Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea on which the homonymous state is located. An attractive place for many tourists from all over the world. Fresh air, gentle sea, amazing nature and delicious food - what else is needed for a pleasant stay? Many miss one more side of life, without which it is difficult to imagine Cyprus. This is football.
The British brought football to the island at the beginning of the 20th century, and it quickly won the hearts of the local population. Clubs and local leagues began to be created. And although many teams of stars do not grab stars from the sky, they won the respect of FIFA and UEFA due to their serious attitude to sports and the good organization of competitions.
We present to you the most famous Cypriot football clubs, the name of one of the most popular FC consists of 5 letters, and it includes famous football players of the world.
10. Aris
Football club Aris from Limassol was founded in 1930. He plays in the second division, whose champion he became five times in his history.
In the season 88-89 he reached the final of the Cyprus Cup, in 2010 he dropped out in the semifinals.
Home Stadium Cirion Atlitico Kentro is located in Limassol and can accommodate more than 13 thousand people. The primary colors of the form are green and white.
9. Ermis
Club Ermis counts its history since 1958. The home stadium Aradippu is located in the city of Aradip (in whose honor it is named) and accommodates 5.5 thousand people.
The club’s official color is red, the basic form includes a red black striped t-shirt and black shorts. For a long time competes with the club Omonia, which is based in the same municipality.
He plays in the second division, became the winner three times in his history. In the 2013-2014 season he reached the final of the Cyprus Cup, in 2014-1015 he won the Super Bowl.
8. Dighenis
Cyprus club Digenis Acritas Morphou It was founded on April 23, 1931 in the city of Morfu. It received its name in honor of the medieval Greek hero Digenis Akrit. Trainings and home matches are held at the Morfu Stadium, which seats 13 thousand people.
To date, the club performs in the second division. In 1971, he became vice-champion of Cyprus, and in 2005 received the title of finalist of the Cyprus Cup.
7. Apollon
The football team hails from Limassol, which originates in 1954. He plays in Division A, which is the top division in the Cyprus Premier League.
Over its many years of history, the club has become the champion of Cyprus, won the Super Bowl and the Cup, and also adequately performed in the UEFA Champions League, having reached the playoffs several times.
The home stadium is Cirion Athletic in Limassol with a capacity of more than 13 thousand seats. Other clubs are also based here, among which the main rival Apollo - Limassol "AEL".
In addition to the football team, volleyball players and basketball players, as well as the women's volleyball team, perform under the same name.
6. Alki
The club was founded in 1979 in Oroklini and was originally called Omonia. But in 2013, the owner decided to change the name to "Alki”In honor of the club of the same name, which was based in the city of Larnaca and was disbanded due to financial turmoil.
However, the newly-minted Alki has nothing to do with the Larnaca team, as neither the management team nor the players have ever united.
The new emblem became similar to the one that belonged to the “original” team, red and blue became the official colors.
The leadership was tasked with bringing the team to the first division of Cyprus. The plan was completed in just three years. In the first season, among the elite clubs, “Alki” took 11th place, retaining the right to play in the major league. However, he did not manage to stay for a long time, and today Alki is playing in the second division.
5. Anorthosis
Club Anorthosis was founded back in 1911, when Cyprus was under British rule. At that time, a lot of various circles were created, and on the basis of one of them, literary, a football team appeared. It consisted of amateurs, toured the island, and sent the collected money to the struggle for independence.
They even tried to close Anorthosis for their provocative activities, but the inhabitants of Cyprus defended their favorite club. He was not just a team, life was always in full swing around him, revolt was spinning.
In 1960, when Cyprus gained the long-awaited independence, Anorthosis was at the peak of popularity. He won the first place in the Cyprus Cup five times.
The club is officially based in Famagusta, but in fact its training stadium and head office are located in Larnaca. The clash between the Turks and Greeks living on the island, as well as the fact that the stadium in Famagusta does not meet the requirements of FIFA, is to blame.
4. APOP Kyniras
Apop Kiniras - A relatively young Cypriot football club that quickly emerged and disappeared just as quickly from the sport.
It was formed in 2003 in the city of Pegia from two teams: APOP Peguea and Kiniras Empas, respectively. The colors of the emblem and form were yellow and blue. Over its short history, the club twice became the winner of the second division, but in 2012, after a series of scandalous stories and financial problems, it was disbanded.
The team consisted of famous players such as Emmanuel Olisabede, Dmitry Mikhailenko and Miodrag Bozovic.
3. AEL
AEL - One of the most famous and titled clubs in Cyprus. It was founded in 1930 in Limassol, where it is still based and where their home stadium “Zirion Athletic” (which they share with several other teams) is located.
Thanks to the activities of AEL in Cyprus, the football community has been recognized. The club became one of the eight founders of Division A, the first division in the Cyprus Championship.
However, fans had to wait years to win the final. For example, after AEL won the title in 1941, as many as 13 years passed, when in 1953 the club became the champion again. The next time, luck smiled at him in 1989, when the team took the Cyprus Cup.
After a long streak of setbacks in 2011, Pambos Hristodoulou came to the post of coach, who not only led the team to victory in the Cyprus Championship, but also brought it to Eurocups. In 2018, Dusan Kerkez was appointed acting coach.
2. Omonia
Omonia - A club from Nicosia, which was founded in 1948. He is one of the most titled teams in Cyprus, she has several champion titles, as well as a series of victories over four seasons.
Home matches are held at Nel GSP Stadium, and rivalry with another Nikos team, APOEL, is called the “eternal derby”. The confrontation of clubs began in the middle of the 20th century, when APOEL split into two camps: some supported the civil war in Greece, others were against it. As a result, part of the athletes left the composition and founded a new team, calling it Omonia.
The club’s golden period is the 70-80s, when Omonia won the title after the title. The 90s and early 2000s turned out to be more complex, the club became the champion in 2003, and then in 2010. Omonia also regularly plays in the Champions League, UEFA Cup and Europa League.
1. APOEL
APOEL - One of the oldest and most successful football clubs in Cyprus. It was founded in 1926 in Nicosia and since then has won 28 championships, took 21 Cup and 13 Super Cups, and also issued 6 champion doubles.
The team was created by enthusiasts so that the Greeks of Nicosia could play football and was originally called Poel. But two years later, other athletes began to perform under this name, and the letter A was added - Athletic Football Club of the Greeks of Nicosia.
The club played a key role in the formation of the Cyprus Football Federation, but in 1948 a part of the players left it due to disagreements on the basis of the civil war and founded a separate team, which became the ideological rival of APOEL.
The emblem and uniform of the team has yellow-blue colors. The club performs in the European Championships and plays in the playoffs.