Iraklis 1908 Thessaloniki F.C.

Iraklis 1908

Full name	Iraklis 1908 Football Club (Ηρακλής 1908 ΠΑΕ)
Nickname(s)	Γηραιός (the Elder)
Founded	29 November 1908 (1908-11-29) as Macedonikos Gymnasticos Syllogos
Ground	Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece
Ground Capacity	27,770
Owner	Spyros Papathanasakis
Chairman	Spyros Papathanasakis
Manager	Nikos Papadopoulos
League	Superleague Greece
2014–15	Football League (North Group), 1st
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Active departments of GS Iraklis
Football	Basketball (Men's)	Basketball (Women's)
Volleyball	Waterpolo	Handball
Athletics	Swimming	Rugby
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Ice Hockey	Judo	Wrestling
Boxing	Fencing

Iraklis 1908 FC (Greek: Α.Ε.Π. Ηρακλής 1908 ΠΑΕ) or Iraklis FC, is a Greek football club, based in the city of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece, currently playing in the Superleague, the top tier of Greek football. Their home ground is the Kaftanzoglio Stadium with a capacity of 27,770.

Founded in 1908 as "Macedonikos Gymnasticos Syllogos" (Macedonian Gymnastics Club), they are one of the oldest in Greek football and the oldest in Thessaloniki, hence the nickname Ghireos (meaning the Elder). A year later, the name "Iraklis" (Heracles) was added to the club's name as an honour to the ancient Greek hero Heracles (or Hercules as the Roman equivalent). The team's colours colours are cyan or blue and white, inspired by the Greek flag. Iraklis was a founding member of Macedonia Football Clubs Association, as well as the Hellenic Football Federation, as a part of G.S. Iraklis.

Before the formation of the nationwide league of Alpha Ethniki, Iraklis competed in the league that was run by the Macedonia Football Clubs Association, winning it in no less than five occasions. The club has also played in five Greek Cup finals, lifting the trophy once in the 1976 final, which is the club's only domestic trophy. They have also an international title, as they won the Balkans Cup in 1985.

History

Foundation and first years (1899–1914)

Omilos Filomouson football team in 1905

Iraklis traces its roots back in 1899 when Omilos Filomouson (meaning Friends of Music Club) was established. The club was established as a cultural union of the Greeks of Thessaloniki, but in 1902 it founded a sports department. Football was a new sport at the time, but rapidly increasing in popularity and thus the board of directors decided to line up a football team. The first match that was held by the Omilos Filomouson football team was on 23 April 1905, against a team of the Western European diaspora of the city called Union Sportive. Omilos Filomouson won the match by a 3-0 scoreline. Later on, the club faced financial problems, but members of the club joined forces with another Greek athletic club of the city, called Olympia. The result of this union was the foundation of a new club on 29 November 1908, called Makedonikos Gymnastikos Syllogos (meaning Macedonian Gymnastics Club), that gained a permission to operate by the Ottoman authorities. The new club's first president was a Greek doctor, Alkiviadis Maltos. The name of the club had a direct reference to the ethnic tensions that toοk place in the area at that time. Due to the Young Turks' revolt of 1908 and their promises for ease of ethnic tensions in the area, the club was forced to change its name. Thus a new name was decided for the club, Ottomanikos Ellinikos Gymnastikos Syllogos Thessalonikis "Iraklis" (meaning Ottoman Greek Gymnastics Club of Thessaloniki "Iraklis"). The new name was approved, together with a new statute and a new board of directors, by a general assembly of the club on 13 April 1911. After the integration of Thessaloniki in the Kingdom of Greece, the operation of the club was accepted by the Greek courts in 1914 and on 11 January 1915 Iraklis became a fully registered sports club.

Νational establishment and early success (1914–1959)

Shortly after the end of the Second Balkan War, Iraklis together with the three Jewish football clubs of the city, Progrès Sportive, Alliance and French-German School Alumni Union organised the first Thessaloniki Football Championship in January and February 1914. Iraklis won Alliance 3-1, Progrès Sportive 5-1 and after winning the French-German School Alumni Union, the club was proclaimed Champion of Thessaloniki. On 6 April 1914, Iraklis played a match against Athinaikos Syllogos Podosfairou, that ended as a draw. It was the club's first match against a club outside Thessaloniki. In 1914, Iraklis established the club's youth squad, so the students of the Greek Gymnasium of the city could train in football. A year later Iraklis won the second Thessaloniki Football Championship. The next championship was not held due to World War I.

In the years following World War I, several football clubs were established in Thessaloniki and that led to the establishment of the Macedonia Football Clubs Association in 1923. The first championship from the newly founded association was organised shortly afterwards and Iraklis lost in the tournament's final 4-1 from Aris. In 1924 Iraklis played its first match against a club from outside the borders of Greece. It was a match against Yugoslav club SSK Skopje, a contest that ended 2-1 in favour of Iraklis. It was in that same year that Iraklis played its first match abroad, a 3-0 friendly win against SK Bitola. In 1926 the club appointed Hungarian Joseph Sveg as manager, the first ever foreign manager in Greece. Under Sveg's guidance, Iraklis won the Championship organised by the Macedonia Football Clubs Association in 1926-27. By winning 6-0 against the reigning champion of West Macedonia Ermis Shorovich and the champion of East Macedonia and Thrace Rodopi, Iraklis was proclaimed Champion of Macedonia and Thrace. In the following years, Iraklis did not have any success finishing in runner up and even lower positions in the Macedonia Football Clubs Association Championship.

