PAS Giannina F.C.

PAS Giannina

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Full name	Πανηπειρωτικός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Γιάννινα (Panepirotic Athletic Society Giannina)
Nickname(s)	Ajax of Epirus
Founded	2 August 1966 (1966-08-02)
Ground	Zosimades Stadium Ioannina, Greece
Ground Capacity	7,500
Owner	Giorgos Christovasilis
President	Giorgos Christovasilis
Head coach	Giannis Petrakis
League	Superleague Greece
2014–15	Superleague Greece, 6th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours

PAS Giannina F.C. (Greek: ΠAE ΠΑΣ Γιάννινα 1966), or with its full name Panepirotikos Athlitikos Syllogos Giannina (Greek: Πανηπειρωτικός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Γιάννινα, Panepirotic Athletic Society Giannina) is a Greek association football club based in the city of Ioannina, the capital of Greece’s Epirus region.

Founded in 1966, they have competed several times in the First Division. Following the 2010–11 season, PAS was promoted again to Greece’s Super League division. The club is probably best known among Greek football spectators for its fervent support and its status as the Epirus region's preeminent football club.

History

The rise of "Ajax of Epirus"

PAS was formed in 1966 as a result of the union of the two local teams – Atromitos and Averof. As symbol of the new team was chosen the ancient Epirotic bull, as depected on the ancient coin of the Epirote League.

During its 1970s and early 1980s prime, the provincial club was bolstered by the acquisition of six Argentine players of Greek descent: Oscar Alvarez, Eduardo Rigani, Juan Montes, Jose Pasternac, Alfredo Glasman and Eduardo Lisa, with Gómez de Faria as coach, and procured several finishes near the top of the National Division table, often earning victories over Greece’s more established big city teams such as Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens and PAOK. The club’s effective and spirited play during the 1970s drew flattering comparisons with that of the Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam, and the moniker “Ajax of Epirus” has stuck with the team ever since. In 1980 former Poland national team coach Jacek Gmoch took the helm of the Epirote club for what was a brief but reasonably successful tenure.

In the doldrums: Mid-1980s and 90s

The period following the club's aforementioned peak years generally marked a sharp decline in the club's fortunes as many of its top stars moved on or retired outright without being satisfactorily replaced. PAS languished in the lower rungs of Greek football from the mid-1980s onwards, having only managed to stubbornly climb back up to the top flight for a single season in 1990 before being immediately demoted. The club would spend the remainder of the 1990s in the lower divisions.

Bumpy ride: 2000 to 2009 & Greek Cup semi-final

PAS has experienced a fair degree of instability in recent years. Under the stewardship of businessman Manthos Kolempas, the club showed signs of a mild resurgence by managing to be promoted to the National Division twice since 2000. The club was relegated, however, from the top flight after the 2000–1 season following a controversial 3-game playoff with OFI Crete and again after the 2002–3 season following sanctions of 65 points imposed on it by the Greek football association (EPO) after a unique and dubious decision. While there were other teams in the Superleague that owed at least 30 million euros, only PAS Giannina were relegated.

Related administrative and financial issues threatened to cause the club to be stripped of its professional status and relegated to the amateur division indefinitely. This was ultimately averted and the club's control switched over to controversial attorney Alexis Kougias, who oversaw the promotion of the team from the Tertiary Division (Gamma Ethniki) to the Second Division (Beta Ethniki). PAS finished 5th in the Second Division after the 2006–7 season and finished 4th after the 2007–8 season, coming very close to promotion and only losing out on the last match day.

PAS Giannina has reached the semifinals of the Greek Cup against Olympiacos, winning 2-0 at home and losing 2-1 in Karaiskakis Stadium of an extra-time goal from Evangelos Kontogoulidis before a hostile crowd.

In the summer of 2008 ownership of the club was passed over to Yiorgos Christovasilis, a businessman from Athens whose roots stem from the Epirus region. He brought on Guillermo Ángel Hoyos as coach for the 2008–09 season,in which they succeeded in promoting the team in Greek Super League for the next season. PAS Giannina will reach the first Greek division and as a coach was employed Georgios Paraschos that was elected Manager of the year with Iraklis in 1996.

