Flying back from Nepal after the most perfect Christmas trip, my original plan had been to swing by Israel for an ideal Footy weekend. Not many teams around Europe were playing that week and everything was perfectly set up until the October 7th attack and subsequent Israeli response put paid to those plans.
With most countries on a winter break it wasn’t easy to find a replacement but using the trusty Skyscanner and Sofascore apps I was able to locate a nice little trip to Cyprus via Mumbai. Not cheap but it was a country I’d never been to and they had footy on so that was that.
I’d recently been ill for a week on returning from a hectic trip to India so I had always intended on a transition from the big trip before returning to work. And what better way than a few days of winter sun on an island neatly located in the Mediterranean Sea with a spot of footy thrown in.
The fixtures fell perfectly with Larnaca’s two teams playing at home that weekend. AEK Larnaca’s tie with AEZ Zakakiou would probably fall a tad late based on my flight time but that left me with Nea Salamina vs Othellos for the Sunday afternoon. Admittedly I’d never heard of either team and the mid table battle didn’t quite capture the imagination so I kept on searching.
Jackpot
The two names in Cypriot football that I was most familiar with were APOEL Nicosia and Anorthosis Famagusta aaand as luck would have it they were playing that weekend. The heart got racing as google told me the stadium was less than an hour on the bus from Larnaca. One of the most enjoyable parts of the footy trip is the planning and there is such a great feeling when it all starts to come together.
My flight landed in Larnaca and I was met my by Airbnb host Albert. He dropped me off at my peaceful little apartment (£43 a night) just a 5 minute stroll from the beach. The order of the night was a couple of beers at the beach front bars and try to work out how to get a ticket for the following day’s big game.
Asking around, one of the barmen helped sign me up as a member and then snaffle myself a ticket for a match between two famous teams who I hoped had a fierce rivaly. Another joy of planning is having vague knowledge of teams and their notoriety but then looking into their history to find out more about the story of the club and their rivalries.
Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias, Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia, or simply APOEL as they are more commonly know is a multi-sports club rapidly approaching their centenary after being formed in 1924, across all sports they have won a magnificent 126 titles. Originally set up as a football club alone to represent the Greek residents of the capital. They soon realised their abilities stretched beyond that and added the ‘Athletic’ to the clubs name. In the current day they are represented in no less than 14 sports.
Founders
APOEL played a key role in the formation of the Cypriot League and after winning it in 1935/36 they continued their early domination by following up with the next four titles. Having never finished lower than second, their first troubles came in 1948 when a political row around the Greek civil war led to some players leaving and forming great rivals Omonia Nicosia. It is with no great surprise that they have since gone on to be the clubs fiercest rivals, not only that, they are the biggest supported team in the country adding extra animosity.
Further political issues gave APOEL their closest scrape with relegation in 1957 as many of their players were active in the uprising against the British rulers. They were fighting for a long felt desire for a unification with Greece and this was edging closer. British rule did indeed end in 1960 but another key factor in the island politics was the Turkish Cypriots, although less in number to the Greek Cypriots, they still represented a significant proportion of the islands population. As part of the independence agreement it was ensured the government was made up of both parties. However, just 3 years later the Turkish Cypriots were forced out of Government.
NATO again intervened to maintain peace but the next significant development came in July 1974. There was a coup d’état sponsored by the Greek Military Junta with the eventual intention of annexation of Cyprus to Greece. Understandably, this didn’t go down too well with Turkey as the Turkish Cypriots were already becoming marginalised throughout the country and as a result led an invasion of their own.
Lines drawn
The coup d’état collapsed and over the next 4 weeks Turkey claimed 36% of the land to the North East of the island. At this point a ceasefire was called and the United Nations established a buffer zone known as the Green Line. Greek Cypriots from the north were sent south of the line and vice versa for the Turk Cypriots. In total, a quarter of a million inhabitants were displaced and the dividing line is still in place some 50 years later. To this day, the last Turkish Cypriot player to represent the national team was in 1955, highlighting the depth and longevity of the feud with no real signs of this changing in modern Cyprus.
The political divide was firmly noticeable in 1986 when APOEL drew Turkish team Beşiktaş in the second round of the European Cup. The Cypriot Government refused to allow the fixture to go ahead giving Beşiktaş the bye and a year long ban from Europe for APOEL.
