APOEL FC

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Template:Short description Template:For Template:Pp Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football club Template:APOEL Nicosia sections

APOEL FC (Template:Langx; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias, Template:Lit. "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") is a Cypriot professional football club based in Nicosia, Cyprus. APOEL is the most successful football team in Cyprus with an overall tally of 29 national championships, 21 cups, and 13 super cups.<ref name="apoelfc_honours">Template:Cite web</ref>

APOEL's greatest moment in European competition occurred in the 2011–12 season, when they advanced out of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (winning a group that included FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Zenit St. Petersburg), then eliminated Olympique Lyonnais in the last 16, to become the first Cypriot team to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.<ref name="2012_UCL_QF">Template:Cite web</ref> APOEL's European competitions highlights also include appearances in the group stages of the 2009–10 and 2014–15 UEFA Champions League and the group stages of the 2013–14, 2015–16, and 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. They marked their most successful UEFA Europa League campaign during the 2016–17 season, when they managed to top their group (along with Olympiacos, Young Boys, and Astana) and eliminated Athletic Bilbao in the round of 32, to reach the last 16 of the competition for the first time in their history.<ref name="UEL_R32">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="UEL_R16">Template:Cite web</ref> APOEL is the only Cypriot club who have reached the group stages (and the knockout stages) of both major UEFA competitions (UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League). In the 2016–17 season, APOEL drew an average home league attendance of 7,126 and their highest league attendance was 15,462. Both were the highest in the league.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

APOEL FC is part of the APOEL multi-sport club, which was founded in 1926 and maintains departments for several sports including football, basketball, volleyball, futsal, table tennis, bowling, cycling, archery, swimming and water polo. APOEL is one of the founding members of the Cyprus Football Association<ref name="apoelfc_history1">Template:Cite web</ref> and also an ordinary member of the European Club Association, an organization that replaced the previous G-14 which consists of major football clubs in Europe.

History

1926–1929: The early years

The club was formed as POEL (Template:Langx, Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias, Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia) on 8 November 1926. The club's formation came about when a group of forty people, with a common vision, met and set the foundations for creating a football club that would represent the Greek residents of the capital and express their deep desire for Cyprus' incorporation (enosis) into Greece. The meeting took place at a traditional confectionery, owned by Charalambos Hadjioannou, downtown in Ledra Street and the first president of the club was Giorgos Poulias.<ref name="apoelfc_history1" /> The first clubhouse was the "Athenians Club" (Template:Lang) at the end of Ledra Street.<ref name="apoelfc_history1" />

After a journey to the football club in Alexandria, Egypt in 1927 the General Assembly of 1928 decided the players showed that they were not just good footballers but also excellent track and field athletes. Hence it was decided to create a track and field team in addition to the football team. The name APOEL was adopted to reflect this, with the 'A' standing for 'Athletic'. Soon after a volleyball team and a table tennis team were established.

The 1930s : The first league titles

Cyprus did not have any country-wide league until 1932. Football clubs of the time played friendly matches only. In 1932, Pezoporikos Larnaca organised an unofficial league, the first island-wide league, and it was won by APOEL after defeating AEL Limassol in the final by 4–0. In 1934, there was a disagreement between Trust and Anorthosis Famagusta on the organisation of the fourth unofficial league. APOEL and AEL Limassol organised a meeting for the foundation of a country-wide governing body and an official country-wide league. The meeting took place in APOEL's clubhouse on 23 September and the establishment of the Cyprus Football Association was agreed. Two years later the APOEL football team celebrated its first championship title of the official Cyprus football league. APOEL also won the championship for the following four years, making this a very successful period for the club with 5 consecutive championships (1936–1940).<ref name="apoelfc_history1" />

The 1948 conflicts

Politics, however, would soon spark conflict within the team. On 23 May 1948 the board of the club send a telegram to the Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics (Template:Langx), with the opportunity of the annual Panhellenic Track and Field Competition, which included wishes that "the rebellion" is finished. Several leftist club members perceived the telegram as a political comment on the Greek Civil War and they distanced themselves from the club.<ref name="1948events">Template:Cite web</ref> A few days later, on 4 June 1948, they founded AC Omonia, which until today is the archrival of APOEL and there has been a traditional animosity between the fans of the two teams.<ref name="1948events" />

1955–59 period

Template:Unreferenced section More conflicts led to further struggles for APOEL. Athletes belonging to the club frequently participated in national clashes. During the 1955–59 national uprising against the British, many of APOEL's athletes and members of the club were active members of EOKA (the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters), the most outstanding example being the club's track and field athlete Michalakis Karaolis who was hanged by the British colonial authorities. During this period the football team had their closest brush with relegation as most football players were actively taking part in the national struggle.

