Panathinaikos was founded in1908 as "Podosfairikos Omilos Athinon" (Football Club of Athens) byGiorgos Kalafatis.[3][4] They play inSuper League Greece, being one of the mostsuccessful clubs inGreek football and one of the three clubs which havenever been relegated from the top division. Among their major titles are 20Greek Championships, 20Greek Cups, achieving eight times theDouble and 3Greek Super Cups.[5][6] They are also one of three clubs to win a Greek championshipundefeated, going without a loss in a top-flight campaign in the1963–64 season. Panathinaikos is the only Greek team that has reached theUEFA Champions League final in 1971 (which they lost toAjax 2–0), and also the semi-finals twice, in 1985 and 1996. It is also the only Greek team that has played for theIntercontinental Cup (1971). Furthermore, they have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League on another two occasions (in 1992 and 2002), as well as the quarter-finals of theUEFA Cup twice (1988 and 2003). They have also won theBalkans Cup in 1977. According to research and polls, Panathinaikos is the second most popular football team inGreece.[7][8][9] Panathinaikos is also a member of theEuropean Club Association.
According to the official history of the club, Panathinaikos was founded by the 17 years old track and field athleteGiorgos Kalafatis on 3 February 1908, when he decided to break away fromPanellinios Gymnastikos Syllogos following the club's decision to discontinue its football team.[11] The young athlete was followed by the athletes Alexandros Kalafatis (the founder's brother), and Mr. Doukakis, Bouboulis, Chrisis, Granitsas, Mantzakos, Papageorgiou, Gaetas, Demertzis, Stavropoulos, Paschos, Misakian, Reppas, Sapounias and Garoufalias.[12]
The name of the new club was "Podosferikos Omilos Athinon" (Football Club of Athens). It was founded with the aim of spreading and making more known this new sport (football) to the Athenian and Greek public in general. Also, the intention of the founders was to create a team for all of Athens and to be connected with the rest of the European football movement, which was already active.[13] According toLoukas Panourgias,"they wanted their Club not to be like all the others, but a team for Athens, for the entire capital..."[14][15] Establishing a football-only club at that time was a challenge to the prevailing norms of Greek society."The founding of a football club at a time when this sport was universally regarded as a street game and was openly persecuted by everyone, both authorities and non-authorities alike, was a clear act of rebellion against the prevailing perceptions of sports at the time(Athlitismos, 1927)."[16]
The first team in 1908The team in 1911, withGiorgos Kalafatis (center, holding the ball) and coachJohn Cyril Campbell (sitting on the far right).
The first president elected was Alexandros Kalafatis, brother of Giorgos. The ground of the team was inPatission Street.[17]Oxford University athleteJohn Cyril Campbell was brought in as coach, the first time that a foreigner was appointed as the coach of a Greek team.[17]Konstantinos Tsiklitiras, the great Greek athlete of the early 20th century, played as goalkeeper for the new team.
The team in 1921The champion team of 1922
During the turbulent 1910s, marked by the Balkan Wars and World War I, football activity declined. GoalkeeperKonstantinos Tsiklitiras volunteered for the army, fought at theBattle of Bizani, contracted meningitis, and died in Athens at 24.[18] FounderGiorgos Kalafatis served in all three wars, eventually reaching the rank of rear admiral and later on served a military doctor in the Asia minor campaign.[19][20][21] In 1910, after a dispute among a number of board members, Kalafatis with most of the players—also followed by Campbell—decided to pull out of POA and secured a new ground inAmerikis Square and the next year the team won the1911 SEGAS Championship. Subsequently, the name of the club changed to Panellinios Podosferikos Omilos ("Panhellenic Football Club") and its colours to green and white. By 1914, Campbell had returned to England but the club was already at the top of Greek football with players such asMichalis Papazoglou, Michalis Rokkos andLoukas Panourgias and went on to win the football tournament of1915.