Back to activities on the pitch and the 90’s was a fruitful period for APOEL including the invincible double in 95/96. To make things all the sweeter they combined it with the Basketball double to celebrate the clubs 70 years anniversary. APOEL really showed who the kings of football in Cyprus were in the 21st century, winning 12 out of 17 titles including 7 straight to beat their previous record of 5 in a row set in the 1930’s. That incredible run took them past their city rivals Omonia to become the most decorated team in Cyprus with 28 league titles.
European success
Add to that their success in Europe being the only team from this nation to qualify for the Champions League Quarter Finals in 2012. They surprisingly topped their group and beat Lyon in the last 16 before manfully falling to the Kings of Europe, Real Madrid. However, titles have dried up somewhat in recent years having not won the title since the last of those 7 in a row in 2019.
After a relatively early night I was up at the crack of dawn for a refreshing swim in the sea. I made the most of the 20 degree January temperatures to relax in the sunshine and have a read of my new book Ikigai. I popped in to a restaurant for a typical Cypriot breakfast before following the hordes of people gathering around one of the bays.
Earlier I’d noticed a busy ceremony on my way to the beach with a cavalcade of cars bringing some VIPs to the church and it turns out it was a rather important national holiday. A Christian holiday known as Epiphany to celebrate Jesus’ baptism, the event culminates in a priest throwing a huge cross into the water where dozens of eager swimmers are waiting. On completion, the one to recover the cross is blessed with a year of good luck. It was fun to experience but after awkwardly standing around on a rock for so long for such a brief event I was ready for the day’s main event.
The trip was straightforward. Hop on the Intercity bus to Nicosia and jump off half way as the stadium is well away from the city. In fact it’s a way from anything. A 30 minute walk follows the bus journey along busy roads, barren wasteland and the occasional large Tiling outlet.
Middle of nowhere
There was next to no hint of any event going on as I approached the GSP Stadium so no great reason for getting to the game early. The stadium itself was constructed in 1999 and holds just under 23,000 people. As well as the home ground for APOEL it is also the residence of Olympiakos and Omonia and hosts the National teams’ fixtures. It is one of few stadiums in the country that fulfils UEFA requirements and as a result almost all most games played by Cypriot teams in Europe are held at the GSP.
On arrival I did a loop of the stadium to confirm there was not a whole lot going on other than one quite tranquil but busy bar where I enjoyed a couple of pints and a local sandwich before taking my place in the stands. I noticed that almost all fans supported by wearing orange, I was sure APOEL played in Yellow and Blue? Indeed they do, colours representing both Greece and Byzantium which they had maintained since their origin.
The Orange however comes from the main fan group PAN.SY.FI who were formed in 1979 and subsequently the squad number 79 is graciously reserved for them. After playing AEK Athens in 1992, the fans were inspired by their ultras to wear one colour in unison and the Orange inner lining of their black jackets was to be the choice. For the start of the 92/93 season against AEL Limassol they wore the now synonymous Orange for the first time, they rushed the AEL stand under the famous clock and the legend was born, from then on they were known as ‘I Portokali’, the Oranges.
Cracking atmosphere
They did indeed live up to their fierce reputation and put on a brilliant pre match display supplemented by the rather intimidating banner ‘Feel the Terror of Nicosia’. Their rivals at the other end of the pitch had also turned up in big numbers. There was a heavy police presence outside the ground to ensure no mixing of a fans hinting at the spice between the two teams.
One thing I noticed straight away was a Greek flag in amongst their ultras. This struck me as odd knowing that Famagusta was situated in the Turkish part of Cyprus but after a little digging it seems that after the Turkish invasion of 1974, they abandoned their homeand like many, moved south of the Green Line. They became nomads, bouncing around various stadiums until the building of their own in 1986. However they retain their love of Greece and an ultimate desire to one day return to their deserted home.
Although not their biggest rivals, Anorthosis are alongside APOEL as one of only 3 teams never to be relegated and have hence been fighting it out perennially since the 1930’s. My recognition of Anorthosis came from their dominance of the domestic game during the 90’s, at one point winning 4 titles in a row. They are currently on 13 league titles leaving them 3rd in the all-time winners list.
Going into the game there was a huge amount at stake with just two points separating the pair at the top of the league, both looking to return to the top pf Cypriot football after too long. There wasn’t really any recognisable names on the team sheets, gone are the heady days of Chris Bart-Williams and John Arne Riise. But in the league with the highest percentage of foreign players in Europe there was still an eclectic mix of talent on show.