Iraklis' football team for the 1930–31 season

In the 1933-34 season Iraklis won the Northern Group of the National Championship qualifying for the championship final, where the club had to compete against the champion of the Southern group Olympiacos. The first leg was played in Iraklis Ground on 10 June 1934. Although Iraklis took a 2-0 lead at half time, Olympiacos managed to make a comeback in the second half, winning the game by a 2-3 scoreline. The second leg was played a week later in Piraeus and Olympiacos was proclaimed National champion by winning this match 2-1. In the following years Iraklis faced mid table mediocrity, with the exception of the 1936-37 season, when the club was only one point short to Macedonia Football Clubs Association champions PAOK. The 1938-39 season was a successful one for Iraklis, as it won both the Macedonia Football Clubs Association championship and the Northern Group of the National Championship, the second resulting the qualification of Iraklis in the National final. In the national final Iraklis lost to AEK both away and at home (1-3 and 2-4 respectively), failing to win the silverware. In the following season Iraklis celebrated its consecutive win in the Macedonia Football Clubs Association Championship but failed to qualify for the National final.

All club football in Greece was suspended from 1941 to 1945 due to the German occupation of the country. After the war period, the club was constantly competing with Aris for the Thessaloniki championship, which gave upon its winner the right to participate in the Greek championship. Iraklis participated in the 1947 Greek Cup final, where was defeated 5–0 by the dominant Greek team of that era, Olympiacos. In the 1950s, the team solidified its position among the top teams in Greece along with Olympiacos, AEK Athens, Panathinaikos, Aris and PAOK. Nevertheless, the club struggled with financial difficulties in an ailing Greek economy. Thessaloniki (where many refugees from the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 had settled) was particularly damaged by the economic downturn. The highlight of the decade was the 1957 Greek Cup final, in which Iraklis was once again defeated by Olympiacos, 2–0.

Semi-professional Alpha Ethniki era (1959–1975)

Iraklis played in the inaugural season of A' Ethniki. The club secured the 10th position in the first season of national top tier of Greece. Iraklis football academy was founded during the same season after the suggestion of club manager Panos Markovic. In the 1960–61 season Iraklis finished 8th and achieved a record 4-0 win against Atromitos Piraeus. The club also reached the Greek Cup semi-finals that season, getting eliminated by Panionios. The following two seasons Iraklis played in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, getting eliminated both times, by FK Vojvodina and Real Zaragoza respectively. In the league, Iraklis secured the 6th position for the 1961–62 season, a club record at the time. The rest of the 1960s, Iraklis secured mid-table positions repeating the club record in the 1969–70 season. In 1965, Kostas Aidiniou, a player that together with fellow Greek international Zacharias Chaliabalias would lead the club for the following decade, debuted for Iraklis. During the 1968–69 season Iraklis matched its record win as it won AEL Limassol by a 4–0 margin.

In the 1970–71 season Iraklis, under the guidance of Yugoslav manager Ljubiša Spajić, finished 5th in the league, the club's best positioning since the establishment of Alpha Ethniki. In that season, Iraklis sold 45,634 tickets in a 1–0 home win against Panathinaikos, a club record since today and an Alpha Ethniki record at the time. The following for seasons, Iraklis achieved safe mid-table positions. In 1972, Iraklis signed Dimitris Gesios from Kozani, a player that would become the club's all-time league top-scorer. In the 1973–74 season Iraklis broke its biggest win record in Alpha Ethniki, by beating AEL 6–1. On 29 August 1974, Iraklis sold its star player Aidiniou to Olympiacos for 11,000,000 drachmas. In the next season Iraklis beat Kalamata 5-0 at home to match its record win and finished 8th in the league. The club also reached the semi-final of that season's Cup. Iraklis was eliminated 1-2 by Panathinaikos at home. After the match, three players of Iraklis, Chaliabalias, Rokidis and Nikoloudis revealed that there was an attempt from Panathinaikos officials to bribe them for the semi-final. The two first were driven out of the club while the latter was sent off the club for six months.

The Absolute Star: Vassilis Hatzipanagis era (1975–1990)

Vasilis Hatzipanagis, the mythical virtuoso playmaker of Iraklis.

On 22 November 1975, the club acquired Vassilis Hatzipanagis, a USSR national of Greek descent, who was late voted a Greece's Golden player for UEFA Jubilee Awards. In the 1975–76 Greek Cup competition Iraklis eliminated Veria, Pierikos, Trikala and Panetolikos to reach the semi-finals. In the semi-finals Iraklis beat Panathinaikos 3-2, at home. Panathinaikos appealed against the result claiming the Iraklis' winning goal came from an offside position. Finally the courts turned down Panathinaikos' appeal and Iraklis qualified to the final to face Olympiacos. On 9 June 1976 Iraklis won the Cup after a 6-5 penalty shootout. In the final Hatzipanagis scored twice, Kousoulakis and Gesios scored once each, in a match that ended 2-2 in full-time and 4-4 in extra-time. In the league Iraklis finished in the 8th position led by Gesios and Hatzipanagis, that scored 9 and 6 goals respectively. In the next season Iraklis was eliminated from Cypriot club APOEL in the Cup Winners' Cup and struggled in the league finishing in the 12th position, gathering just one point more from relegated Panetolikos. Iraklis improved slightly in the next season ending up ninth in the league with Gesios achieving a personal best scoring 13 goals. The 1978-1979 season the club improved greatly under the guidance of Antoni Brzeżańczyk. Iraklis finished sixth in the league, had a positive goal aggregate for the first time since the 1973-74 season and achieved the club's biggest victory in Alpha Ethniki by beating Rodos by an 8-1 margin.