In 1918, the team adopted thetrifolium (shamrock) as its emblem, symbol of harmony, unity, nature, fertility and good luck,[22][23] as proposed byMichalis Papazoglou.[24] In 1921 and 1922, theAthens-Piraeus FCA organised the first two post-WWI championships, in both of which PPO was declared champion. By that stage, the club had outgrown both the grounds in Patission Street and Amerikis Square, due mainly to its expansion in other sports, and began to look at vacant land in the area of Perivola onAlexandras Avenue as its potential new ground.[24] After long discussions with theMunicipality of Athens, an agreement was finally reached and in 1922Leoforos ("Avenue" in Greek) was granted to the club.[17]
The move to a permanent home ground also heralded another—final—name change toPanathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (PAO), "All-Athenian Athletic Club", on 15 March 1924,[17] from now on amulti-sport club. However, the decision was already taken by 1922.
In 1926, theHellenic Football Federation (HFF) was founded and the firstGreek Championship under its authority took place in 1927. The club dominated Athenian football, winning the Athens championships of192519261927 and1929 organized by the Athens Football Clubs Association.
Angelos Messaris, the legendary player of the '30sThe champion team of 1930
Panathinaikos won undefeated the Championship of1929–30 under the guidance ofJózsef Künsztler andAngelos Messaris as the team's star player.[25] Other notable players of thisBelle Époque period of the team wereAntonis Migiakis,Diomidis Symeonidis,Mimis Pierrakos andStefanos Pierrakos, among others. They thrashed rivalsOlympiacos 8–2, a result that still remains the biggest win either team has achieved against its rival, with Messaris scoring three goals.[26] The team also defeatedAris 1–4 away inThessaloniki. Messaris, who scored again three goals, became a hero and chant for the fans.
In 1931, a serious disagreement between leading board memberApostolos Nikolaidis from one side, and some players (most notablyAngelos Messaris) and club's officials on the other side,[24] regarding theprofessionalisation in theGreek football, which lasted two years, damaged the club and led to a counterproductive period. In the meantime, the HFFGreek Cup had commenced in 1932. The last bright moment for the Greens before World War II was winning the Cup for the first time in 1940 against Aris, 3–1.In 1940, with the break out of theGreco-Italian War, many players of the club joined theHellenic Army.Mimis Pierrakos was killed during the war (later, during the 1950s, his bones were transferred from Albania back to Athens). During theAxis Occupation of Greece from 1941 to 1944, many players of the team became members ofUnited Panhellenic Organization of Youth (PEAN) resistance organisation,[27] whileMichalis Papazoglou had a leading role in the resistance group ofJerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz.
After this long crisis period, Panathinaikos had to wait until 1949 to win again a Greek Championship under the guidance of the Austrian coachJohann Strnad. That same year, Vangelis Panakis andKostas Linoxilakis came to the club and quickly became the side's new star players. Panathinaikos was again champion for the1952–53 Panhellenic Championship.
Until 1959, the team had also won seven of the last eightAthens Championships, the regional championships organised in Greece. In 1959,Mimis Domazos, the emblematic captain of the team, made his first appearance with Panathinaikos and the same year took place the first season under the new system of Alpha Ethniki (1959–60 Alpha Ethniki). Panathinaikos was the champion team.
1960s: The Golden Decade, the Bobek's rejuvenation
During the next years, Panathinaikos were again champions in 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1969 and 1970. Moreover, the team won two more Greek Cups, in 1967 and 1969. Also, during these years, a long process of rejuvenation took place in the club. Notable players retired, such as Panakis, Linoxilakis,Takis Loukanidis andAndreas Papaemmanouil, and the team had to count on young players like Domazos,Antonis Antoniadis,Anthimos Kapsis,Kostas Eleftherakis andTakis Ikonomopoulos.