Triumph in the 1963–64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

The football team were quickly back to full strength and made their debut in European Competitions (the first not only for APOEL but for any Cypriot team) in 1963, when they faced the Norwegian team SK Gjøvik-Lyn in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Two victories for APOEL over both legs (6–0, 1–0) marked APOEL's successful European debut, as they became the first Hellenic team to progress in a European Competition. The next round against the tournament winners Sporting Clube de Portugal met APOEL with their heaviest defeat ever (16–1) and put an end to APOEL's European debut.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The successful participation in pan-Hellenic Greek Championship

Other triumphs followed in the early 1970s. In 1973 the domestic double was achieved with coach Panos Markovic. The following year APOEL became the only Cypriot team to avoid relegation from the pan-Hellenic Greek Championship. That was also the last season that the Cypriot champion played in the Greek Football League the following year due to the volatile situation in Cyprus during 1974.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The 1980s: European Cup 1986–87 withdrawal

The 1980s were a relatively fruitless period for APOEL. They have only won two championships (1980,1986), one cup (1984) and two super cups (1984, 1986). In 1986 APOEL was drawn against Beşiktaş J.K. for the second round of the European Cup. This was the first time that a Cypriot team faced a Turkish team in a European football competition. The Cypriot government prohibited APOEL from playing against the Turkish team, so APOEL was punished with two years disqualification from any UEFA competition.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This penalty was later reduced to one-year.

The 1990s: The unbeaten "double" in 1995–96

The 1990s<ref name="apoelfc_history_90">Template:Cite web</ref> were a successful decade for APOEL with 3 championships (1990, 1992, 1996), 5 cups (1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999) and 4 super cups (1992, 1993, 1996, 1999). The most successful season in the 1990s was 1995–96 in which APOEL achieved a celebratory double while remaining undefeated in the league. The basketball team won a double on the same season, making this the ideal season for a 70th anniversary celebration.

The formation of APOEL FC Company

APOEL Football (Public) Ltd was established in May 1997, after the decision of APOEL committee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This had a significant effect on the club because it separated the activities of the football team from those of the sports club.<ref name="apoel_ltd">Template:Cite web</ref> The formation of the company was necessitated by the financial difficulties the team faced at the time. The company began its operations with a capital of CY £600,000.

2000s–2010s: Domestic domination

APOEL is the most successful football team in Cyprus since the 2000s. In seventeen years, the club won twelve championships (2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), four cups (2006, 2008, 2014, 2015) and seven super cups (2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2019). In the 2013–14 season, APOEL achieved a historical domestic treble by winning all the Cypriot competitions trophies, the league, the cup, and the super cup. The next season (2014–15), the club won their second consecutive double. In the 2016–17 season, APOEL managed to win their fifth consecutive league title and equalled the club's record which was set 77 years before (1936–1940).

2020s

The 2020–21 season marked the end of APOEL's dominance in Cyprus as they failed to make the championship playoffs for the first time in the club's history. The following season, APOEL finished third, missing out on Champions League qualification in the last matchday, and instead qualifying for the Europa Conference League. They missed out on the 2022–23 championship, finishing in second place, despite being first at the end of the regular season. APOEL returned to domestic glory in 2024, winning the championship for a record-extending 29th time. It has been revealed that APOEL has debts of 50+ million euros and so far they are trying to find investors in order to save the club from debts, unsuccessfully.

European ambitions

Template:Main APOEL's first great run in European competitions came in 2002, when the team was knocked out on the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, entered the UEFA Cup and reached the second round of the competition. The following years, APOEL qualified four times for the UEFA Champions League group stages (2009–10, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2017–18), and managed to reach the quarter-finals in the 2011–12 season.<ref name="2012_UCL_QF"/> The team also participated in the group stages of the 2013–14, 2015–16 & 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, managing to reach the last 16 of the competition in the 2016–17 season.<ref name="UEL_R32"/><ref name="UEL_R16"/>

APOEL FC as a company

The football department of APOEL is legally owned by APOEL Football (Public) Ltd (Template:Langx), a public limited company,<ref name="apoel_ltd"/> since 1997. The company's main activity is the management, operation and commercial exploitation of APOEL Football club. The company owns all the rights for the football department under an agreement with APOEL sports club and pays the club CY£100,000 annually for the privilege.<ref name="apoelfc_history_90"/> The agreement between the company and the club is renewed every five years. The company has 1745 shareholders<ref name="apoel_ltd"/> and besides the football club, also maintains a team boutique (Orange Shop), the APOELFC (Template:LangxFC) magazine and the apoelfc.com.cy website among others.