Fanaras

Sentelidis

Xanthopoulos

Toumpoglou

Kalaitzidis

Kousoulakis

Christoforidis

Pantazis

Antonijević

Hatzipanagis

Gesios

1976 Greek Cup final starting lineup

The 1979-80 season was the first season of fully professional football in Greece. Iraklis finished in the 8th position in the league having his best goal difference since the establishment of Alpha Ethniki with +11. The highlight of the season was a 6–0 against title perennial contenders Panathinaikos, which is Panathinaikos' biggest league defeat to date. In the Greek Cup competition of the season Iraklis eliminated Veria, Niki Volos, Almopos Aridaia and Panarkadikos to reach the semi-finals. In the semi-finals Iraklis eliminated PAOK, but the club's chairman was accused for a bribe attempt by PAOK's player Filotas Pellios. Iraklis proceeded to play in the Cup final, but as the players' morale was damaged the club was defeated by underdogs Kastoria by a 5–2 margin. At the end of the season Iraklis was demoted to the Beta Ethniki, due to the alleged bribery scandal. Iraklis appealed against that decision, and the club was, later on, declared not guilty, but the club already played in the Second Division. In the 1980–81 season Iraklis had to compete in the Beta Ethniki without his star player Vasilis Hatzipanagis. The club won the championship in the Northern Group with Ilias Chatzieleftheriou being the top scorer with 24 goals. Iraklis scored a total of 99 goals, conceding 22, and achieved a club league record 12–0 win against Edessaikos. Upon its return to the top tier Iraklis managed to finish in the 6th position in the league and achieved the club's best goal difference at the time with +14. In 1983–84 Iraklis finished in third place overall, which remains to date the club's best positioning, since professional football was established in 1959. The club, led by Chatzipanagis that scored 12 goals in the season, also had its best goal difference since the establishment of Alpha Ethniki with +27 goals and its best defence record, conceding only 20 goals.

In the 1984–85 season Iraklis finished in the 5th position setting the club's offensive record scoring 59 goals. Major contributors to this record were Chatzipanagis, Lakis Papaioannou and Sigurður Grétarsson each contributing 10 goals throughout the campaign. In the same season Iraklis won its only international competition, the Balkans Cup. Iraklis had to eliminate Turkish giants Galatasaray by winning 5-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, and Ankaragücü through a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals. In the final's second leg Iraklis won Argeș Pitești 4–1, thus winning the trophy 5-4 on aggregate. In the 1985–86 season Iraklis, lead by Lakis Papaioannou that finished the season with 8 goals, finished in the fourth position, having the best defensive record in the league, conceding 22 goals. Two years later, 17,000 fans travelled to Athens to support Iraklis in the 1987 Greek Cup final, unfortunately to see their team lose 3–1 on penalties (1–1 regular time) to OFI Crete. On 9 November 1990,shortly after an UEFA Cup match against Valencia announced his retirement from prefessional football.

Reconstruction and change of ownership (1990–2007)

The 1990s were a period of reconstruction for the club, as aging players either left the club or retired. Hatzipanagis' retirement in 1990 had a major negative impact on the team's success. Fans began calling for a change in the club's management, as club president Petros Theodoridis began selling the team's most talented players (Christos Kostis, Giorgos Anatolakis, Savvas Kofidis etc.). Iraklis competed in 1990 against Valencia in the UEFA Cup, being eliminated in overtime at Mestalla.

Evangelos Mytilineos period (2000–2004)

Iraklis squad for the 1999–2000 season

The team was sold in 2000 to prominent Greek businessman Evangelos Mytilineos for almost €3,500,000 (1.18 billion drachmas). Despite the acquisition of many promising players during the first summer, the 2000–2001 campaign didn't have the expected results, with the club finishing in 5th position, out of European qualification spots. However, Iraklis managed to progress to the 2nd round of UEFA Cup, where they achieved a memorable (although without any effect) win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern in Fritz-Walter-Stadion. Next summer, Mytilineos first move was to sell the highly rated striker and fans' favorite Michalis Konstantinou to Panathinaikos, setting a new record for the highest fee received for a domestic transfer. That move worsened the relationship between the new owner and the fans, while it clearly weakened the club, since Konstantinou was not replaced. Manager Giannis Kyrastas, who was widely considered one of Greece's bests, was replaced by previous coach Angelos Anastasiadis who in his second tenure managed to qualified once again for the UEFA Cup on a very small budget. In 2004, Mytilineos announced his desire to leave the team and therefore sell it to Giorgos Spanoudakis (a friend of his from their school years, who used to be first vice-president of the club), for just €1, since the team was heavily in debt. Spanoudakis initiated a series of expensive but unsuccessful deals like Polish international Cezary Kucharski and Serie A veteran Giuseppe Signori, driving the team close to bankruptcy. He later tried to get rid of the team by selling it to yet another unknown businessman named Dimitris Houlis, who had been a president of Akratitos F.C.. After a 5-month period during which Houlis controlled the team, the Greek football commission finally annulled the transfer, raising questions in the media regarding its handling of the previous one between Mytilinaios and Spanoudakis, too.