Stjepan Bobek was the main contributor to this process. In 1963, he became the club's head coach, changing the playing style of the team to a 4–3–3 and created a new team based on young players (the "Bobek's rejuvenation"). Under his guidance, Panathinaikos won the Championship of 1964 without a loss, making them one of the two teams that has won the Greek Championship (with its modern system) undefeated.[11] Notable players of the team included Panakis, Domazos,Takis Ikonomopoulos,Totis Filakouris,Frangiskos Sourpis andAristidis Kamaras.
With the establishment of theGreek military regime, the president of the club,Loukas Panourgias, was forced out of the presidency. The contract of Bobek was cancelled by the State, whileApostolos Nikolaidis, the old player, manager and official of the club, went on trial.[28]
In 1967, the greatBéla Guttmann came as coach, but he soon left and ex-playerLakis Petropoulos was appointed. Under his guidance, Panathinaikos won the championships of 1969 (with a double) and 1970.
In the same year, Panathinaikos played for the1971 Intercontinental Cup (due to the refusal of Ajax to participate), where they lost to Uruguayan clubNacional (1–1 in Greece, 2–1 in Uruguay).[30]Totis Filakouris was the scorer for the Greek club.
During the last amateur years of Greek football, theTrifolium won one more Championship in 1972. Antonis Antoniadis was againtop scorer with 39 goals (also second in Europe). Hisrecord remains until today in the Greek league.
In 1979, Greek football turned professional. The Vardinogiannis family purchased PAO's football department andGiorgos Vardinogiannis became president.[24] Panathinaikos were one of the first Greek clubs that formed awomen's team, in 1980.
The transformation period lasted a few years, but in 1982 the club won its first professional era trophy,the Greek Cup, and during the 1980s they would go on winning two championships (1984, 1986), four more Greek Cups (1984, 1986—with a 4–0 againstOlympiacos in the final—, 1988, 1989) and theGreek Super Cup in 1988. The great star of the team during these years wasDimitris Saravakos, nicknamed "The Kid." Saravakos, a high-technique explosive midfielder and iconic captain of Panathinaikos, was the alsolute idol for the fans during the 1980s, while other players includedNikos Sarganis,Spiros Livathinos,Velimir Zajec,Juan Ramón Rocha,Christos Dimopoulos andGiannis Kyrastas.
The 1990s were an even more successful period for the club, both nationally and internationally. Four Greek championships (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996), four Greek Cups (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995) and twoGreek Super Cups (1993, 1994) were awarded to the club.
In the1991–92 season, Panathinaikos reached also the last eight of theEuropean Cup and took part in the first ever European tournament to have a group stage.[32]
In the semi-finals, Panathinaikos facedAjax, recording an impressive 0–1 first leg away victory with Krzysztof Warzycha scoring the winning goal. Ajax had a record of 22 undefeated international matches until then, with Panathinaikos breaking their series. The Greek team, however, suffered a 0–3 defeat on the second leg. Thus, Panathinaikos was denied entry to a Champions League final once more.
In the summer of 2000, President Giorgos Vardinogiannis resigned from his duties with complaints for the refereeing situation in Greece and passed his shares to his nephewGiannis Vardinogiannis, who changed the style of the club's management.Angelos Anastasiadis was initially appointed coach of the team and later the ex-playerGiannis Kyrastas.
In the first leg of the quarter-finals, Panathinaikos managed to defeatBarcelona by 1–0 inLeoforos Alexandras Stadium.[33] The second leg inCamp Nou was to be an eventful one. Panathinaikos scored first thanks to a beautiful goal byMichalis Konstantinou but eventually was eliminated as Barcelona scored three goals.[34]
However, Shum was unexpectedly fired early in the next season (2004–05) andZdeněk Ščasný succeeded him on the bench. Panathinaikos finished second in the championship, while in the Champions League they came again third in the group stage facingRosenborg,PSV and Arsenal. They continued in theUEFA Cup, where they were eliminated bySevilla.
