Goal Stadium
What was the home venue of AC Omonia before Dec 1952?
AC Omonia Athletic Club Omonoia Nicosia ( , ΑΣΟΛ ; Athlitikos Sillogos Omonoias Lefkosias , ASOL ; Omonia is Greek for amity ) is a Cypriot professional football club based in Nicosia . The club was established on 4 June 1948 . The football team of AC Omonia joined the Cyprus Football Association in 1953 . On 14 June 2018 the football team of AC Omonoia became a professional for-profit football company . Omonoia is the most popular and the most historically successful football clubs in Cyprus , having won 21 national championships , 14 cups and 16 super cups . Omonia holds an outstanding record of 14 championships in two decades ( between 1970–1989 ) , a record of being either champion or runner-up 14 times in a row in the championship ( between 1973-1986 ) , and the record of having won the Cypriot Cup four times in a row ( between 1980 and 1983 ) . The AC Omonia also operates basketball , volleyball , cycling and futsal . The latter one is being particularly successful , having won the league and cup in three consecutive years since 2011 . History . Creation and early years ( 1948–1953 ) . On 23 May 1948 , the governing board of APOEL football club 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 . In its telegram , the board stated its wish for what it described as the communist mutiny to be ended . Club players considering this action as a specifically political comment on the Greek Civil War distanced themselves from the board and were duly expelled from APOEL . On 4 June 1948 , Dr . Mattheos Papapetrou organized a meeting in Nicosia that led to the creation of Omonia . Many players expelled from APOEL were present at the meeting and joined the new club . Along with other left-wing teams such as Nea Salamina , Alki Larnaca and Orfeas Nicosia , Omonia helped create in December 1948 the Cyprus Amateur Football Federation . Omonia took part in the CAFF league until 1953 , having won four out of five played championships and five out of five played cups . Omonia was then accepted by the Cyprus Football Association to participate in the Cypriot First Division Beginnings in the Cypriot First Division ( 1953–1969 ) . After joining the Cypriot First Division in 1953 , Omonia only placed seventh out of nine teams in the 1953–54 season , barely avoiding relegation . During that decade , the clubs best placing came during the 1956–57 season when the club finished in the third position . The team would make its closest push for the title during the 1959–60 season after finishing second , one point behind Anorthosis Famagusta . The following year , after seven seasons in the First Division , the club would win its first title in 1960–61 season . Omonia , in that season , would score 91 goals in 24 matches on their way to their first ever Cyprus First Division title . Omonia won their second title during the 1965–66 season . Golden era ( 1970s–1980s ) . Omonia won its first trophies of the decade in 1972 , when the club won both the league and the cup . Led by a young Sotiris Kaiafas , Omonia won seven league titles in the 1970s , six of them were consecutive ( 1974–1979 ) . At the end of the decade , Omonia had a total of nine championship titles and three cups . At the end of the 1979 season , Omonia trailed its arch-rival APOEL by two championships . In 1976 , Sotiris Kaiafas would go on and win the European Golden Shoe for his single-season 39-goal performance . In 2003 , he was awarded the UEFA Jubilee Awards for the Best Cypriot Footballer of the 20th century . The 1980s was a successful decade for the club as it won an additional seven Cypriot League Championship titles including another five consecutive in 1981 , 1982 , 1983 , 1984 , 1985 , and in 1987 and in 1989 . As the 1980s came to an end , Omonia had won 14 Cypriot championship titles , becoming the most successful team on the island at the time . General decline ( 1990s ) . The 1990s would prove to be less successful than the previous two decades . During this time , Omonia only mustered one Cypriot League title during the 1992–93 season . It would be eight years before Omonia would see its next title . In 1997 , Omonia signed the German Rainer