Ivan Jovanović, player and later coach of the team

In January 2004, Savvas Kofidis, famous as a player of the team in the 1980s, became the team's manager. During the 2005–06, he led Iraklis to an acclaimed 4th-place finish, playing effective and attractive football, creating a club record for 13 consecutive wins at home. However, with considerable debts to players, coaches and the state, Spanoudakis started the 2006-07 season attempting to reconcile Iraklis finances by selling Joël Epalle and Panagiotis Lagos, who were instrumental in the previous year's success. Next year Kofidis resigned as manager of a considerably weakened team after Iraklis lost 7 and drew 2 of his first nine games in Greek Super League and additionally was eliminated from the UEFA Cup in extra time by Wisła Kraków. Eventually the 2006–07 season ended in a hard breaking fashion as the team gained its survival to Greek Super League only in the last matchday, after breaking an 39 matches unbeaten home run of Skoda Xanthi.

Financial collapse and relegations (2007–2011)

On 13 July 2007, Spanoudakis eventually resigned and the team passed to the hands of a consortium of local businessmen, with prominent Greek singer Antonis Remos (a lifelong fan of the team) as their leader. The new owners tried to stabilize the team financially having already paid the debts to Giuseppe Signori (almost 1,000,000 $) and to other players and lenders from the past.

However, on 4 May 2011 Iraklis was relegated back to Football League (Greece) after failing to obtain a license to participate in 2011-12 Superleague. On 19 May 2011, the Disciplinary Committee of the competition found Iraklis guilty of forgery during the winter transfer window. Therefore, the club was automatically placed in the last position. That is a unique case as Iraklis has never finished in a relegation spot but has been relegated twice. Moreover, on 26 September the Professional Sports Committee stripped Iraklis from its professional licence and demoted it to Delta Ethniki. This situation spurred reactions from Iraklis fans, with demonstrations in Thessaloniki and Athens.

Resurgence through Pontioi Katerini (2011–2014)

See also: Pontioi Katerini F.C.

The team finally competed in the 2011–12 Delta Ethniki, which started late due to Koriopolis, without much success. Meanwhile, the club's board was discussing a possible merger with another club. There were discussions with local teams Agrotikos Asteras and Anagennisi Epanomi, but only the ones with Pontioi were successful, and a pre-agreement contract was signed between Iraklis and Pontioi on 3 January 2012. The resulting team was named AEP Iraklis F.C., but virtually Iraklis replaced Pontioi Katerinis, who ceased to exist. On 20 January 2012, the merger was approved by amateur Iraklis, and their football team was disbanded and withdrawn from the Delta Ethniki.

The merged club

On 3 January 2012, the two teams reached an agreement regarding the running of the new club, with further negotiations planned after six months. Pontioi Katerinis would change their name to AEP Iraklis, take the badge and colors of Iraklis, and move to Kaftanzoglio Stadium. The squad would consist of players from both teams and be trained in Katerini.

On 23 January 2012, the team played their first game at home against Tilikratis, while pending approval of the merger by the Greek Professional Sports Committee.

Ιn August 2012, AEP Iraklis was incorporated as AEP Iraklis 1908 FC. The new merged club has no legal connection to the original Iraklis Thessaloniki F.C., but is essentially considered as a direct continuation of it, as it uses the crest of Iraklis Thessaloniki FC, its colours, and incorporates players and people associated with the former Iraklis FC. Therefore, G.S. Iraklis Thessaloniki has no shares of the new company, but instead still holds the 10% of the bankrupt original Iraklis FC company, which remains to be dissolved.

In 24 September 2012, the merged club was accepted in Greek Football League, as an acknowledgement of injustice against the old PAE Iraklis. In 2014 the company was renamed in PAE Iraklis 1908.

New era

In the summer of 2014, and after several months of negotiations, Spyros Papathanasakis became the new major shareholder of the club. Iraklis for the season 2014–15 promoted easily from the second division to the Superleague.

Crest and colours

Older crest of the club

Shirt of Iraklis of 1987–88 season

Iraklis's crest has changed through times. The original club logo was a capital Η (Eta), the first letter of the word Iraklis (Ηρακλής) in Greek, surrounded by a circle. After the 2000 takeover of the club by Evangelos Mytilinaios, the logo was changed once again to a more "modern" looking one. During the 2008–2009 season the club used a special logo, created especially for its centenary. The crest that is now used depicts the demigod Heracles resting upon his club, a scene inspired by Farnese Hercules statue, itself a copy of a statue crafted by Lysippos in the fourth century BC.