On 22 April 2008, and under pressure from the fan base, main shareholder Giannis Vardinogiannis gave a press conference in which he announced the decision of his family to reduce their share in the club to 50%—after 30 years of full ownership—through an €80 million increase of the company's capital stock. After the negotiations and the share capital increase, the Vardinogiannis family would hold 56% of the club, the amateur Club 10% and the other shareholders 34% (with main investorsAndreas Vgenopoulos,Pavlos Giannakopoulos,Adamantios Polemis andNikos Pateras). Nikos Pateras was selected to be the new president of the club.
Following the major changes in 2008, Panathinaikos hiredHenk ten Cate as coach and bought many expensive players, such asGilberto Silva from Arsenal andGabriel fromFluminense. In the2008–09 season, the Greens proved that they could hold their weight in theChampions League by reaching thelast 16. However, they disappointed in theGreek Championship, finishing third in the regular season, though they managed to come second overall after the playoff mini-league.
In 2011, due to financial problems and management disagreements, Panathinaikos soldCissé for €5.8 million toLazio and first-choicegoalkeeperAlexandros Tzorvas toPalermo to reduce the budget.[40][41] New players then entered, such asQuincy Owusu-Abeyie,Toché,Vitolo andZeca. The club also changed their president and chose Dimitris Gontikas to be the new chairman. Panathinaikos failed to qualify to the group stage of2011–12 Champions League after they were knocked out byOdense BK 4–5 on aggregate.
Panathinaikos' downfall continued as a result of the serious riots in the Panathinaikos–Olympiacos derby of 18 March 2012. The entire board quit and Panathinaikos remained headless for about two months.[42] However, the owner ofSkai TV,Giannis Alafouzos, devised a plan to take Vardinogiannis' shares (54.7%) and make them available to fans around Greece so that everyone could contribute a desired amount, so that Panathinaikos could overcome the crisis.[43] His plan seemed to be working, as a new 20-member board was elected with Dimitris Gontikas at the president's chair again,[44] though it was yet to be seen how the fans would respond to Panathinaikos' call for help.
On 2 July 2012, thePAO Alliance 2012[45] finally opened to the public so that everyone could be a member and contribute a desired amount in return for privileges. After a few weeks of operation, 8,606 members had signed up, some of which were current or former Panathinaikos players, includingJean-Alain Boumsong,Sotiris Ninis, Gilberto Silva and Djibril Cissé, among others.
On 18 July 2012, marked a historical day in Panathinaikos history, as Giannis Vardinogiannis gave his shares—54.7% of Panathinaikos—to the Panathinaikos Alliance, thereby allowing Panathinaikos to have a fresh start with their own fans at the steering wheel, who through elections (among the members of the Alliance) they compose the board of directors and elect the club's president. The first president elected wasGiannis Alafouzos.
The first season with the Panathinaikos Alliance at the helm was nothing short of abysmal for the club. While still enduring financial troubles, Panathinaikos finished sixth in the championship and failed to qualify for the European competition for the first time in 16 years.
For the2013–14 season, the membership had risen up to 9,305 members. Starting the football year, both fans and journalists were very sceptical of Panathinaikos' chances of a successful season, and many people expected the team to suffer relegation from theSuper League Greece.[citation needed] In May 2013,Yannis Anastasiou was appointed manager, and he planned a team based on players from the Panathinaikos Youth Academies joined by experienced foreign players looking to revive their careers. Despite the early scepticism, Panathinaikos' fans supported the team through the rough start, and the season turned out to be a massive success in light of the dire financial situation of the club and the young and inexperienced squad. The club finished fourth in theregular season and second after the playoffs (meaning they qualified for the2014–15 Champions League), withMarcus Berg the top scorer of the team. Panathinaikos also won the2013–14 Greek Football Cup after a 4–1 win overPAOK.[46]
On 2 November 2015, after bad performances and a home draw withAEK Athens, managerYannis Anastasiou was sacked and replaced byAndrea Stramaccioni. Further successive poor results under the latter's reign, combined with loss of dressing room control, led to the dismissal of Stramaccioni on 1 December 2016, with former Panathinaikos player andGreece internationalMarinos Ouzounidis taking over the management at the club. Ouzounidis had some great moments with Panathinaikos and was generally liked by the fans. His resignation, due to problems with owner Giannis Alafouzos sparked another wave of disappointment and hatred against Alafouzos from the fans.
