Not to be confused with Olympiacos CFP, the sports club based in Greece

Olympiakos Nicosia

Full name	Ολυμπιακός Λευκωσίας Olympiakos Lefkosias
Nickname(s)	Μαυροπράσινοι (The Green Blacks)
Founded	1931
Ground	New GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus (Capacity: 23,400)
Chairman	Petros Savva
Manager	Andros Kouloumpris
League	Cypriot Second Division
2008-09	4th
Home colours Away colours

Olympiakos Nicosia (Greek: Ολυμπιακός Λευκωσίας;Olympiakos Lefkosias) is a football club in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia. The Club was founded in 1931. It is a founding member of the Cyprus Football Federation. The jersey colors are black and green. Olympiakos's home ground is the New GSP Stadium of 23,400 seat capacity.

Olympiakos Nicosia has won three Cypriot First Division Championships one Cypriot Cup and one Cyprus Super Cup.

In the past the club also had basketball, volleyball, cycling and futsal teams.

Contents 1 The Golden Decade 2 Greek Experience 3 European Experience 4 Cup Glory 5 Glory Days Revisited 6 Recent Decline 7 Current squad 7.1 First Team Reserves 7.2 Transfers 2009/10 7.3 Coaching Staff 8 Former Players 9 Selected Former Managers 10 Honours 10.1 Football 10.2 Volleyball 11 External links

[edit] The Golden Decade

The 1962-1972 decade is rightly known as the "Golden decade" of Olympiakos. The club was champion of the Cypriot First Division three times another three times it was runner-up, while it became the only Cyprus football club that participated three times in the Greek National 1st Division Championship.

It all started in the 1961-62 season, when Olympiakos reached the cup final for the first time. Despite this, the team did not manage to win the cup trophy. (As it lost from Anorthosis Famagusta FC with a score of 5-2)

The foundations had been laid however, in the 1964-65 season, Giorgos Paletsios an old Olympiakos football player for 18 years (who had also served as team captain) agreed to manage the team, without being paid a salary for his services. Paletsios proceeded to restructure the team's squad promoting to the first team the young and talented Kettenis, Limbouris, Argyrou amongst other players. Bolstered with young enthusiasm the team finished in second place in the championship, while in the same year the top scorer of the championship was Olympiakos player Costakis Pieridis, scoring 21 goals.

In the 1965-66 season Olympiakos was once again runner-up, with 49 points, one point less than the then champion Omonoia. Top scorer of the championship was again an Olympiakos player, Panikos Efthymiades scoring 23 goals.

In the 1966-67 season Olympiakos dominated the Cypriot Championship, with Pambos Avraamidis as their manager, the team finished in first place and won the championship with 55 points as many as APOEL Nicosia, who in the last game of the season beat Aris Limassol with the huge score of 17-1. The title was judged on goal difference and despite APOEL's huge score in the last game of the season, Olympiakos still had a superior goal difference so that the club was crowned champion.

In 1967, the champion Olympiakos played against the Cup-winner Apollon Limassol, beating them with 1-0 therefore winning the Pakkos Shield (as the Super Cup/Shield was then known.)

In the 1968-69 season, Olympiakos with Eric Brookes as manager won the championship for a second time, collecting 52 points the same number as AC Omonoia. Olympiakos was champion however because of the better goal difference. Top scorer of the championship is once again Panikos Efthymiades scoring 17 goals.

The third Olympiakos championship came in the 1970-71 season with Rod Bradley as the manager the team finished in first place with 31 points compared to 27 of runner up Digenis Morfou. The title of top scorer was shared by 3 footballers who all scored 11 goals amongst them once again Panikos Efthymiades.

In the 1972-73 season Olympiakos finished runner-up, while in the 1974-75 season the team finished third.