Throughout the entire club's history its colours were blue or cyan and white, to resemble the colours of the Greek flag, given the fact that Iraklis was established while Thessaloniki was a part of the Ottoman Empire. The team is so known in Greece as Kianolefkoi (Greek: "Κυανόλευκοι"), meaning the Cyan-Whites. Iraklis' away colours were usually either white or orange. Traditionally, the Iraklis shirt was blue and white stripes, but through the years this was changed often to all blue, all white, chess-like, and hooped, among others.

Kit evolution

First

1930

1983–84

1984–85

2012–13

2014–15

2015-16

Alternative

1984-85

2012-13

2015-16

Facilities

Stadium

Commemorative plaque for Iraklis' first ground near the White Tower of Thessaloniki

Kaftanzoglio Stadium

The first ground of the team was placed in the centre of Thessaloniki, nearby the White Tower. Its construction was funded by the members of G.S. Iraklis, but, after Thessaloniki became a part of Greece, the club was ousted from its owned ground, so a park could be created in its place. In 1915, Iraklis rented an area in the centre of Thessaloniki for a ten years period, but the club was unable to use its facilities until 1919, due to World War I. In 1927 the club renewed the contract for the use of the area, but in 1930, the newly founded Aristotle University of Thessaloniki tried to take the ownership of the field. For almost two decades the ground was used by both the athletes of Iraklis and the students of the university, until in the 1950s the university managed to get the ownership of the ground, so it could demolish it to construct a square, that is nowadays known as Platia Chimiou.

On 6 November 1960 Iraklis played its first match in Kaftanzoglio Stadium, to record a 2-1 win against M.G.S.S. Thermaikos Thessalonikis. Kaftanzoglio has been the home ground of Iraklis ever since, including the 2011-12 season, when both the G.S. Iraklis and the A.E.P. Iraklis team used it as their home ground. In the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons Iraklis used Makedonikos Stadium as its home ground. That decision was made due to the renovation of Kaftanzoglio for the 2004 Summer Olympics. Iraklis also owns a football ground and training facilities in the, adjacent to Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Chortatzides area, where the juveniles of the club train. There were plans for Iraklis to construct a new 22,000 seat stadium, in a club owned area in the eastern extremities of the city, in Mikra.

Training facility

Iraklis Sports Center locates in the area of Mikra and is the club-owned training ground of the team. The training facilities include three football fields, gym, sauna, water pool, such as the administration building of Iraklis FC. In the area, the club's new stadium also was planned to be built.

Supporters

Iraklis supporters during an away match.

Iraklis supporters in Gate 10 of Kaftanzoglio.

Iraklis was well supported right from the start of its establishment. Even though the football section wasn't the most popular among club loyals in the very first years, it soon became the "flagship" of the sports club, as football became more and more popular. In the '70s and '80s, the club attracted crowds of around 10.000 people, to reach a peak in the 1983–84 season with an average attendance of 16,559. In the '90s, following Hatzipanagis' retirement and the general fall in attendances in Greek football, crowds in Kaftanzoglio deteriorated to a modest average of 3,000. A record low attendance was recorded during the '90s, as in a match against Paniliakos there were only 384 tickets sold. A brief increase in attendance was recorded after the purchase of the club by Evangelos Mytilineos, reaching a peak in the 2001–2002 season with an average of 6,790. On 24 January 1971 Iraklis set the highest attendance record for any football match in Alpha Ethniki, with 45,634 tickets sold in the club's contest against Panathinaikos. In the 1987 Greek Cup final a crowd of 17,000 Iraklis fans travelled to Athens, to watch Iraklis lose in penalties against OFI. In two recent opinion polls Iraklis was ranked as the 6th most popular football club in Greece, gathering 2,8%–3,7% of the participating football supporters.

The most prominent supporters' club of the team is Aftonomi Thira 10 (meaning Autonomous Gate 10), a fan club with a total of 15 branches in Northern Greece. The fan club is known for holding an antiracist stance, as it participates in the Ultras Antiracist Festival. Other activities of the fan club include the publication of a magazine and the conduct of an annual festival. Other minor supporters' clubs are SFISE, Blue Boys, A.P.A.T.S.I. and Iraklis Fan Club of Athens.

Iraklis' supporters hold ties with the supporters of FSV Mainz, Rayo Vallecano and FK Buducnost Podgorica as those have shown their support during Iraklis' supporters rallies against Superleague's refusal to grant Iraklis a license to participate in the 2010–2011 Superleague season.

Also, the fans have sympathy for all the clubs named "Heracles" worldwide, most notably the Spanish Hércules CF. Since 2003, fans of both teams formed a friendship through the internet. There is even a Hércules CF supporters club that bares the name "Iraklis", in honor of their friendship.

