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Panachaiki F.C.

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Panachaiki
Full namePanachaiki 1891 Football Club
Nickname(s)Kokkinómavri (The Red and Blacks)
I Megáli Kyría tis Peloponnísou (The Great Lady of the Peloponnese)
Short namePFC
Founded1891; 133 years ago (1891) (as Panachaikos Gymnastikos Syllogos)
GroundKostas Davourlis Stadium
Capacity11,321
OwnerJoseph Κobzan
ChairmanPetros Stathakis
ManagerSoulis Papadopoulos
LeagueSuper League Greece 2
2023–24Super League Greece 2, 11th
Websitehttps://fcpanachaiki.gr/

Panachaiki F.C. (Greek: Παναχαϊκή ΓΕ ΠΑΕ ) is a Greek professional football club based in Patras, Greece, that competes in Super League Greece 2, the second tier of Greek football. Founded in 1891, they have reached the Greek Cup semi-finals twice (1979, 1997). They were the first Greek club outside both the Athens and Thessaloniki metropolitan areas to represent Greece in a European competition, the 1973–74 UEFA Cup.

In 1979, the department became professional and independent. They have played their home games in various grounds since their first official game in 1899, mainly the Kostas Davourlis Stadium, their traditional home ground, and the Pampeloponnisiako Stadium.

History

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Establishment

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The history of Panachaiki began in 1891, when Panachaikos Gymnastikos Syllogos (Pan-Achaean Gymnastic Club) was founded. In 1894, a rival sports club, Gymnastiki Eteria Patron (Gymnastic Company of Patras), was founded in Patras by former Panachaikos' members.[1]

The football department was founded in 1899 and played its first friendly game against a team of British sailors the same year, winning 4–2. In 1902, Morphy established a football team and a Gymnastics Company, playing many friendly games with each other and other clubs from Patras.

Early years

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1923–1940

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Panachaiki's first sections were founded in 1923. The players on the football team were athletes from the club's other departments, Italian immigrants and members of the British community of Patras. Due to the lack of rivals, the first games were played against the crews of foreign warships arriving in the city.

In 1924, Panachaiki had two equivalent soccer teams, A and B, since both the Panachaikos and the Gymnastics Company had football sections. As a result, some players left Panachaiki and created other clubs in the following years. At the same time, in 1922, with the Asia Minor Catastrophe, thousands of refugees arrived in Patras, bringing with them their love of football and establishing several new clubs. This situation led to the secession of the associations from SEGAS and the establishment of the Hellenic Football Federation of Patras in 1927. In the same year, the new association founded a championship, in which Panachaiki was a leading contender, prevailing many times until 1959. The championship was organized by Panachaiki from 1923–24 to 1925–26. At that time, the Greek championship was a tournament between the champions of Athens, Piraeus and Thessaloniki, with the Hellenic Football Federation excluding provincial clubs for many years. Patras, due to disagreements between the clubs and disobedience to the Epirus Achaia, failed to organize a regular championship and this resulted in its exclusion from the Greek championship.

Nevertheless, the Athenian clubs held friendly games in the city, culminating on 11 August 1945, when Panachaiki played a Greek XI at home, losing 7–1. In 1928, Panachaiki faced Panathinaikos, who won 4–3. In 1929, they played against AEK, losing 0–1, 0–2 and 0–6, while against Olympiacos they were defeated 2–5 in the same year, followed by 1–7 and 0–7 defeats in 1930 and 1934 respectively. The significant difference in ability was due, among other factors, to the Athens and Piraeus teams' 25 years of experience in tournament events.

1940–1953

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In 1940, all sporting activity in Greece was suspended due to World War II. Some friendly games were played during the occupation, while in 1943 a Patras cup was organized. Upon the end of the war, the local championship was restarted. Several Panachaiki players were killed during the Greco-Italian war. In this period, Panachaiki played in the Patras Championship, but failed to qualify for the Panhellenic Championship.