On 24 April 2018 UEFA decided to exclude Panathinaikos FC from participating in the next UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in the next three seasons as a result of Financial Fair Play breaches.[47]
Giorgos Donis was announced as the new coach on 3 July 2018.[48] Coach Donis had a great start of the season despite beginning with −6 points in the championship, counting 6 consecutive wins that put Panathinaikos on top of the table. However, due to problems with his salary and a clash with Giannis Alafouzos, he was forced to resign in 2019. This situation made the relations between Alafouzos and the fans worse,[49] with protests and demonstrations during games against him. Panathinaikos remained one of the top clubs in Greece, but its absence from European tournaments was a major factor in the fans' disappointment with the ownership. During the summer of 2020, a series of bad decisions were made from Giannis Alafouzos, who chose to let most of the players that had contributed to a very good season go.[50]
SpaniardDani Poyatos signed on as head of the club on 22 July 2020 for two years, taking over from George Donis' work.[51] Poyatos was sacked after a poor start of the season on 12 October and was replaced byLászló Bölöni.[52] After a disappointing fifth position in theleague and the failure to guide them to a European qualification spot Bölöni was sacked and replaced byIvan Jovanović.[53]
During the21–22 season under the management of Ivan Jovanović, the team achieved its major goal of returning to European Competitions finishing fourth, and won their 19thGreek Cup, beating PAOK 1–0 in the final ending an eight-year trophy drought.[54] Ivan Jovanović was offered a two-year extension to his contract, which he accepted.
After a five-year absence from European Competitions, Panathinaikos won a place in the third qualifying round of the2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League, drawing CzechSlavia Prague. Any chance of return to a European group stage was lost after losing 3–1 on aggregate.
Their exclusion from Europe wasn't enough, since the squad was off to an exceptional start to the2022–23 Super League Greece season, ultimately hittingthe largest unbeaten streak in Europe for the 2022–23 season) of 16 matches, 3 of which were drawn. The streak ended when Panathinaikos faced second-placedAEK Athens, which ended in a 1–0 away loss.
All eyes were on the fact that Panathinaikos finished theregular season placed first with 61 points, followed by AEK Athens with 59 points, a small difference between the two teams, with the remaining play-off round deciding who would lift the trophy.
In the last round, Panathinaikos facedAris Thessaloniki F.C. and the match ended at 1–1, (making it 78 points), ultimately ending hopes of achieving the first league title since 2010. AEK facedVolos, who were at the bottom of the play-offs table, which resulted in a 4–0 home win and the winning of the 2022-23 league for AEK Athens.
On October 30, 2024, the club announced thatRui Vitória would be its next coach.[56] Panathinaikos terminated the contract of Luis Vitoria on 15 September 2025.
On October 19, 2025, the club announced thatRafael Benítez would be its next coach.[57]
White was the colour that was first used by the team in 1908 (probably like that of the first crest). The first symbol of the club was anassociation football ball of the era.