Ownership and financing

Professional era

Until 1979 Greek football was semi-professional and each football club was run by a board and a president appointed by its respective multi-sport club, of which it was considered a branch. In the 1979-80 season the football branch of Iraklis became an S.A. owned by local businessmen Tertilinis and Pertsinidis. In the 1983–84 season Iraklis was bought by Petros Theodorides who remained at the helm of the club for almost 18 years. From the beginning of the 1999–2000 season there were demonstrations by the supporters of Iraklis, asking for the resignation of Theodoridis from his presidential seat and the sale of his stocks. On 11 February 2000 Greek business magnet Evangelos Mytilineos bought the stocks of Theodoridis for a reported 1.18 billion Greek drachmas. On 27 January 2003, two days after a 3-1 away defeat of Iraklis against OFI, Mytilineos gave a press conference in which he announced his withdrawal from Iraklis' affairs, due to his disgust with the establishment of Greek football. Shortly afterwards the ownership of the club was passed to businessman Giorgos Spanoudakis for 1 euro and until 2006 the club had accumulated a debt of 8 million euros, partly because Mytilineos did not pay the taxes for the players' contracts and partly due to Spanoudakis handling of the club's affairs. After a takeover of the club, in 2005, by businessman Dimitris Khoulis failed, Spanoudakis continued having the ownership of Iraklis. In 2007 Spanoudakis declared the club's inability to repay its debts to the players and tried to hand Iraklis' stocks to Cypriot businessman Pheevos Morides. After the latter failed to fulfill his promises the deal was cancelled. Greek singer Antonis Remos, a prominent supporter of Iraklis, expressed his interest to undertake the club's fortunes, but he moved back when Spanoudakis asked 500,000 € to pass the club's ownership. On 10 July 2007 Iraklis' administration building was set on fire by supporters in an attempt to express their discontent for the cancellation of the club's takeover from Antonis Remos. A few days later a deal was reached and Remos took over Iraklis. In the summer of 2010, Ioannis Takis took charge as the new chairman.

Summers 2010 and 2011 authorisation issues and reactions

On 1 June 2010, the club was denied a license to compete in next season's Greek Superleague. That summer, Iraklis's fans rallied in Thessaloniki for more than 10 days. Also there were 2 rallies in Athens and other important places in Greece like Malgara and Tempi. Finally, on 25 June, Iraklis received permission to play in Greek Superleague for the 2010–11 season.

On 4 May 2011, Iraklis were relegated to Football League (Greece) after failing to obtain a license to participate in 2011-12 Superleague. On 19 May 2011, the Disciplinary Committee of the competition found Iraklis guilty of forgery during the winter transfer window. Therefore, the club was automatically placed in the last position. That is a unique case as Iraklis have never finished in a relegation spot but have been relegated twice. On 26 September, however, the Professional Sports Committee stripped Iraklis from its professional licence and demoted it to Delta Ethniki. The team competed in Delta Ethniki under the ownership of G.S. Iraklis Thessaloniki, until the G.S. Irakli's General Assembly decided to disband it in favour of a merging deal with Pontioi Katerini to form AEP Iraklis F.C. in 2012.

The Club is named AEP Iraklis 2012

Ιn August 2012, AEP Iraklis was incorporated as AEP Iraklis 2012 FC. The new merged club has no legal connection to the original Iraklis Thessaloniki F.C., but is essentially considered as a direct continuation of it. Therefore, G.S. Iraklis Thessaloniki has no shares of the new company, but instead still holds the 10% of the bankrupt original Iraklis FC company, which remains to be dissolved. Currently, MAE Pontioi Katerini own 10% of the new merged club, as required by the Greek sports law, the club's chairman Theodoros Papadopoulos and team fans own the rest, with the chairman possessing a relative majority.

2014–present: The Spyros Papathanasakis era

In the summer of 2014 and after several months of negotiations Spyros Papathanasakis became the new major shareholder of the club holds the 90% of shares. The same year the company was renamed in PAE Iraklis 1908.

Current sponsorships:

• Great Shirt Sponsor: Pame Stoixima
• Official Sport Clothing Manufacturer: Blue Line
• Official Sponsor: APOGEE Information Systems

Achievements

Regional

• 15px Thessaloniki Championship
  • Winners (2): 1914, 1915
• 15px EPSM Championship
  • Winners (5): 1926-27, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1950–51, 1951–52
  • Runners up (6): 1923-24, 1925–26, 1929–30, 1936–37, 1946–47, 1952–53

National

• Superleague Greece
  • Runners up (3): 1933–34, 1938–39, 1946–47

a. ^{^} Iraklis was deducted 1 point losing the chance to finish first.

• Beta Ethniki
  • Champions (1): 1980–81

• 15px Greek Football Cup
  • Winners (1): 1975-76
  • Runners up (4): 1946-47, 1956-57, 1979-80, 1986-87

International

• 15px Balkans Cup
  • Winners (1): 1985

Current squad

As of 24 August 2015 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 Huanderson 2 DF Michalis Boukouvalas 3 DF Giorgos Saramantas 4 DF Aristotelis Karasalidis 5 DF Dimitris Stamou 6 MF Paschalis Kassos 7 FW Kosmas Tsilianidis 8 MF Lefteris Intzoglou 9 FW Emanuel Perrone 10 MF Diego Romano 11 MF Nikos Pourtoulidis 14 FW Giannis Pasas 15 MF Costin Lazăr 18 MF Ilias Kalfountzos

No. Position Player 19 MF Pavlos Kyriakidis 20 MF Emanuel Zambazis 21 MF Angelos Chanti 22 DF Sebastián Bartolini 25 FW Giannis Loukinas 26 DF Asterios Mouchalis 30 GK Dušan Perniš 33 DF Nikos Ziabaris 39 FW Apostolos Vellios 40 GK Serafeim Giannikoglou 44 DF Panagiotis Avramidis 77 DF Giannis Tsotras 91 FW Vassilis Amarantidis 99 FW Kerem Bulut

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player — GK Panagiotis Ladas

Iraklis U20 squad

Iraklis U20 is the youth team of Iraklis. They participate in the Superleague U20 championship. They play their home games at the Iraklis Sports Center in Mikra, Thessaloniki.