Rauffmann , who would later become the second top goalscorer ever for the club . With the help of other Omonia great and then captain , Costas Malekkos , and a young Costas Kaiafas ( the son of Sotiris Kaiafas ) , Rauffmann would become top scorer of the Cypriot First Division in 1997–98 , 1998–99 , 1999–00 and 2000–01 seasons and led Omonia to two titles . Revival ( 2000s ) . After a disappointing eight seasons , the 2000s decade began with a trophy . Omonia celebrated its 18th Cypriot league championship title in 2001 . Now captained by Costas Kaiafas , Omonia would win its 19th Cypriot League Championship again in 2003 . Since 2003 , however , the team would stumble and be without a title for the next several years . After numerous seasons of poor signings and underachieving , Omonias reigns would be taken over by new chairman and team president , Miltiadis Neophytou in 2008 . The team would soon be put back on track starting in 2006 , beginning with the signing of Cyprus international goalkeeper Antonis Georgallides . Omonia would continue its star-studded signings by acquiring Cypriot stars that had been playing abroad , such as Elias Charalambous and Stathis Aloneftis . Omonia would then make headlines with the shocking signing of all-time leading scorer for Cyprus , Michalis Konstantinou . In 2009 , Omonia would also sign another Cypriot star , Konstantinos Makrides . En route , Omonia would also acquire young Cypriot hopefuls , 21-year-old Dimitris Christofi and 20-year-old Georgios Efrem . Efrem , who had been playing on the youth team of Arsenal and later Scottish side Rangers , would be the final piece to the puzzle needed to win its 20th Cypriot league championship . After putting the proper pieces in place , Omonia did just that . During the 2009–10 season , led by the new captain , Elias Charalambous , Omonia would not lose a single derby , including play-offs matches against either , APOEL , Anorthosis Famagusta nor Apollon . Head coach Takis Lemonis left the club after disappointing results and Dušan Bajević became the new coach in October 2010 , but was fired in April 2011 . He was replaced by Neophytos Larkou . Omonia would not be able to repeat as Champion during the 2010–11 regular season , and instead had to settle with finishing second , despite the addition of yet another young Cypriot rising star , Andreas Avraam . The club , however , was to end on a positive note : under interim coach Neophytos Larkou , Omonia defeated Apollon Limassol in the Cyprus Cup final to win their 13th cup title . Omonia spent a difficult year but won their 14th cup starring André Alves , who scored the winning goal against AEL Limassol . Under the guidance of newly-appointed director of football Nickolas Danskalou , Omonia finished second in the Championship and third after the playoff rounds , all but assuring they would qualify for the second round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League . Financial crisis ( 2012–2018 ) . Head coach Neophytos Larkou left the club in September 2012 and Toni Savevski was then appointed as coach . The team began the season with a great win but found its second success after several games . A disappointing first round proved enough to exclude the club from contesting for the championship or the cup . The team managed better results in the second round , finishing the season in third place . Thousands of fans answered the presidents call to donate as much as they could and the financial issues of the club improved . Omonias final match ended in a 3–1 victory over AEK Larnaca . Omonia was knocked out in the semi-finals of the cup by AEL Limassol . In 2013 , Omonia began the new season with Savevski as manager , but he was sacked halfway beside positive results . Miguel Ángel Lotina was hired as the replacer but was sacked just 37 days later . Kostas Kaiafas , ex-player was then appointed as the new coach . The clubs financial difficulties returned despite the massive fundraiser organized the previous season . Omonia ended fifth in the league , finishing its worst season in 56 years since 1957–58 . In August 2014 , Omonia was knocked out of the Europa League playoff stages by Dynamo Moscow . The club issued a complaint to UEFA