Second Greek Cup semi-final

After 6 seasons with the PAS Giannina set foot at Alpha Ethniki, now called Super League Greece, to cope with this great commitment and experience of the past, the chairman Yiorgos Christovasilis hired from Siena, the Greek international goalkeeper Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos. But he did not stop there, he also hired, Ilias Kotsios former Panathinaikos and an old acquaintance of Italian football, Ibrahima Bakayoko for playing in the ranks of Messina and Livorno and returned from a good season at PAOK finished second behind Olympiakos. From Olympiakos come Konstantinos Mendrinos winning the title in Greece. The PAS Giannina was also on traied to hire national champions with the national team of Greece, like the former Roma defender giant Traianos Dellas, Angelos Basinas former captain in force at Portsmouth and Giannis Goumas but in the end it wasn't found that agreement with them. In January 2010 is called as a coach, an old acquaintance of the Italian championship Nikos Anastopoulos in place of Georgios Paraschos. On 20 January 2010, PAS Giannina reach the first knockout round of the Greek Cup against dell'Atromitos, team coached by Giorgos Donis former flag of the team of Epirus. On 2 February 2010, the PAS Giannina at the Zosimades Stadium inflicts 4–0 to PAOK FC of Italians Bruno Cirillo, Mirko Savini and other players like Zisis Vryzas and Theodoros Zagorakis, that they've played in Italy. Where the European goalkeeper Kostas Chalkias, that won Euro 2004 with Greece, couldn't stop the Ianotes strikers and PAS Giannina will face Panathinaikos in the Greek Cup semi-final for the second time in the history of the club's main city of Ioannina.

Greek Superleague Play-Offs

At 14 of Αpril 2013 PAS Giannina qualified for the Greek Superleague Play-Offs with Atromitos, Asteras Tripolis and PAOK for the first time in the club's history. After this Charis Charisis become the best young player of Greek Superleague and Markos Vellidis got the title of the best goalkeeper for the season 2014-2015.

Honours and distinctions

Over the years, PAS has competed in the National Division for a total of 15 seasons. The club has never won the National Championship or the Greek Cup, but it has won lower division titles throughout its history and represented the Greek football league in the 1978-9 and 1993-4 Balkans Cup tournaments. During its peak years in the National Division, the club twice finished in the 5th place position (1975-6, 1977–8 seasons) and once in the 6th place spot (1979–80 season). The most famous player to have donned the blue and white PAS jersey in recent years is defender Giourkas Seitaridis, who later played for Panathinaikos, FC Porto, Dynamo Moscow, and Atlético Madrid as well as the triumphant Euro 2004 Greece squad. On January 31, 2007, PAS clinched a spot in the Greek Cup semifinals by virtue of an extra-time goal from Evangelos Kontogoulidis before a hostile crowd in Karaiskakis Stadium. With an aggregate score of 3–2, PAS also became the first ever lower division club to eliminate Olympiacos from the Greek Cup tournament.

National

• Alpha Ethniki
  • 1975–76, 5th place: 30 games, 36 points, 15 wins, 6 draws, 9 defeats, goals 40–33
  • 1977–78, 5th place: 34 games, 38 points, 14 wins, 10 draws, 10 defeats, goals 45–39
  • 1979–80, 6th place: 34 games, 37 points, 14 wins, 9 draws, 11 defeats, goals 50–44
  • 2012–13, 5th place: 30 games, 44 points, 12 wins, 8 draws, 10 defeats, goals 28–24
  • 2014–15, 6th place: 34 games, 53 points, 13 wins, 14 draws, 7 defeats, goals 47-33
• Beta Ethniki
  • Champions (3): 1973–74, 1985–86, 2001–02
• Gamma Ethniki
  • Champions (1): 1997–98
• Greek Cup
  • Semi-Finals (2): 2006–07, 2009–10

International

• Balkans Cup
  • Runner-Up (1): 1993–94

Rivalries

PAS fans feel deep antipathy towards the clubs from Athens, AEK Athens, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos.

There is hostility with OFI Crete based on the events surrounding their 2001 playoff. In contrast, derby matches against nearby AO Kerkyra (now A.O.Kassiopis) are competitive in the sporting sense but do not evoke the same feelings of enmity from PAS supporters. The other important rivals, are Panetolikos F.C..

Supporters and Nickname

The team is well known for its passionate supporters, mainly from the city of Ioannina and the whole Epirus region. The biggest union of fans are the Azzurra Familia and ΑΠΕΙ ΡΩΤΑΝ.

PAS Giannina was given the nickname Ajax of Epirus (Greek: Άγιαξ της Ηπείρου) in the 70's, thanks to their impressive football style which was linked licentia poetica to the style of the famous Dutch club.

Crest and colours

The team's colours are blue and white, considered the national Greek colours. The crest depicts an ancient bull, as depicted in an ancient coin (238-168 BC) of the Epirote League plus the word "ΑΠΕΙΡΩΤΑΝ" meaning "people of Epirus".

Current squad

As of 29 January 2016

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Alexandros Paschalakis 3 MF Andi Lila 4 DF Thodoris Berios 5 DF Iraklis Garoufalias 6 DF Alexios Michail (captain) 7 FW Evripidis Giakos 8 DF Themistoklis Tzimopoulos 9 FW Brana Ilić 11 MF Noé Acosta 12 GK Kostas Peristeridis 13 GK Nikolaos Koliofoukas 17 DF David Nadales 19 MF Antonis Iliadis

No. Position Player 20 DF Nikos Karanikas 21 MF Stavros Tsoukalas 22 MF Chrysovalantis Kozoronis 23 DF Andraž Struna 27 DF Leonardo Koutris 33 FW Michalis Manias 42 DF Konstantinos Mauropanos 44 DF Apostolos Skondras 49 MF Ioannis Ioannou 77 FW Dimitrios Ferfelis 88 MF Alexandros Nikolias 98 MF Alexandros Masouras