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

No. Position Player GK Filippos Zachariadis GK Ioannis Topalidis GK Nikolaos Delichatzis

No. Position Player MF Vasilis Amarantidis FW Kostas Doumtsos

Managerial history

Friedel Rausch (1983-85)

Agne Simonsson (1988-90)

Name Nat. Years Nikos Papadopoulos 2014– Guillermo Ángel Hoyos 2013–2014 Siniša Gogić 2013 Giannis Chatzinikolaou 2013 Giorgos Strantzalis 2012–13 Soulis Papadopoulos 2011–12 Vasilis Spirogiannis 2011 Giorgos Paraschos 2011 Marinos Ouzounidis 2010–11 Jozef Bubenko 2010 Savvas Kofidis 2009–10 Oleh Protasov 2009 Makis Katsavakis 2008–09 Ángel Pedraza 2008 Ivan Jovanović 2007 Jozef Bubenko 2007 Savvas Kofidis 2005–07 Sergio Markarian 2004–05 Mats Jingblad 2004 Eugène Gerards 2003–04 Ivan Jovanović 2002

Name Nat. Years Angelos Anastasiadis 2001–02 Ioannis Kyrastas 2000 Angelos Anastasiadis 1999–00 Mats Jingblad 1999 Kiril Dojčinovski REDIRECT Template:Country data North Macedonia 1998 Giorgos Paraschos 1997–98 Alketas Panagoulias 1997 Vasilis Antoniadis 1996–97 Dusan Mitosevic 1994–96 Thijs Libregts 1991–94 Telis Batakis 1990–91 Agne Simonsson 1988–90 Nikos Alefantos 1987–88 Kostas Aidiniou Giorgos Koudas 1987 Christos Archontidis 1987 Diethelm Ferner 1986–87 Nikos Alefantos 1986 Telis Batakis 1985–86 Friedel Rausch 1983–85

Name Nat. Years Telis Batakis 1983 Apostol Chachevski 1981–83 Telis Batakis 1980–81 Kostas Karapatis 1980 Antoni Brzeżańczyk 1978–79 Kostas Karapatis 1978 Michalis Bellis 1977–78 Milan Ribar 1976–77 Les Shannon 1975–76 Ljubiša Spajić 1974–75 Ilias Zahariadis 1972–73 Lakis Petropoulos 1971–72 Ljubiša Spajić 1969–72 Kostas Karapatis 1967–69 Milošević 1965–66 Ratomir Čabrić 1964–65 Takács 1963–64 Theodor Brinek, Sr. 1962–63 Aleksandar Tomašević 1961–62 Panos Markovic 1959–61

Notable former players

League top scorers Player Nationality Goals Dimitris Gesios 74 Daniil Papadopoulos 64 Michalis Konstantinou 63 Fanis Toutziaris 62 Vassilis Hatzipanagis 62

Most league appearances Player Nationality Matches Daniil Papadopoulos 419 Makis Sentelidis 312 Babis Xanthopoulos 283 Vassilis Hatzipanagis 281 Zacharias Chaliabalias 280

Greek Golden Player - UEFA Jubilee Awards

• Vassilis Hatzipanagis

Top foreign league goalscorer

Player	Nationality	Goals
Michalis Konstantinou		63

Foreigner leading in league appearances

Player	Nationality	Appearances
Ivan Jovanović		271

Records and statistics

Records

• Biggest win:
  • 14–1 v Enosi Charilaou, 1959–60 Greek Cup
  • 13–0 v Odysseas Kordelio, 1955–56 Greek Cup
• Biggest away win:
  • 1–8 v Apollon Krya Vrysi, 1993–94 Greek Cup
• Biggest league win:
  • 12–0 v Edessaikos, 1980–81 Beta Ethniki
• Biggest top tier win
  • 8–1 v AEK, 1930–31 Panhellenic Championship,
  • 8–1 v Rodos, 1978–79 Alpha Ethniki

League statistics

Positioning in Greek league

1960s	Position	1970s	Position	1980s	Position	1990s	Position	2000s	Position	2010s	Position
1959–60	9th	1969–70	6th	1979–80	8th 1	1989–90	5th	1999-00	6th	2009–10	10th
1960–61	8th	1970–71	5th	1980–81	Beta Ethniki: 1st	1990–91	5th	2000–01	5th	2010–11	11th 2
1961–62	9th	1971–72	9th	1981–82	6th	1991–92	9th	2001–02	6th	2011–12	Delta Ethniki (as G.S. Iraklis Thessaloniki) Football League 2 (as A.E.P. Iraklis): 5th
1962–63	6th	1972–73	8th	1982–83	8th	1992–93	6th	2002–03	7th	2012–13	Football League: 5th
1963–64	12th	1973–74	7th	1983–84	3rd	1993–94	6th	2003–04	8th	2013–14	Football League (North Group): 4th
1964–65	11th	1974–75	8th	1984–85	5th	1994–95	6th	2004–05	7th	2014–15	Football League (North Group): 1st
1965–66	12th	1975–76	8th	1985–86	4th	1995–96	4th	2005–06	4th	2015–16
1966–67	9th	1976–77	12th	1986–87	6th	1996–97	13th	2006–07	13th	2016–17
1967–68	13th	1977–78	9th	1987–88	6th	1997–98	6th	2007–08	10th	2017–18
1968–69	11th	1978–79	6th	1988–89	4th	1998–99	9th	2008–09	10th	2018–19

¹ Demoted to second division due to a match fixing scandal in a cup game against P.A.O.K. F.C..
² Demoted to fourth division (amateur division) because the Professional Sports Committee stripped Iraklis from its professional licence.

