotion (2015/16) AEK won the Greek soccer cup . In 2017/18 they finally became Greek champions for the 12th time and were allowed to compete in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League . After victories over Celtic Glasgow and MOL Vidi FC , they took part in the group stage for the first time since the 2006/07 season . In the group stage, AEK met FC Bayern Munich , Benfica Lisbon and Ajax Amsterdam .

Stadion

The team played their games in the Nikos Goumas Stadium , built in 1930 , then and until 1991 still called Nea Filadelfia Stadium. After a renovation from 1985 to 1987, the stadium's capacity was increased to 36,766 spectators. During the earthquake in 1999, the stadium suffered considerable damage and was finally together with the adjacent sports hall in 2003 Georgios Moschos demolished to make way for a new stadium as a training site of the soccer tournament of the 2004 Olympic Games should serve. In the course of the Olympic preparations, the stadium was finally deleted from the Olympic infrastructure project and replaced by the Karaiskakis Stadium . Plans for a new construction in the same place and on the initiative of the team chairmen initially received resistance from environmentalists and residents of the municipality of Nea Filadelfia . In addition, the plans failed at the same time due to the current building conditions, which do not allow the distribution of a building permit without a statutory exception. Alternative building plots were sought in order to finally agree on a state plot of land in Ano Liossia, for the handover of which and the financial conditions a memorandum was signed between the finance minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis and the association president Demis Nikolaidis . Nevertheless, there was further controversy, this time also from the fans, who did not want to give up the historical link to the original location and appealed for a new sports facility at the same location in Nea Filadelfia, even if the size had to be smaller. Since the financing of this costly project was still shrouded in uncertainty, this plan was finally abandoned. Therefore, AEK has been playing in the Olympic Stadium in Athens since 2004 .

At the beginning of August 2014, AEK overcame an important hurdle on the way to a new stadium. The Greek parliament gave its approval for the start of the concrete planning for the new stadium. In addition, the soccer club was awarded an area of ​​0.25 hectares adjacent to the property, which was necessary for the construction. The new “Agia Sophia” stadium with approx. 32,500 seats will be built in the Nea Filadelfia district on the site of the old stadium and will cost 65 million euros net (approx. 80 million euros gross). Construction began in July 2017 and the new venue, the distinctive architecture of which includes Byzantine influences, is due to be released for the 2020/21 season.

Trainer

The coach Fernando Santos resigned in May 2006 and moved to Benfica Lisbon . His successor was the Spaniard Llorenç Serra Ferrer . After sporting failures and due to a tense relationship with the team, Ferrer was fired in February 2008. Nikos Kostenoglou, a former player who was already assistant coach under Ferrer, trained the team until the end of the season. For the 2008/09 season, Georgios Donis , who previously worked for AE Larisa , took over as coach. He was replaced in November 2008 by Dušan Bajević , who was the club coach of AEK for the third time. Bajević resigned from the coaching post in September 2010 after a bad start to the season. Manuel Jiménez Jiménez , the former coach of Sevilla FC, got the job and got a contract until 2012, but he was laid off in early October 2011 and replaced by the former player Nikos Kostenoglou, who had already been at the end of the 2007/08 season, until the end of the season acted as interim trainer. At the beginning of the next season, another former AEK player took the helm of the club in Vangelis Vlachos . After a bad start into the 2012/13 season , Vlachos was released from his duties and the German coach Ewald Lienen was introduced as the new coach and sporting director. Lienen's contract was terminated prematurely by the board of directors on April 9, 2013, three match days before the end of the season and after a small negative run; However, the club had announced the separation at the end of the 2012/2013 season in advance. For the 2013/14 season, the former player and freshly trained coach Traianos Dellas took over the third division team . After his resignation in October 2015, Gus Poyet took over the coaching position. On April 20, 2016, the association announced the immediate separation from Poyet after he had spoken to journalists about leaving but did not inform AEK. His successor for the 2016/17 season was the Georgian Temur Kezbaia , who was replaced by José Morais in October 2016 . The Portuguese's time at AEK only lasted about three months, in January 2017 he was replaced by Manuel Jiménez Jiménez, who is now the AEK trainer for the second time.

Title / Statistics

  • Greek master (12 ×): 1939, 1940, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2018
  • Greek Cup winners (15 ×): 1931, 1939, 1949, 1950, 1956, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1983, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2011, 2016
    • Finalist (10 ×): 1948, 1953, 1979, 1994, 1995, 2006, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2019
  • Greek Super Cup (2 ×): 1989, 1996
    • Finalist (3 ×): 1992, 1993, 1994
  • Greek League Cup: 1990

Selection of former players

Greece
Europe
rest of the world

Fans / ultras

A significant ultra-movement of the AEK Athens men's soccer team is Original 21, founded in 1982 . Original 21 emerged from a split in the fan club founded in 1975 as Originaler Bloc 21 ( Γνήσια Θύρα 21 ), which was named after block 21 of the local stadium Nikos Goumas , from which the members cheered their team.