In 1971 Olympiakos won the Paligenesias cup that was organised by the Cyprus Football Association(KOP), defeating Nea Salamis Famagusta. In this golden period Olympiakos' managers were the following: Pambos Avraamidis, Giorgos Paletsios, Takis Papaxeniou, Eric Brookes and Rod Bradley.

Andreas Filotas, Varnavas Christofi, Nikos Theocharidis, Demos Flourentzou, Giorgos Hadjikonstantis, Dimitrakis Argyrou, Yiannis Xipolitas, Savvakis Constantinou, Michalakis Argyrou, Sotirakis Georgiou, Lakis Avraamidis, Markos Markou, Andreas Nicolaou (Lympoyris), Vasilis Fragkiskou (Katsis), Dimitriadis, Tasos Louka, Andreas Assiotis, Giorgos Kettenis, Panikos Efthymiades, Costakis Pieridis, Charalambos Partasidis, Giannos Pavlou, Takis Papettas, Kokos Michael, Nikos Mailos, Michalis Stavrou, Giorgos Aristeidou, Koullis Iliadis, Lakis Mitsidis, Panagiotis Prodromou, Giannis Serafeim were the footballers of the great successes of this period. The team's current nickname is Taktakalas from the area in Nicosia where the club hails.

[edit] Greek Experience

Olympiakos became the first Cypriot football team that participated in the Pan-Hellenic Championship, in the 1967-68 season, something which recurred twice more, in 1969-70, and in 1971-72, rendering the club the only Cypriot team that participated three times in the Greek National 1st Division Championship. Olympiakos has also taken part in all three European competitions.

[edit] European Experience

In the European Champions Cup in 1967 the club faced FK Sarajevo Yugoslavia. In the first game the teams drew 2-2, while in second game Olympiakos lost with 3-1.

Also in the European Champions Cup, Olympiakos Nicosia played against Real Madrid in 1969, losing both matches with 8-0 and 6-1. Olympiakos later played in the same competition in 1971 and met Feyenoord of the Netherlands and lost 8-0 and 9-0.

In the Cup Winners' Cup, Olympiakos took part once in 1977 playing against FC Universitatea Craiova Romania while in 1973 Olympiakos played against the German team VfB Stuttgart for the UEFA Cup.

[edit] Cup Glory

In 1977, Olympiakos Nicosia scored 2-0 over Alki Larnaca to win the Cypriot Cup. In 1991, Olympiakos Nicosia lost the Cypriot Cup in the finals losing 1-0 to AC Omonia. That was their last appearance in the Cypriot Cup finals.

[edit] Glory Days Revisited

Olympiakos Nicosia also played in the UEFA Cup (after finishing runner up in the Cypriot championship) in the 2001-02 season against the Hungarian team Dunaferr FC (drawing 2-2 in Nicosia and scoring a 2-4 away win, the first for the club in Europe) and proceeded to the next round of the Uefa Cup to play against Club Brugge of Belgium and was eventually eliminated.

[edit] Recent Decline

After a disastrous 2007-2008 season, where economic problems hindered the building of a strong squad, Olympiakos Nicosia finished bottom of the Cypriot First Division (the first time the club has finished bottom). The club was relegated for the third time in its history. In both the 1983–84 and 1997–98 seasons the club had spent just one season in the second tier of Cypriot football, only to win the Cypriot Second Division title each time and return to the Cypriot First Division. The club is trying to re-organise itself and to return to the top flight as quickly as possible. In the 2008–09 season the club finished fourth in the Cypriot Second Division and missed the promotion to the Cypriot First Division on the last day of the season by one point. In the 2009–10 season, an old goalkeeper of Olympiakos Petros Savva, has been appointed as the new chairman. Savva has re-appointed Andros Kouloumbris, an old player of Olympiakos, as manager.

[edit] Current squad

Fumo Kolokoudias Kožlej Kolanis Razić Tutuana Okkarides Georgiades Kuzma Ptinis Daskalakis

Olympiakos Nicosia Possible Lineup.