1954–1961: National championships

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Panachaiki participated in the Panhellenic Championship for the first time in the 1953–54 season. It was in this year that the Championship first admitted teams from outside Athens, Piraeus, and Thessaloniki. A Regional Championship was inaugurated, consisting of a Southern Group and a Northern Group. Panachaiki participated in the Southern Group and won, thus qualifying for the final round of the Panhellenic Championship, where they finished in 6th and last place. Two seasons later, the team took third place in the Southern Group behind Olympiacos and Ethnikos Piraeus, while the 1956–57 also brought a third-place finish. In 1957–58, Panachaiki finished second in the Southern Group, and in 1958-59 were beaten in the qualifiers by Panegialios in the Southern Group, as they were again the following year.

1961–1975

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In 1962-63, Panachaiki participated in the first season of the newly established second tier, the Beta Ethniki (known since 2019 as the Football League). From then until 2007, Panachaiki would not compete in a lower league. Panachaiki immediately starred in the Beta Ethniki, targeting promotion every year, which they secured in 1969. But Panachaiki's first year in the Alpha Ethniki was disastrous, as they were accused of attempting to fix a match against Aris and docked 13 points. They finished bottom of the table and were relegated. The following year, however, Panachaiki performed well again in the Beta Ethniki and returned immediately to the top flight.

Panachaiki had their greatest success in the early- and mid-1970s. In 1971, they returned to the Alpha Ethniki and a golden era began with a team of Davourlis, Rigas, Stravopodis, Michalopoulos and others achieving success, culminating in qualification for the UEFA Cup. The club ended the season 6th with 11 wins, 14 draws, 9 defeats, and a total of 40 goals scored and 35 conceded. At this time, the club's average match attendance was 8,773, the second highest among the provincial teams.

In 1972-73, Panachaiki took 4th position in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup. They denied PAOK the championship with a 5–3 in the last game at the Toumba Stadium.

The team subsequently took part in the 1973–74 UEFA Cup, eliminating Grazer AK before losing to Twente.[2] Former Manchester United manager Wilf McGuinness took over as head coach for the 1974–75 season, before returning to England eighteen months later.

In 1974, Panachaiki finished sixth. Kostas Davourlis' record 10 million drachma transfer to Olympiacos was a powerful blow to the red-black fans' dreams of winning a championship. In 1975, Panachaiki finished in seventh place.

1976–2004

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In 1975-76, Panachaiki finished tenth and began their downward spiral, as the club's star players began to leave and the team aged. Every year thereafter, the team finished in the bottom half of the table until their eventual relegation to the Beta Ethniki in 1980-81. Since then, Panachaiki have tended to oscillate between the first and second tiers of Greek football.

Panachaiki were again relegated from the Alpha Ethniki in 1987-88. Fans demonstrated on the main streets of the city, setting up barricades and clashing with the police, leaving 15 injured. In the summer of 1996, Panachaiki participated in the Intertoto Cup, taking part in a European event for the second time. In 2003, with the intervention of then-minister Evangelos Venizelos, Panachaiki were punished for debts and eliminated from the Football League.

2004–2015

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In 2004, Panachaiki were absorbed by Patraikos, a debt-free Beta Ethniki team. This created the "Panahaiki GI 2005", who took part in the Beta Ethniki in 2005. Nevertheless, the team was relegated the following season to the Gamma Ethniki.

Although they managed to rise to the Beta Etniki in 2011, Panachaiki were relegated and fined EUR 300,000 for bribery in a match against Olympiakos Chersonissos. Simultaneously, in relation to the same case, a fine and a five-year ban were imposed upon the club's chairman Alexis Kougias. However, the EPAA Appeals Committee later allowed the team to continue in the second tier and replaced the original penalty with a 5-point deduction. Kougias was also acquitted.

In 2015, Panachaiki's chairman left the club. The team were relegated the same year to the Gamma Ethniki with a squad of only 13 players.

Recent years

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In 2016, Panachaiki, having been relegated to the third tier, went into the hands of the club's amateur department. Fifteen city entrepreneurs created the "Panachaean Alliance" in order to take over the reins of the group and start efforts to clear debts from previous administrations. In the post of technical director, veteran international footballer and former Panachaiki player Kostas Katsouranis was hired by the "alliance" to take over the organization of the football section. The team were crowned league champions in 2016-17 and returned to the Beta Ethniki.