Women's football

A team was founded for the 1998/1999 season, which participated in the 2nd division, but then disbanded again.

basketball

The basketball department is one of the top teams in Greek and European basketball. In addition to a number of national titles, the club can also boast success on the European stage. Such was AEK the first Greek club at all, who managed to get a European title to the land: On April 4, 1968, the big favorite was Slavia Prague before more than 80,000 spectators (still valid world record in basketball) in Panathinaiko Stadium with 89:82 defeated.

successes

volleyball

Men's

AEK had founded a volleyball team in 1927, but stopped playing again. A renewed reactivation failed. The third attempt in 1982 should be more successful. After the integration into the 3rd district league of Athens , the team succeeded in 1985 the promotion to the 2nd and in the march (1986) also in the 1st district league and 1987 in the 3rd national league. In 1991 the team was promoted undefeated to the 2nd national league and in the following year it was even found in the A2 league. In the first year they missed the promotion to the upper house ( A1 league ) only in the playoff. In 1994 the time had come and the A1 league welcomed its new member. This was followed by a descent (1995) and an immediate ascent (1996). In 1999 the first participation in European business and participation in the Greek cup final took place. The year 2000 crowned the club's history so far with participation in the final 4 of the European Cup Winners' Cup and the third place (bronze). Two years later (2002) the team was relegated, ascended again (2003) and relegated (2004). The promotion in 2006 brought the team to the play-off games and 7th place in the following year, but a year later (2008) came the relegation again. AEK rose back to the A1 league in 2009. In 2014, the team managed to win the league cup for the first time.

Ladies

The women's department was founded in 1995 by taking over a local association, the "AO Alsoupoli". From the 1st district league in Athens it took seven years to get promoted to the A1 league (2002). The immediate decline (2003) was followed by a return (2006) to excellence. The 2006/2007 season - the most successful to date - brought 5th place and play-off participation. After relegation the following year (2008), the team plays in the A2 league. In 2012 the team won the first championship and the Supercup against the then cup winner Olympiacos Piraeus . Both clubs met again in the final of the playoffs for the Greek championship in 2013 and 2014. In both seasons, the women of the AEK finished the main round in first place. In the final, however, they were defeated in both finals by the Olympiacos. The championship 2014/15 then made the Olympiakos and the Pananthinaikos among themselves. In the final of the domestic cup, the AEK met the reigning champion Olympiakos again and defeated this clearly in 3 sets.

Handball

The handball department was founded and registered in summer 2005. The simultaneous merger with the first division club "GS Ilioupolis" enabled immediate participation in the A1 league. In the 2006/07 season the 4th and after the play-offs even the 3rd place and thus the participation in Europe. The 2008/09 season brought AEK their first title win, when the team celebrated the Greek Cup and thus the renewed international participation. The first championship title was achieved in the 2010/11 season, and the double from the cup and championship was even won in 2012/13. Even if you had to cede the championship in 2014 to the Diomidis Argos , they managed to beat them in the cup final and secure their third cup success.

successes

  • Greek master (3 ×): 2011, 2013, 2020
  • Greek Cup Winner (3 ×): 2009, 2013, 2014
  • EHF Challenge Cup Finalist: 2018

Former players

athletics

AEK has been involved in athletics since it was founded in 1924. Two of the first athletes were co-founders of the Ionas Brothers Association. A successful athlete of the 1930s was the 800 m or 1500 m runner Grigoris Georgakopoulos , who qualified for the Olympic Games in Amsterdam in 1928 and in Berlin in 1936 , and who was also successful in the Balkan Games . There he crowned himself several times with gold medals in the 800 m run (1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936) and 1500 m run (1931, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936). The greatest talent of the club and one of the greatest in the country during the pre-war period was Christos Mantikas . The athlete from Chios competed in several disciplines (400 m hurdles, 110 m hurdles, 400 m, 4 × 400 m, 4 × 100 m), the first of which was his specialty. He also took part in the Olympics in Amsterdam and Berlin. In Amsterdam he was Greece's standard bearer for the opening ceremony. In Berlin he was the only European finalist to take 6th place in the 400 m hurdles . In the previous semifinals, he achieved his best time of 53.5 s, which was also a long-term national record. He also set national records in the 400 m run (50.1 s - September 1936) and in the 110 m hurdles (14.8 s - June 1937). At the European Championships in Turin in 1934 , he won the bronze medal. In the Balkan Games he dominated all the disciplines in which he participated. He landed gold medals in the 400 m hurdles (1930, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938), in the 110 m hurdles (1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937) , 1939, 1940), in the 400 m run (1935, 1936), in the 200 m run (1931), in the 4 × 100 m relay race (1936) and in the 4 × 400 m relay race (1936 ).