Last Update: 16 August 2009

No. Position Player 2 DF Sotiris Ptinis 4 DF Stelios Longras 6 MF Heiner Backhaus 7 FW Pedras 8 MF Fumo 9 FW Jozef Kožlej (Captain) 10 MF Ján Šafranko 11 FW Esad Razić 13 DF Stelios Okkarides (2nd Vice-Captain) 14 MF Jeff Tutuana 15 FW Rastislav Chmelo

No. Position Player 18 DF Demetris Daskalakis 19 FW Georgios Kolokoudias 21 MF Marios Themistokleous (1st Vice-Captain) 22 DF Christos Efthymiou 23 DF Giorgos Ioannidis 25 DF Giorgos Georgiades 32 GK Stanislav Kuzma (3rd Vice-Captain) 33 MF Georgios Kolanis 91 MF Andreas Alcibiades 99 GK Evagoras Hadjifrangiskou

[edit] First Team Reserves

No. Position Player 1 GK Constantinos Panagi 17 DF Nestoras Tziepras 20 FW Theodoros Loizou 26 MF Nikolas Oratiou 29 DF Giorgos Costa 28 MF Pieros Sotiriou 98 FW Valantis Kapartis

[edit] Transfers 2009/10

In

No. Position Player 2 DF Sotiris Ptinis (from Chalkanoras Idaliou) 4 DF Stelios Longras (from APEP Pitsilias) 6 MF Heiner Backhaus (from FC Sachsen Leipzig) 7 FW Pedras (from S.C. Vianense) 8 MF Fumo (from APEP Pitsilias) 9 FW Jozef Kožlej (from Thrasyvoulos F.C.) 10 MF Ján Šafranko (from 1. FC Tatran Prešov) 11 FW Esad Razić (free agent) 13 DF Stelios Okkarides (from Apollon Limassol) 14 MF Jeff Tutuana (from Ayia Napa FC)

No. Position Player 15 FW Rastislav Chmelo (from FC Lokomotíva Košice) 18 DF Demetris Daskalakis (from Ethnikos Asteras) 19 FW Georgios Kolokoudias (from Enosis Neon Paralimni) 21 MF Marios Themistokleous (from Digenis Akritas Morphou) 23 DF Giorgos Ioannidis (from Doxa Katokopia) 25 DF Giorgos Georgiades (from Ayia Napa FC) 32 GK Stanislav Kuzma (from NK Nafta Lendava) 33 MF Georgios Kolanis (from Enosis Neon Paralimni) 99 GK Evagoras Hadjifrangiskou (from Doxa Katokopia)

Out

No. Position Player 1 GK Yordan Linkov (to PFC Lokomotiv Mezdra) 3 DF Stefanos Georgiou (to Othellos Athienou) 5 MF Ahmed Aït Ouarab (to JSM Bejaïa) 8 MF Vítor Pereira (to Onisilos Sotira) 11 FW Kiril Mihaylov (to PFC Minyor Pernik) 14 FW Alioune Touré (to Paris FC) 15 DF Avraam Avraam (to ASIL Lysi) 17 GK Simos Tsiakkas (to Othellos Athienou) 18 DF Iacovos Tsolakides (to Alki Larnaca) 21 DF Nikos Nicolaou (to Nea Salamis) 27 MF Costas Solomou (to Atromitos Yeroskipou)

No. Position Player 4 DF Youness Bengelloun 10 MF Antonis Panagi 30 GK Sam Beasant (to Oxhey Jets F.C.) 33 MF Elipidoforos Elia (loan return to Ethnikos Achnas) 39 FW Konstantin Bashov (to Alki Larnaca) 41 MF Laurindo Tavares (to C.D. Pinhalnovense) 77 MF Giorgos Sielis (loan return to Apollon Limassol) 78 FW Marios Neophytou (to APOP Kinyras Peyias) 88 MF Samy Barkallah (to FC Istres) 99 FW Matthias Verschave

[edit] Coaching Staff