In 1911, the colours changed to green and white. In 1918,Michalis Papazoglou proposed thetrifolium, symbol of harmony, unity, nature and good luck, as emblem of Panathinaikos.[58] The officials of the club were looking for a universal, non-nationalistic or localistic, symbol aiming to represent the wholeAthens at the country and further at the world.[59] Papazoglou used to have it sewn on his shirt since he was competing for a club in his nativeChalcedon,Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey).[60] He was possibly inspired byBilly Sherring, anIrish Canadian athlete who had won theAthens 1906 Olympicmarathon (1906 Intercalated Games) wearing a white outfit with a big green shamrock on the chest.[61][62][63]
Georgios Chatzopoulos, member—and later president—of the club and director of theNational Gallery, took over to design the new emblem for the team. Up to the end of the 1970s, a trifolium (green or white) was sewed on heart's side of the jersey and was big in size. With the beginning of professionalism, the crest of the F.C. was created, accompanied by the club initials and the year of founding, 1908.[60]
Until today, the team's traditional colours are green and white (green for health,nature, such asphysiolatry, and white forvirtue), although the white sometimes is omitted, used as trim or as an alternative. During the first years after the establishment of green as Panathinaikos' primary colour, players were wearing green shirts, white shorts and green socks. During the 1930s, an appearance with characteristic horizontal strips was established. This motive was used also in the next decades as primary or second choice. Since then, the uniform style has changed many times, but green has always remained the team's primary colour.
Since 1979, when football became professional in Greece, Panathinaikos had a specific kit manufacturer and since 1983 a specific shirt sponsor as well. The following table shows in detail Panathinaikos kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors by year:
Panathinaikos FC shirt historyPanathinaikos alternative shirt (2008)
Panathinaikos' traditional home ground since the early 1920s is theLeoforos Alexandras Stadium, the oldest active football stadium in Greece, in theAmpelokipoi district of centralAthens. The stadium is located onAlexandras Avenue and is most commonly referred to asLeoforos (Greek for "Avenue"). It is considered one of the most historic stadiums in Greece, as it was used by theGreece national football team as home ground for many years (most recently for theUEFA Euro 2004 qualifying matches) and even by Panathinaikos' biggest rivals,AEK Athens andOlympiacos, on various occasions.
Panathinaikos leftLeoforos in 1984 to play in the newly builtAthens Olympic Stadium. In 2000, then-club president Angelos Filippidis announced a return to the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, following a €7 million renovation. Capacity was reduced from 25,000 to 16,620, new dressing rooms were built and modular stand roofing was added in compliance withUEFA requirements, but in 2004, stricter standards were announced and the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium would need further expansion were it to remain suitable for UEFA-sanctioned matches. This was precluded by local zoning regulations and the team had to return to the Olympic Stadium once more until a new stadium, the proposedVotanikos Arena, was built. TheLeoforos ground was due for demolition.
On 27 January 2007, the board of Panathinaikos decided to reuse the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium for the team's 2007–08 domestic league and UEFA Cup home games. Additionally, the club officials decided to install new a new pitch, new seats and upgrade the press conference room and the restrooms.
In October 2013, and due to the club's and the country's financial troubles, the construction of the Votanikos Arena stopped and consequently the plans for the demolition of the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium were put on hold. After another five-year spell at the Olympic Stadium, the team returned to its traditional home ground once again.
The current president of the club,Giannis Alafouzos, declared his intention for another renovation of the stadium and the capacity increase, while thePanathinaikos Movement made its propositions for a total reconstruction.
In 2019 the owner of Panathinaikos basketball team presented a funding plan for the construction of the new football and basketball stadiums. The Greek government confirmed in 2022 the construction of thenew stadium in theVotanikos area near Eleonas metro station to be completed by 2026.
Until 1979, football in Greece was amateur. The team, along with the other departments ofPanathinaikos A.O., depended on the financial support of the club's members. The president (responsible for all athletic departments) was elected by the board members. In 1979, Greece's football turned professional and the Vardinogiannis family purchased the football department.Giorgos Vardinogiannis became the new president.[24] Vardinogiannis family were the owners of the club the next decades.
On 22 April 2008, growing pressure of the fan base over the past 30 years compelled the main shareholder representative of the club, Giannis Vardinogiannis, to announce at a press conference the family would reduce their financial stake in the club from 100 per cent to 50 per cent through an €80 million increase issue of the company's capital stock. Negotiations followed and the following were agreed: Nikos Pateras was selected to be the new president; the Vardinogiannis family would hold 56 per cent of the club, the amateur club 10 per cent (same as before) and a group of new shareholders 34 per cent (Pavlos Giannakopoulos,Nikos Pateras,Adamantios Polemis andAndreas Vgenopoulos, plus other minor shareholders).