Lacklustre First Half
The first half didn’t bring a huge amount of entertainment on the pitch but as is often the case, the fans kept me entertained. Even in my position along the halfway line, well away from the ultras there was a huge amount of vitriol for the match officials and a fair amount on show for the opposition fans as well.
At one point a few members of ‘The Maxhtec’, ‘The Fighters’, broke out of the away section, scaled the first security barrier and headed for the home end before being apprehended. As expected, their failure to breech the defences brought jeers and mockery from the home fans but it showed there was certainly an edge to the fixture.
As the game drifted towards a draw the real drama began. Sergio Tejera needlessly picked up a second yellow leaving the away side with their backs to the wall for the last 10 minutes. 9 were all that APOEL needed as Tomane followed up on the rebound and trickled it over the line to send the whole stadium wild.
The Poznan followed behind the goal as well as plenty of flares, one of which let out an almighty bang and landed close to the keeper who subsequently lay down on the floor for the next 5 minutes awaiting treatment. Anorthosis saw an opportunity and took their players off the field sighting safety reasons. You can only imagine how the vitriol from the home fans multiplied.
Huge win for the home side
10 minutes passed but eventually the players emerged from the tunnel and the game was settled at 1-0. A great day for the home side and the players took their bow in front of the faithful. In a slightly strange sight, both sets of teams were getting their ovations at the same time with both anthems being sung passionately.
I made my exit alongside the motorway amongst the happy fans hoping for a smooth bus journey home. At the bus stop there was a fella sat there and I felt it’d be rude not to have a chat. It turns out Graeme had also been at the game. A Scottish groundhopper who was a man after my own heart.
“I’ve just come back from a match in Saudi Arabia”
“Me too”
I also got to a couple of games in India”
“Me too”
As the bus arrived another fella made a dash for it. This was Robert, a young Polish Groundhopper. We talked all things football and travel on our journey back and arranged to catch up the following night.
Pub Day
The next morning followed a similar leisurely routine to the last before setting up my base for the afternoon in an Irish pub to watch a couple of FA Cup matches. I chose this instead of the trip to Nea Salamina as I felt it’d be hard to beat the previous nights antics. I arranged to meet Rob there and while we sunk a few Guiness, Rob gave me a deep insight into football in his region of Poland. Silesia has a whole host of clubs that make it the most ideal of Groundhopping destinations, an area which now holds a place high up on my wishlist of destinations.
The next morning Albert returned to take me to the airport and I was finally on my way home after a month away and 5 matches in 3 different countries. Another successful footy trip in a place I would certainly return to.
As always I will rate APOEL Nicosia out of 100 across 10 categories to see if APOEL is worth a visit as a Footy Trip.
Team Ability – APOEL are currently 106th in UEFA Co-efficient and riding high in the 23rd best league in Europe – 6/10
Atmosphere – The ultras put on a great display, passion and energy was felt all around the ground including a fervent away support. Add to that a stoppage due to flares on the pitch, brilliant all round – 9/10
Stadium Quality – A really nice stadium, well sized for its requirements and the close proximity to the pitch makes it perfect for football – 7/10
Beer/Food at stadium – No beer sadly but they did have a bloody wonderful donut amongst other snacks – 5/10
Tourism – Nicosia itself seemed ok for a bit of history but Larnaca is only 45 minutes from the stadium and has beautiful beaches and plenty of nightlife – 6/10
Accessibility – Flights aren’t super cheap and at a nearly 5 hour flight it is not around the corner. Decent value accommodation on arrival though – 5/10
People – One friendly fella next to me at the match spoke good English and had a bit of craic, other than that not too many local interactions – 6/10
Stadium Surroundings – Pretty naff, a real mooch from anywhere and hemmed in between motorways, one fairly tranquil bar within stadium grounds thankfully but not much else to write home about – 2/10
History – League founders, never been relegated and Cyrpus’ most successful team. They’ve even led the way in Europe for their country reaching the Champions League last 16 – 7/10
Ease/Cost of ticket pricing – Less than 20 Euros for a top 2 clash with a cracking atmosphere, tickets were not simple to purchase but with a bit of effort and planning it is certainly doable – 8/10
Total – 61/100
Overall a pretty cool place to watch football and somewhere I would certainly recommend visiting for a Footy Trip
Accomplishments
For me in terms of personal accomplishments on this trip
Cyprus was the 60th country I have visited (60/195), a lovely little landmark and the 24th in which I have watched a footy match.
An absolute pleasure as always to travel around the world enjoying the delights on offer, thanks again for joining me and until the next footy trip, take it easy