Youth Academy

APOEL's youth academy is a separate legal entity from the football club. They are responsible for the under 21 teams for football, basketball and volleyball and they have their own board of directors and budget. The football academy has produced many quality Cypriot players over the years. Players started from the academy and had great contribution APOEL are: Marinos Satsias, Constantinos Charalambides, Nektarios Alexandrou, Michalis Morfis and Marios Antoniades. All of them have also competed at international level with the Cyprus national football team while Charalambides and Alexandrou have played for teams in the Greek Super League in the past.

UEFA Youth League participations

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APOEL's U19 team participated for the first time in the UEFA Youth League group stage during 2014–15 season, drawn in Group F alongside Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> APOEL managed to collect only one point after drawing 0–0 with Ajax at home<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and lost their other five Group F matches. They lost twice to Barcelona (2–3 at home, 0–3 away), lost twice to Paris Saint-Germain (0–3 at home, 0–6 away) and also lost to Ajax 1–4 away, finishing fourth in their group.

The next two seasons, APOEL's U19 team participated again in the UEFA Youth League. The 2015–16 season they competed in the first round of the Domestic Champions Path, being drawn to face Puskás Akadémia from Hungary. After a dramatic 3–3 draw in the first leg in Nicosia, APOEL U19 suffered a heavy 6–1 loss in Felcsút and were eventually eliminated. The 2016–17 season they competed in the first round of the Domestic Champions Path, being eliminated by Italian side A.S. Roma after losing 0–3 at home and 1–6 in Italy.

Colours and badge

The club's colours and badge displayed by APOEL fans in the 2009–10 Champions League match against Chelsea.

APOEL's colours are blue and yellow. Blue symbolizes Greece and yellow symbolizes Byzantium.<ref name="apoel-deksia">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The logo is a blue and yellow shield with the name of the club written diagonally in blue. After the club won their 20th championship (2008–09 season), two stars were added above the logo to symbolize the 20 championship titles (one star for every ten championships won). Other than that, the badge has remained the same since the establishment of the club.

Stadium

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Choreography of APOEL FC fans in a Uefa Champions League game against Real Madrid

APOEL's home ground since 23 October 1999, is the 22,859 seater GSP Stadium. It is the largest stadium in Cyprus and they share it with local rivals Omonia and Olympiakos Nicosia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Before moving to GSP Stadium, APOEL used as home grounds the Makario Stadium (from 1978 until 1999) and the old GSP Stadium (prior to 1978).

Supporters

APOEL fans celebrating after eliminating Wisła Kraków in the play-off round of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League.

APOEL is one of the most popular teams in Cyprus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> APOEL fans are right-wing in their majority but there are no strong ties between the organised fans and any political party.<ref name="apoel-deksia"/> That wasn't always the case but during the past years they have actively avoided association with any political party.<ref name="apoel-deksia"/>

The main supporter group is PAN.SY.FI (Template:Langx). PAN.SY.FI was founded in 1979<ref name="apoelfc_pansyfi">Template:Cite web</ref> and has branches in all major cities in Cyprus and also in other countries. The PAN.SY.FI (and most ultras) wear orange jackets (or T-shirts). The first game they sported the orange jackets was during the first-round game of the 1992–93 championship against AEL Limassol in Makario Stadium.<ref name="apoelfc_pansyfi"/> APOEL have reserved the shirt number 79 in honour of PAN.SY.FI. (APOEL Ultras), to denote the year the group was founded, 1979.<ref name="shirt no 79">Template:Cite web</ref>

The club record for ticket sales in a single season is 141,268<ref name="tickets">Template:Cite web</ref> (15 matches, home league games only) during the 2010–11 season. The club record for average league games attendance in a single season is 9,582 (13 matches, home league games only) during the 2012–13 season.<ref name="tickets 2013">Template:Cite web</ref> The club's season tickets sales record was set on season 2014–15, in which more than 8,000 season tickets were sold.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

APOEL holds the record of the highest home attendance for Cyprus First Division in the game against Omonia with 23,043<ref name="stadium">Template:Cite web</ref> tickets for 2002–03 season. The match was held at GSP Stadium on 7 December 2002 and ended in a goalless draw.