	Best positioning
	Demoted to second division
	Demoted to fourth division (amateur division)
	Worst positioning
	Promoted to first division

Total league record

As of 10 June 2015

League	Seasons	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Alpha Ethniki/Superleague	50	1596	602	433	561	2019	1911	+108
Beta Ethniki	4	158	89	36	33	244	103	+141

GP:games played; W:games won; D:gamed drawn; GF:goals for; GA:goals against; GD:goal difference

Head to head record against city rivals

As of 16 May 2015

Competition	Played	Iraklis	Draw	PAOK
Greek League	102	23	41	38

Competition	Played	Iraklis	Draw	Aris
Greek League	99	30	39	30

Highest attendances

Opponent	Stadium	Date	Attendance
Panathinaikos	Kaftanzoglio Stadium	24 January 1971	45,634
Panathinaikos	Kaftanzoglio Stadium	12 February 1984	41,700
PAOK	Kaftanzoglio Stadium	13 February 1972	38,752
Panathinaikos	Kaftanzoglio Stadium	23 May 1982	37,297
Panathinaikos	Kaftanzoglio Stadium	23 September 1973	37,169

Statistics in Europe

Iraklis' matches in Europe

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Source
1961–62	Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	1st Round	Bye
		2nd Round	Novi Sad	2–1	1–9
1963–64	Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	1st Round	Real Zaragoza	0–3	1–6
1976–77	Cup Winners' Cup	1st Round	APOEL	0–0	0–2
1989–90	UEFA Cup	1st Round	FC Sion	1–0	0–2
1990–91	UEFA Cup	1st Round	Valencia	0–0	0–2 (aet)
1993	Intertoto Cup	Group Stage (Group 8)	Dynamo Dresden	1–1
			Wiener		2–4
			Aarau	0–1
			Beitar Jerusalem		2–1
1995	Intertoto Cup	Group Stage (Group 12)	Vorwärts		0–3
			Spartak Plovdiv	0–0
			Eintracht Frankfurt		1–5
			Panerys Vilnius	3–1
1996–97	UEFA Cup	2nd Qual. Round	APOEL	0–1	1–2
1997	Intertoto Cup	Group Stage (Group 12)	Ried		1–3
			FC Merani Tbilisi	2–0
			Torpedo Moscow		1–4
			Floriana	1–0
1998	Intertoto Cup	2nd Round	Naţional Bucureşti	3–1	0–3
2000–01	UEFA Cup	1st Round	Gueugnon	1–0	0–0
		2nd Round	Kaiserslautern	1–3	3–2
2002–03	UEFA Cup	1st Round	Anorthosis	4–2 (a)	1–3
2006–07	UEFA Cup	1st Round	Wisła Kraków	0–2 (aet)	1–0

UEFA club competitions' record

As of 22 February 2008

Competition	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
UEFA Champions League	0	0	0	0	0	0
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	2	0	1	1	0	2
UEFA Cup	14	5	2	7	13	19
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	4	1	0	3	4	19
UEFA Intertoto Cup	12	4	2	6	14	23
Total	32	10	5	17	31	63

Personnel

Management

Position	Staff
Major shareholder	Spyros Papathanasakis
President and CEO	Spyros Papathanasakis
Vice President	Theodoros Papadopoulos
Board Member	Emmanuel Papathanasakis
Board Member	Ioannis Kakagiannis
Board Member	Christos Antonelis
Advisor	Giorgos Katakalidis
Marketing Director	Nikos Gramenos
Press	Giannis Roumeliotis
Team Manager	Giorgos Keramidas

Technical staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Nikos Papadopoulos
Assistant coach	Nikos Karabetakis
Physical fitness coach	Nikos Amanatidis
Goalkeeping coach	Fotis Giselis
Team doctor	Manolis Papakostas
Team doctor	Makis Papasoulis
Physiotherapist	Kostas Tsiolakidis
Physiotherapist	Giorgos Roditis

Academies staff

Position	Name
Academies Director	Makis Sentelidis
Technical Director	Savvas Kofidis
U20 Coach	Thanos Chatziathanasiou
Fitness coach	Pagonis Vakalopoulos

Iraklis FC Presidential history

Years Name 1983–2000 Giorgos Theodorides 2000–03 Evangelos Mytilineos 2003-07 Giorgos Spanoudakis 2007-10 Antonis Remos 2010-11 Giannis Takis 2011–2012 Amateur club 2014- Spyros Papathanasakis

External links

Official Sites

• Official website (Greek)

Press

• Blue Arena (Greek)
• Iraklis1908.gr (Greek)

Media

• Official YouTube channel