During the war, the occupation of the department decreased both quantitatively and qualitatively. It was not until 1951 that a competitive team was formed again, which won the athletics championship in the second division and rose to the first division. There you could get 3rd place two years later. The following years are characterized by sporadic successes and personal awards from some athletes. The team has been trying to work its way up again over the past few years.

successes

  • Championship women (4 ×): 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
  • Indoor championship women (3 ×): 2011, 2015, 2016
  • Cross country championship men (10 ×): 1937, 1946, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964
  • Cross country championship women (3 ×): 2010, 2011, 2012
  • 3rd place in the Greek Athletics Championship (2 ×): 1953, 2006

fencing

Fencing has been practiced at AEK since 1996. The department (men and women of all ages) specializes in saber fencing , where they soon advanced to the local top league and can demonstrate some successes.

In the lady's saber, A-Junior Arianna Sakellariou was able to achieve a first place (Göppingen, December 9-11, 2011) and two second places in events of the European Cadet Circuit of the 2011/12 season and third place in the European ranking of her this season Reach age group. Theodora Goudoura, who is also A-Junior, achieved two second places in Cadet Circuits and one second place in the Junior World Championships in 2012/13. In 2013/14 she got a first and a third place in Cadet Circuits as well as the third place in the Junior European Championship, which gave her the second place this season in the European junior ranking list.

successes

  • Greek saber fencing champion women (3x): 2012, 2013, 2014
  • 3rd place (bronze) in the Greek championship in team competition (5x): 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.

Boxing

AEK's boxing department has existed since 1969. It has also enriched the club's history with successes.

  • Greek champion (six times): 1978, 1980, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2006
  • Greek youth champion (once): 2001

Cycling

AEK's cycling department is very long-lived and steeped in tradition. It was founded in 1929. In addition to a large number of personal awards from its athletes, AEK was able to win the following titles:

  • Greek master (ten times): 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1975, 1979, 1981
  • Greek road cycling champion (twelve times): 1960, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1994
  • Greek indoor cycling champion (seven times): 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1975
  • Greek team time trial champion 1979

chess

The chess department has existed since 2005. AEK has already celebrated its first successes and the immediate breakthrough to first class.

  • Champion of the 2nd Attica League (2006)
  • Champion of the 1st Attica League (2007)
  • 3rd National League Champion (2008)
  • 2nd National League Champion (2009)
  • Greek Cup Finalist (2006)
  • Winner of the Attica Cup (2006)

Indoor soccer

The newest department of AEK was brought into being in 2008 through a collaboration / merger with the association "OF Gerakas". The team started from the 2nd league, where it won its season at the beginning and was promoted to the 1st league through play-off games.

  • Greek champion: 2019, 2020

Table tennis

AEK fostered the sport from the 1950s to the mid-1980s. In 1959, the first division clubs in both the men's and youth departments took third place. In the summer of 2009 the department was launched again.

Web links

Official

  • aek.gr Official website of the (amateur) sports club (Greek)
  • aekfc.gr Official website of the football club (English)
  • aekbc.gr Official website of the basketball club (English)
  • aek-handball.gr Official website of the handball club (Greek)
  • aekchessclub website of the chess department (Greek)

Fansites

  • original21.com Original21 fansite (Greek)
  • 1924.gr Website of the support community "Enosi 1924" (Greek)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ AEK founds further departments in other sports (Greek)
  2. ↑ Decision on bankruptcy in a general meeting of the association (Greek) ( Memento from September 22, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Online at aekfc.gr
  3. ↑ Superleague 2017/2018 - 30th matchday. Retrieved on August 31, 2018 (German).
  4. ↑ AEK Athens - Dates & Results 2018/2019. Retrieved on August 31, 2018 (German).
  5. ↑ Longer article in the NZZ of August 12, 2003 on the history and significance of AEK ( memento of August 20, 2003 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on July 3, 2009.
  6. ↑ stadionwelt.de: Clear the way for the new stadium Article from August 3, 2014
  7. ↑ The construction project is presented on the homepage of the Ermonassa construction company.
  8. ↑ The Agia Sophia Stadium, presented on the football club's homepage.
  9. ↑ Stadium ready for occupancy in 2020, interview with project manager D. Andriopoulos, on www.iefimerida.gr (Greek)
  10. ↑ Official announcement of Ewald Lienen's termination of the contract ( Memento of May 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (Greek). Online at aekfc.gr from April 9, 2013.
  11. ↑ AEK separates from Poyet
  12. ↑ handballdaten.de Title holder: Greece, accessed on September 20, 2014
  13. ↑ Fencer Sakellariou on fencingworldwide.com
  14. ↑ Fencer Goudoura on fencingworldwide.com
  15. ↑ Greek champion AEK after a cutting fifth final game (Greek)