Kostas Katsouranis

On 21 June 2017, the Deputy Minister of Sports tabled an amendment to the Hellenic Parliament concerning article 10 of the new Sport Law, which states inter alia that, from the 2016–17 season onwards, if an A.A.E. is relegated to an amateur league and goes into liquidation, and a new A.A.E. is set up for the same sport by the same founding sports club, any liability falls to the persons who are responsible. The amendment was passed by a majority in Parliament a few days later, paving the way for the creation of a new football club under the name "PAE Panachaiki 1891" and the club's current iteration.

During the 2018–19 season, Panachaiki was the only team to beat PAOK, who did not lose a single league game that season. Panchaiki defeated the Thessaloniki club 2–1 at home in the Greek Cup round of 16.

Stadiums

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Main articles: Kostas Davourlis Stadium and Pampeloponnisiako Stadium

The team's privately owned arena is the Kostas Davourlis Stadium, with a capacity of 11,321 spectators.[3] Panachaiki have also used the municipality-operated Pampeloponnisiako Stadium, which has a capacity of 23,588.[4]

Honours

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Shirt of the team

Domestic

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Leagues

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Winners (6) (record): 1964, 1969, 1971, 1982, 1984, 1987
Winners (3): 2011, 2017, 2022
Winners (1): 1972[5]

Cups

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Semi-finals (2): 1979, 1997

European record

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Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1973–74 UEFA Cup First round Austria Grazer AK 2–1 1–0 3–1
Second round Netherlands Twente 1–1 0–7 1–8
1997–98 UEFA Intertoto Cup Group 5 Norway Stabæk 1–1 4th
Russia Dynamo Moscow 1–2
Faroe Islands B36 Tórshavn 4–2
Belgium Racing Genk 2–4

Season to season

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Season Division Pos. Season Division Pos. Season Division Pos. Season Division Pos. Season Division Pos. Season Division Pos. Season Division Pos.
1960–61 Div 2 2nd 1970–71 Div 2 1st 1980–81 Alpha Ethniki 17th 1990–91 Alpha Ethniki 13th 2000-01 Alpha Ethniki 11th 2010–11 Div 3 1st 2020–21 Div 2 7th
1961–62 Div 2 4th 1971–72 Alpha Ethniki 6th 1981–82 Div 2 1st 1991–92 Alpha Ethniki 15th 2001–02 Alpha Ethniki 13th 2011–12 Div 2 4th 2021–22 Div 3 1st
1962–63 Div 2 5th 1972–73 Alpha Ethniki 4th 1982–83 Alpha Ethniki 16th 1992–93 Alpha Ethniki 11th 2002–03 Alpha Ethniki 15th 2012–13 Div 2 15th 2022–23 Div 2 8th
1963–64 Div 2 1st 1973–74 Alpha Ethniki 6th 1983–84 Div 2 1st 1993–94 Alpha Ethniki 16th 2003–04 Div 2 16th 2013–14 Div 2 6th 2023–24 Div 2 11th
1964–65 Div 2 4th 1974–75 Alpha Ethniki 7th 1984–85 Alpha Ethniki 14th 1994–95 Div 2 2nd 2004–05 Div 2 12th 2014–15 Div 2 6th*
1965–66 Div 2 8th 1975–76 Alpha Ethniki 10th 1985–86 Alpha Ethniki 16th 1995–96 Alpha Ethniki 15th 2005–06 Div 2 15th 2015–16 Div 2 16th
1966–67 Div 2 2nd 1976–77 Alpha Ethniki 15th 1986–87 Div 2 1st 1996–97 Alpha Ethniki 15th 2006–07 Div 3 10th 2016–17 Div 3 1st
1967–68 Div 2 6th 1977–78 Alpha Ethniki 10th 1987–88 Alpha Ethniki 16th 1997–98 Alpha Ethniki 16th 2007–08 Div 3 5th 2017–18 Div 2 3rd
1968–69 Div 2 1st 1978–79 Alpha Ethniki 15th 1988–89 Div 2 16th 1998–99 Div 2 2nd 2008–09 Div 3 3rd 2018–19 Div 2 5th
1969–70 Alpha Ethniki 18th 1979–80 Alpha Ethniki 13th 1989–90 Div 2 2nd 1999–00 Alpha Ethniki 14th 2009–10 Div 3 3rd 2019–20 Div 2 8th