Notable former players

• Oscar Álvarez 1969 Banfield.jpg

  Óscar Marcelino Álvarez

• Guy Armand Feutchine.jpg

  Guy Feutchine

• 

  Tomás De Vincenti

Greece Charis Charisis Markos Vellidis Kostas Andriopoulos Andreas Bonovas Thanasis Bretanos Georgios Dasios Giorgos Donis Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos Takis Grammeniatis Marios Ikonomou Dimitrios Kolovetsios Evangelos Kontogoulidis Thomas Kyparissis Nikos Lappas Nikos Liakos Alkis Mantos Anastasios Pantos Vasilis Papachristou Vasilis Papagelis Lakis Papaioannou Christos Patsatzoglou Giorgos Priskas Georgios Saitiotis Yourkas Seitaridis Dimitris Sialmas Nikos Spiropoulos Thalis Tsirimokos Thomas Tsourlidas

Albania Andi Lila Emiljano Vila Algeria Salim Arrache Ismaël Bouzid Argentina Oscar Alvarez Leandro Becerra Esteban Buján Cristian Chávez Tomas De Vincenti Alfredo Glasman Eduardo Lisa Juan Montes Jose Pasternac Eduardo Rigani Lucas Rimoldi Fernando Sanjurjo Belgium Patrick Dimbala Brazil Luciano Vanderson

Cameroon Guy Armand Feutchine Cape Verde José Furtado Chile Francisco Ugarte Côte d'Ivoire Ibrahima Bakayoko Gilles Domoraud Croatia Ivica Majstorović Guatemala Guillermo Ramírez Carlos Ruiz Guinea Jean Marie Sylla Liberia Joe Nagbe Mali Mamadou Bagayoko Mahamadou Sidibe Morocco Karim Fegrouch Jaouad Zairi

Serbia Dragan Kokotović Zdenko Muf Dragojlo Radojičić Slovenia Mirnes Šišić Uruguay Vicente Estavillo Nicholas Schenone Zimbabwe Nagoli Kennedy

Players with two nationalities

• * Tzimopoulos Themistoklis
• * Ferfelis Dimitrios
• * Koutris Leonardo

According to the Official site of PAS Giannina F.C./other sites

Managerial history

• Gómez de Faria (1971–73)
• Eduardo Rigani (1973–74)
• Antonis Georgiadis (1974–76), (July 1, 1977 – June 30, 1979)
• Jacek Gmoch (July 1, 1979 – June 30, 1981)
• Christos Archontidis (July 1, 1984 – June 30, 1985)
• Stavros Diamantopoulos (1988–89)
• Timo Zahnleiter (July 1, 1995 – June 30, 1996)
• Georgios Paraschos (July 1, 2000 – Jan 11, 2001)
• Nikos Anastopoulos (2001–02)
• Vasilis Papachristou (July 1, 2002 – Nov 5, 2002)
• Giannis Papakostas (2006–07)

• Georgios Chatzaras (July 1, 2007 – March 2, 2008)
• Nikos Anastopoulos (2008)
• Guillermo Ángel Hoyos (July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009)
• Georgios Paraschos (July 1, 2009 – Jan 14, 2010)
• Nikos Anastopoulos (Jan 14, 2010 – June 30, 2010)
• Stéphane Demol (July 1, 2010 – Nov 24, 2011)
• Angelos Anastasiadis (Dec 4, 2011 – June 8, 2012)
• Giannis Christopoulos (June 8, 2012 – June 16, 2013)
• Savvas Pantelidis (June 24, 2013 – Oct 31, 2013)
• Sakis Tsiolis (Nov 5, 2013 – Jan 22, 2014)
• Giannis Petrakis (Jan 28, 2014–present)

Personnel

Management

Position	Staff
Major shareholder	Giorgos Christovasilis
President and CEO	Giorgos Christovasilis
Vice-President	Christos Papageorgiou
Director of Football	Dimitris Niarchakos

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Head Coach	Giannis Petrakis
Assistant Coach	Giorgos Georgoulopoulos
Fitness Coach	Vasilis Alexiou
Goalkeepers Coach	Christos Tseliopoulos
Head doctor	Stavros Restanis
Physio	Filippos Skordos

Sponsorships

• Great Shirt Sponsor: Joker
• Official Sport Clothing Manufacturer: Nike, Inc.
• Communication Sponsor: Ipirotikos Agon
• Official Sponsor: CYTA

External links

• Pasgiannina.gr
• Pasgianninashop.gr PAS GIANNINA SHOP
• PAS Giannina Club Anthem
• PAS.gr Forum PAS Giannina fans
• Blue Vayeros PAS Giannina fans
• Apei Rotan PAS Giannina fans
• Blue Vayeros Thessaloniki PAS Giannina fans
• Stadio Zossimades
• Stadio panipeirotiko