In 2011, financial problems and management disagreements caused the club to reduce the budget and sell many players. In 2012, the owner ofSkai TV,Giannis Alafouzos, devised a plan to take Vardinogiannis' shares (54.7%) and make them available to fans around Greece so that everyone could contribute, so that Panathinaikos could overcome the crisis.[43] His intention was to create a new, for the Greek athletic standards,supporter-owned football club. On 2 July 2012, thePanathenaic Alliance finally opened to the public so that everyone could be a member and contribute a desired amount in return for privileges. A few days later, Giannis Vardinogiannis gave his shares—54.7% of Panathinaikos—to the Alliance, while the other shareholders maintained their percentage. The members of the Alliance elected a board of directors and club president. The first president elected wasGiannis Alafouzos. In 2013, was decided the move of the team from the previous training center of Paiania to a new one, owned by the club. Located in the area ofKoropi,Georgios Kalafatis Sports Center became the new training ground and academy base of Panathinaikos.
For the2014–15 season, the membership had risen up to 8,495 members contributing a total of €2,680,041.
Season
Members
% Difference
Contribution
2012–13
8,606
–
€2,325,608
2013–14
9,305
+8.1%
€2,580,836
2014–15
8,495
-8.7%
€2,680,041
2015–16
8,802
+3.6%
€905,265
2016–17
8,060
-8.4%
€1,027,748
Panathinaikos currently is a partiallysupporter-owned football club.According to the latest accounts in 2016 Panathenaic Alliance shares have been reduced to (15%),Giannis Alafouzos through Sortivo International Ltd and his own shares is the largest shareholder at (74%).[64]Giannis Alafouzos suddenly decided to quit the team in September 2017, announcing his departure in a written statement and inviting potential investors to express their interest in buying the team. With rapidly growing doubts about the commitment and the sporting progression of the club, Alafouzos eventually decided to re-invest in the playing and coaching staff around June 2021.
Panathinaikos was founded by middle class athletes (withGiorgos Kalafatis as a key figure) aiming of spreading and making more known football to the Athenian and Greek public in general. Also, their intention was to create a team for all of Athens and to be connected with the rest of the European football movement, which was already active.[13]
Today, according to UEFA and numerous polls and researches by the biggest newspapers and poll companies in a span of 20 years, Panathinaikos is the second most popular football team in Greece, with the difference behindOlympiacos to be varied between 2% and 9% among the fans.[7][65][66][8][67][9] They have the highest popularity inAthens metropolitan area[68] according to many of the corresponding polls, having also a large fanbase in all Greek prefectures, in Cyprus and in theGreek diaspora. They historically have a large fanbase among the highly educated Greek upper class (traditionally representing the old Athenian society), while they are also very popular among the middle and lower classes.
Panathinaikos supporters hold both records of the most season tickets sales (31,091 in 2010) and highest average attendance for a unique season (44,942 in the 1985–86 season) in the history of Greek football.[69]
The main organised supporters of Panathinaikos are known asGate 13 (established in 1966),[70] the oldest fan association in Greece, which consists of around 80 clubs alongside Greece and Cyprus.[71]Gate 13 style of supporting includes the use of green fireworks, large and small green flags, displaying of banners and especially the creation of colourful and large choreographies, noisy and constant cheering and other supporters stuff. Gate 13 has over the years become a part of the club by affecting club decisions and by following the club on all occasions.