regarding the refereeing of the match by Alexandru Tudor . In early September , the club stopped supplying the fans group Gate-9 with tickets resulting in the groups abstention from matches . Two weeks later , after a meeting between the president and the coach , it was decided that tickets were to be supplied again to Gate-9 . Omonia finished fourth in the league . The team was eliminated from the Cypriot Cup semi-finals by APOEL . The team ended the 2015–16 campaign in 4th place . During this season it reached the final of the Cypriot Cup but lost to Apollon Limassol . The 2016–17 season saw the club finish 5th . This meant that for the 1st time in 15 years the club would not be able to play in European qualification matches . Following a general assembly at the end of the season Antonis Tzionis was elected as the new club president . While the 2017–18 campaign began with high expectations Omonia ended the season in 6th place . The season was the worst in the clubs history in terms of defeats and goals conceded . Despite this the club sold a total of 95,222 tickets during the season , more than any other team in the league . Papastavrou era ( 2018–present ) . The decline of the clubs football department and the financial difficulties it faced convinced many that a change in the way the club was being run was needed . In May 2018 a general assembly was called and members voted to hand the football department over to Stavros Papastavrou , an American-based Cypriot businessman . Papastavrou plans to invest 5 million euros into the club over the next few years and will invest more over the 20-year period that he will be in charge . He has stated that he will provide funds for the development of the clubs academies and training grounds and that the potential creation of a new stadium will be considered . The club finished the 2018–19 campaign in 6th place and was knocked out of the Cypriot Cup by Apollon Limassol in the second round . Manager Yannis Anastasiou was replaced by Henning Berg in June 2019 . The 2019–20 Cypriot season was abandoned in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . At the time of its abandonment Omonoia was tied with Anorthosis Famagusta on points , but was ranked first due to a better head to head record and thus qualified for the first qualifying round of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League season . The club would go on to win their 21st league title the following season to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the second successive season . Name . Omonia is the Greek word for amity , showing the contrast of the club for discord and disruption . Colours and badge . Omonias club colours are green , white and red . Their current alternate kit is red . This is because of the Clubs close association with AKEL , the popular left-wing party of the island . Omonias badge has a green shamrock in a white circle . Green colour symbolises hope and white colour happiness Stadium . Since 23 October 1999 , Omonia has been using the 22,859-seat New GSP Stadium , the largest stadium in Cyprus . They share the stadium with local rival APOEL . Omonia played in the Makario Stadium from 1978 until 1999 and in Old GSP Stadium from 1953 to 1978 . When the club was first created , it used the Goal Stadium ( 1948–1953 ) . Supporters . Omonia supporters are known for their left-leaning , socialist character , expressing Cypriotism with over 80% stating in a survey that they associate themselves with the Progressive Party of Working People.However , its followers recognize their nation which is Greek . They love Cyprus and the Cypriots but they consider that they are Greeks of Cyprus and they are proud of it . In addition , they believe that the Greeks who live in Greece are their brothers and that they are the same since they all have the same mentality , religion and language . Omonia is also traditionally regarded as the club of Cypruss working-class . Many of Omonias supporters can be seen waving banners bearing Che Guevaras image . Gate-9 , the teams ultras group , was established in 1992 . The group occupies the North stand at the GSP stadium during home games . Gate 9 has established relations with other left wing supporters