The club holds also the record of the highest attendance of a Cypriot team for a European Competition game with 22,701<ref name="22701 εισιτήρια">Template:Cite web</ref> tickets in the match against Olympique Lyonnais for the return leg of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League last 16. The match which was held on 7 March 2012 at GSP Stadium of Nicosia ended with a 1–0 win for APOEL after extra time and 4–3 win on penalties.

On 8 December 2009, APOEL fans created another impressive record. More than 6,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> fans of the team travelled to London at Stamford Bridge for the last match of the 2009–10 Champions League group D against Chelsea F.C. which ended in a 2–2 draw. This is the biggest number of fans of any Cypriot team that had ever travelled away from Cyprus. A similar record created on 14 February 2012, in APOEL's participation to the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League last 16, when more than 5,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> APOEL fans travelled in France to support their team against Olympique Lyonnais. The match was held at Stade de Gerland and Olympique Lyonnais took a slender advantage into the second leg by winning 1–0. Also, on 4 April 2012, about 4,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> APOEL fans travelled to Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, to support APOEL against Real Madrid for the return leg of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, in a match which Real Madrid won by 5–2.

During the 2009–10 season APOEL sold in total 244,977 tickets for its home matches in all competitions (Championship, Cup, Champions League), which is the biggest number of tickets sold by a Cypriot club in a single season.

Rivalries

Nicosia derby

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The Nicosia derby (or the Derby of the eternal enemies) refers to the Nicosia's local derby, football matches played between APOEL and Omonia. It is the classic rivalry of the Cypriot football, as the two teams are the most successful and most popular football clubs of the island. The rivalry is also indicative of social, cultural and political differences and originates from 1948 when the board of APOEL sent a telegram to the Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics (Greek: Σ.Ε.Γ.Α.Σ.), with the opportunity of the annual Panhellenic Track and Field Competition stating its wish for the "communist mutiny" to be ended. Club's players considering this action as a political comment on the Greek Civil War distanced themselves or were expelled from APOEL and a month later they formed Omonia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first derby was played on 12 December 1953 and ended in a goalless draw.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Current squad

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Out on loan

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Club officials

Board of directors

Position Staff
Chairman Prodromos Petrides
Vice-chairmen Nicos Kouyialis
Harris Photiou
Members
Stelios Zampas
Charis Panayides
Marios Panayiotou
Thanasis Christoforou

Source: apoelfc.com.cy

Personnel

Position Staff
General manager Template:Flagicon Efthymios Agathokleous
Football Director
Financial Controller Template:Flagicon Alexis Demetriou
Operations Manager Template:Flagicon Marios Christodoulou
Marketing manager Template:Flagicon George Lykouris
Youth Academies General Manager Template:Flagicon George Markides
Head of Communications Department Template:Flagicon Nectarios Petevinos
Team manager Template:Flagicon George Savvides
Accountant Template:Flagicon Antigoni Lambrou

Source: apoelfc.com.cy

Technical staff

Technical staff
Head coach Template:Flagicon Pablo García
Assistant coach

Assistant coach, Head Analyst

Template:Flagicon Mirosław Sznaucner

Template:Flagicon Giannis Ampatzides

Assistant coach, Assistant Analyst Template:Flagicon Benjamin Garcia
Fitness coach Template:Flagicon Theocharis Komsis
Goalkeeper coach Template:Flagicon Vasilis Petropoulos
Scouting staff
Head Scout Template:Flagicon Giannos Dimosthenous

Source: apoelfc.com.cy

Medical staff

Medical staff
Head of Medical Template:Flagicon Dr. Alexander Rezerov
Physiotherapist Template:Flagicon Georgi Gospodinov
Physiotherapists Template:Flagicon Panagiotis Kakkoulis
Template:Flagicon Minas Tsiaoukka
Masseur Template:Flagicon Evangelos Kanellos
Nutritionist Template:Flagicon Chrysostomos Eiades
Caregivers Template:Flagicon Costas Stefanou
Template:Flagicon Damith Poddiva
Template:Flagicon Sidhu Gurpreet
Template:Flagicon Andreas Christoforou (greenkeeper)