* Finished 2nd in the South Group and 6th in the promotion playoffs

Participation history

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Players

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Current squad

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As of 27 June 2024

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Greece GRE Manolis Ikonomakis
2 DF Greece GRE Christoforos Karagiannis
3 DF Greece GRE Nikolaos Baxevanos
5 DF Greece GRE Pavlos Smalis
7 MF Guinea GUI Amadou Traoré
8 MF Spain ESP Javi Castellano
9 FW Greece GRE Christos Eleftheriadis
10 MF Spain ESP Nili
11 MF Brazil BRA Lucas Poletto
18 GK Greece GRE Andreas Kolovouris
19 FW Mexico MEX Luis Madrigal
21 DF Greece GRE Konstantinos Panagou
22 MF Greece GRE Chrysovalantis Kozoronis
23 FW Greece GRE Dimosthenis Papailiou
25 DF Mexico MEX Daniel Zamora
No. Pos. Nation Player
26 FW Greece GRE Konstantinos Tsaknis
27 FW Greece GRE Nikos Masouras
29 MF Russia RUS Valentin Zekhov
33 DF Greece GRE Odysseas Lymperakis
35 DF Greece GRE Alexis Koutsias
44 DF Greece GRE Marios Kostoulas
47 FW Greece GRE Ilias Petratos
49 FW Greece GRE Themis Patrinos
70 MF Greece GRE Christos Diamantopoulos
77 FW Albania ALB Georgios Lleshaj
88 FW Spain ESP Rubén de Tomás
93 FW Greece GRE Christos Rovas
97 GK Serbia SRB Stefan Stojanović
— DF Spain ESP Pol García
— DF Greece GRE Fotis Pantekidis

Notable players

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Personnel

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Ownership and current board

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Position Staff
Owner Joseph Κobzan
President Barry Κobzan
1st Vice-President Vacant
2nd Vice-President Vacant
CEO Vacant
CFO Vacant
Executive Director Petros Stathakis
Accounting department Vacant
Communications Director Greece Giorgos Sotiropoulos
Head of Administrative Organization Vacant
Chief Scouting Fernando Brandán
Technical Director
Sports Director Leonidas Kyvelidis
Board member Vacant
Amateur Panachaiki Greece Panagiotis Polydoropoulos

Technical staff

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Position Staff
Head coach Greece Soulis Papadopoulos
Assistant coach Ioannis Vogiatzis
Goalkeeper coach Giannis Baltimas And Dimitris Komplas
Physical fitness coach Vasilis Georgoutsos
Analyst Greece Vacant

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Patras' sports history Politis, N.G. (1994). Sports in Patras, Tome A, The first decade 1891-1900. Patras: Achaikes Ekdoseis. ISBN 960-7164-91-1.
  2. ^ The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
  3. ^ Γήπεδο Παναχαϊκής "Κώστας Δαβουρλής" (in Greek). stadia.gr. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Παμπελοποννησιακό Στάδιο". stadia.gr. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Θερινό πρωτάθλημα Ο.Π.Α.Π.", Βικιπαίδεια (in Greek), 2023-10-15, retrieved 2024-01-13

References

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  • Papageorgiou, V.G., Patraikon Imerologion, 1906
  • Politis, N.G. (1994). Sports in Patras, Tome A, The first decade 1891-1900. Patras: Achaikes Ekdoseis. ISBN 960-7164-91-1.
  • Ιkonomopoulos, V., Patras Sports Panorama, 1994
  • Politis, N.G. (1997). Sports in Patras, Tome B, From the Tofalos period to the foundation of Panachaiki. Patras: Achaikes Ekdoseis. ISBN 960-7164-92-X.
  • Kokkovikas, K., The sports past of Achaia, 2004
  • Patras Municipality, 100 years of football in Patras, 2006
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