Gate 13 graffiti in Athens
They share a traditional friendship with the Hungarian clubFerencváros and UltrasRapid Wien,[72] based mainly on the common green and white colours. Moreover, they have been sharing since the early 10s' close relations withDinamo Zagreb'sBad Blue Boys[73] (based on their common rivalry with Red Star and Olympiacos fans, capital city teams and mutual respect for each other's ultras achievements) and also with Fedayin ofA.S. Roma based on the capital city team factor, their mutual respect and the ancient Athens and ancient Roma cultural connection.[74][75]
PALEFIP (Panhellenic club of Panathinaikos friends) is another supporters organisation.[76]
Panathenaic Alliance, a collective organisation of the fan base, is the major shareholder of the football club, making it currently the onlysupporter-owned football club in Greece. The members of the Alliance, through elections, compose the board of directors and elect the club's president.
Panathinaikos Movement, founded in 2012, is also a Greek political party founded by people with an initial common their love for the sports club of Panathinaikos and the wish for a new stadium for the football team, despite the bureaucracy of the Greek state.
Mimis Domazos holds the record for Panathinaikos appearances, having played 502 first-team matches between 1959 and 1980.[77] Striker Krzysztof Warzycha comes second, having played 390 times.[78] The record for a goalkeeper is held byTakis Ikonomopoulos, with 303 appearances.[79]
Krzysztof Warzycha is the club's top goalscorer with 319 goals in all competitions between 1989 and 2004,[80] having surpassedAntonis Antoniadis' total of 180 in January 1998.[81]
Panathinaikos record home attendance is 74,493, for a Greek League match againstAEK Athens in 1986 at the Olympic Stadium.[82] The record attendance for a Panathinaikos match at the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium is from 1967, when 29,665 spectators watched the Cup Winners' Cup game between Panathinaikos andBayern Munich.[83]
Panathinaikos is one of the two clubs in the history of Greek football to finish atop-flight (after 1959) campaign unbeaten. This happened in the1963–64 season.[84]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
^ab[1]Archived 15 December 2014 at theWayback Machine, Έλαβον: ΟΣΦΠ 39%, ΠΑΟ 30%, ΑΕΚ 15%, ΠΑΟΚ 11%, Άρης 5%. Ύστερα από 15ετή έρευνα δύο πανεπιστημιακοί στο βιβλίο τους καταγράφουν την ιστορία και γεωγραφία του ελληνικού ποδοσφαίρου, 30 June 2009, Τanea.gr (in Greek)
^100 Χρόνια Παναθηναϊκός - Η Ιστορία 1908-2008 (in Greek). 2008.Ιδρυσις ποδοσφαιρικού ομιλου εις εποχήν καθ'ην το αγώνισμα τούτο εθεωρείτο παρ'όλων συλλήβδην εις αγώνισμα του δρόμου και εδιώκετο απροκαλύπτως παρά παντων, αρμοδίων και αναρμοδίων, ήτο καθαρά ανταρσία εναντίον των κρατουσών τότε αντιλήψεων περί αθλητισμού. Cited in: "Αθλητισμός, 1927".
^"1908-1920".Ποδόσφαιρο, μπάσκετ, βόλεϊ, όλος ο Παναθηναϊκός παίζει στο Leoforos.gr. Archived fromthe original on 19 June 2011.
^abcdeKyriazis, Christos (4 February 2008)."The Golden Age of PAO".Ethnosport (in Greek). Pegasus Publishing S.A. Archived fromthe original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved28 March 2008.
^[2]Archived 8 September 2013 at theWayback Machine,Περισσότερους οπαδούς ο Ολυμπιακός. Ακολουθούν ΠΑΟ, ΑΕΚ, ΠΑΟΚ, 30 June 2009, Sport24.gr (in Greek)
^[3]Archived 28 September 2013 at theWayback Machine,Αυτοί είναι οι οπαδοί στην Ελλάδα – Ο Ολυμπιακός έχει τους περισσότερους φιλάθλους στην Ελλάδα, μετά από εκείνους που δεν υποστηρίζουν καμία ομάδα. Δεύτερος ο Παναθηναϊκός, τρίτη η ΑΕΚ και ακολουθεί ο ΠΑΟΚ., 26 June 2012, Gazzetta.gr (in Greek)
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