such as those of Hapoel Tel Aviv and Standard Liège . Omonia holds the record for the most league tickets sold by a Cypriot team in a single season ( 162,061 during the 2009–10 campaign ) . The club also holds the Cypriot record for the highest average attendance in a season ( 11,003 during the 2003–04 campaign ) . Financial crisis and 2013 Pan-Cypriot fundraiser . By the end of February 2013 , Omonia was struggling to meet the UEFA criteria due to the economic crisis that had engulfed the club . The clubs president then decided to start a fundraiser and called for the supporters of the club to donate as much as they could . Hundreds of events were organised island wide with the motto ; ΕΙΜΑΙ ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ ΔΗΛΩΝΩ ΠΑΡΩΝ meaning , IM WITH OMONIA , I DECLARE MYSELF PRESENT . Current and former players contributed by signing autographs and selling club merchandise . Although the situation at the beginning was described as grim , money poured in from all over the island and from abroad including England and the United States . In about a month-and-a-half , €3.5 million was collected from the clubs supporters . Honours . - Cypriot Championship - Cypriot Cup - Cypriot Super Cup - CAFF Championship - CAFF Cup Omonia in European competitions . UEFA Club ranking . Last update : 15 May 2020 Players . Former players . For details of former players , see Retired number . 12 – The club supporters ( the 12th man ) Management . AC Omonoia . Source : Omonoia FC . Source : omonoiafc.com.cy Managerial history . - Dikran Missirian ( 1948–52 ) - John Johnson ( 1952–53 ) - Pambos Avraamides ( 1953–55 ) - Hans Hungehuisen ( 1955–57 ) - Karl Vogler ( 1957–59 ) - Eli Fuchs ( 1959–60 ) - Nako Chakmakov ( 1960–62 ) - Tourai ( 1962–63 ) - Stoyan Petrov ( 1963–64 ) - Andreas Keremezos ( 1964–65 ) - Georgi Pachedzhiev ( 1965–66 ) , ( first term ) - Igor Netto ( 1966–67 ) - Georgi Barka ( 1967–68 ) - Georgi Pachedzhiev ( 1968–70 ) , ( second term ) - Khrustyo Chakarov ( 1970–71 ) - Dobromir Tashkov ( 1971–72 ) , ( first term ) - Vasil Spasov ( 1972–74 ) , ( first term ) - Andreas Constantinou ( Esso ) ( 1974–75 ) - Iltziev ( 1975–76 ) - Gabriel Stoyanov ( 1976–77 ) - Petar Argirov ( 1977–79 ) - Yoncho Arsov ( 1979–80 ) , ( first term ) - Vasil Spasov ( 1980–82 ) , ( second term ) - Dobromir Tashkov ( 1982–83 ) , ( second term ) - Atanas Dramov ( 1983–85 ) - Yanko Dinkov ( 1985–86 ) - Yoncho Arsov ( 1986–89 ) , ( second term ) - Bozhil Kolev ( 1989–90 ) - Helmut Senekowitsch ( 1990–91 ) - Graziano Zakarel ( 1991–92 ) - Yoncho Arsov ( 1992–94 ) , ( third term ) - Gerhard Prokop ( 1994–96 ) - Walter Skocik ( 1995–96 ) - Angel Kolev ( 1996–97 ) - Andreas Michaelides ( 1997–99 ) - Dušan Galis ( 1999 ) - Yoncho Arsov ( 1999–00 ) , ( fourth term ) - Asparuh Nikodimov ( 2000 ) - Arie Haan ( 14 Nov 2000 – 30 Nov 2000 ) - Henk Houwaart ( 1 Oct 2000 – 30 Nov 2001 ) , ( first term ) - Andreas Mouskallis ( 2002 ) - Toni Savevski ( 2002–04 ) , ( first term ) - Franciszek Smuda ( 2004 ) - Henk Houwaart ( 1 July 2004 – 21 Dec 2005 ) , ( second term ) - Ioan Andone ( 28 Dec 2005 – 25 May 2007 ) - Dragan Okuka ( 23 May 2007 – 26 Nov 2007 ) - Ioannis Matzourakis ( 2007 ) - Giorgos Savvidis ( 2007–2008 ) - Nedim Tutić ( 2008–09 ) - Takis Lemonis ( 17 March 2009 – 4 Oct 2010 ) - Dušan Bajević ( 13 Oct 2010 – 14 April 2011 ) - Neophytos Larkou ( 15 April 2011 – Sept 18 , 2012 ) - Toni Savevski ( Sept 26 , 2012–18 Dec 2013 ) , ( second term ) - Miguel Ángel Lotina ( 1 Jan 2014 – 6 Feb 2014 ) - Kostas Kaiafas ( 12 Mar 2014 – 2 Nov 2015 ) - Vladan Milojević ( 11 Nov 2015 – 18 May 2016 ) - John Carver ( 4 June 2016 – 23 February 2017 ) - Akis Ioakim ( 23 February 2017 – 26 May 2017 ) - Pambos Christodoulou ( 26 May 2017 – 5 December 2017 ) - Ivaylo Petev ( 14 December 2017 – 21 March 2018 ) - Juan Carlos Oliva ( 17 June 2018 – 22 October 2018 ) - Yannis Anastasiou ( 1 November 2018 – 21 May 2019 ) - Henning Berg ( 6 June 2019 – present ) Source : trifylli.net Presidential history . Here is the list of the previous presidents of Omonia : External links . - Official website - Omonoia news website - Gate9 official website - Kifines fan page - national-football-teams - on Wikimedia Commons