Source: apoelfc.com.cy

Sponsorship

Main sponsors

  • Main Sponsor – Stoiximan
  • Sponsor of Sports Material – macron
  • Official Broadcaster – cablenet
  • Official sponsor – TA MERI FINANCE
  • Official sponsor – ISX
  • Official sponsor – LONDOU BROS
  • Official sponsor – Nurofen
  • Official sponsor – Jointace
  • Official sponsor – G.u.m
  • Official sponsor – PRODROMOU & MAKRIYIANNIS INSURANCE
  • Official sponsor – Osteocare
  • Supporter – Pizza Hut
  • Supporter – PASTA STRADA Pasta & Salad Bar
  • Supporter – PANAYIOTIDES Gifts Textiles
  • Supporter – Hope CARE
  • Supporter – LifeFitness
  • Supporter – elvetiko DIAGNOSTIC CENTER
  • Supporter – Vittel
  • Supporter – TYMVIOS LABS Klinika Chimeia
  • Supporter – REANDA
  • Supporter – PETROLINA
  • Supporter – Landas COLOUR Signs & Digital Printing
  • Supporter – LYLE & SCOTT EST 1874
  • Supporter – 1210 media
  • Supporter – SEAPHIRE Ribco

Source: apoelfc.com.cy

Managerial history

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Last Update: 7 October 2022<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Presidential history

APOEL has had numerous presidents over the course of their history. Since the establishment of APOEL Football Ltd, the presidents of the board of directors of the company (chairmen) have assumed all presidential duties for the football club. Here are complete lists of both:

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Presidents:<ref name="Presidents">Template:Cite web</ref>

  • 1926–1958 – Georgios Poulias
  • 1958–1967 – Εfthyvoulos Αnthoullis
  • 1967–1968 – Michalakis Triantafyllides
  • 1968–1969 – Takis Skarparis
  • 1969–1971 – Constantinos Loukos
  • 1971–1974 – Michalakis Zivanaris
  • 1974–1975 – Kikis Lazarides
  • 1975–1983 – Iakovos Filippou
  • 1983–1988 – Michalakis Zivanaris
  • 1988–1991 – Andreas Papaellinas
  • 1991–1992 – Kykkos Fotiades
  • 1992–1994 – Mike Ioannides
  • 1994–1996 – Christos Triantafyllides
  • 1996–1999 – Ouranios Ioannides
  • 1999–2000 – Dinos Palmas
  • 2002–2004 – Dinos Fisentzides
  • 2004–2007 – Yiannos Ioannou
  • 2007–2008 – Costas Schizas
  • 2008–2009 – Christodoulos Ellinas
  • 2009–2011 – Prodromos Petrides
  • 2011–2012 – Aris Vasilopoulos
  • 2012–2014 – Christoforos Potamitis
  • 2014–2016 – Marios Charalambous
  • 2016–present – Christoforos Potamitis

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Chairmen:<ref name="Presidents"/>

  • 1997–1998 – Mike Ioannides
  • 1998–2000 – Christos Triantafyllides
  • 2000–2001 – Harris Papanastasiou
  • 2001–2006 – Prodromos Petrides
  • 2006–2008 – Kyriakos Zivanaris
  • 2008–2013 – Phivos Erotokritou
  • 2013–present – Prodromos Petrides

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Former players

List of former players with national team appearances or having won multiple titles with the club:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Cyprus

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Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Colombia
Costa Rica
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark

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England
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Israel
Jordan
North Macedonia
Morocco
Netherlands

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Nigeria
Northern Ireland
Norway
Paraguay
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Togo
Tunisia

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Honours

Source:<ref name="apoelfc_honours"/>

Records

Last update: 16 March 2017

3 for win: 83, 2015–16<ref name="2016records">Template:Cite web</ref> (full season) — 69, 2008–09 (regular season)
2 for win: 51, 1976–77

League and Cup history

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IFFHS Club world ranking

Rank Country Team Points
273 Template:Flagicon BK Häcken 76,00
274 Template:Flagicon Alanyaspor 75,50
275 Template:Flagicon Cercle Brugge 75,50
276 Template:Flagicon APOEL 75,25
277 Template:Flagicon FC Sheriff 75,25
278 Template:Flagicon Universitatea Cluj 75
279 Template:Flagicon Universitatea Craiova 75

Last update: 7 July 2024
Source: IFFHS

References

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Template:APOEL Nicosia Template:APOEL FC Template:APOEL FC seasons Template:Cypriot First Division Template:Superleague Greece teamlist

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