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Giorgos Pantelakis | |
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| Born | (1926-11-30)30 November 1926 Thessaloniki, Greece |
| Died | 2 February 2009(2009-02-02) (aged 82) |
| Known for | Former president ofPAOK FC |
Giorgos Pantelakis (Greek:Γιώργος Παντελάκης; 30 November 1926 – 2 February 2009) was a formerPAOK FC president and one of the most iconic figures in club's history.
Pantelakis was born on 30 November 1926 in theToumba district ofThessaloniki. His father Dimitrios and his mother Evangelia wereGreek refugees who came fromSmyrni inAsia Minor. He studied at the Public Commercial School of Thessaloniki and, after graduating, he successfully engaged in trade business (sanitary products).
From a young age Pantelakis joined theA.C. PAOK (Greek:Α.Σ. Π.Α.Ο.Κ.)multi-sport club family and served it in various administrative positions. Initially in the basketball department (PAOK BC) from 1954 to 1959, winning the first Panhellenic title (1959) in PAOK's history.[1]
"In critical moments of my life, he was by my side, always with a sound advice. He was a fair, reasonable and sincere man with a life plan and a vision for PAOK and sports."
From 1960 to 1971 he was General Secretary and then President of PAOK FC from 1975 to 1984. During this tenure, as head of the football team, PAOK won theGreek Championship for the first time (1976). He played a leading role in theGiorgos Koudas affair in the late 1960s, contributing to the return of the skilful player to the team and was the one who, with his foresight, created PAOK's great team of the 1970s. In July 1966, Koudas was approached byOlympiacos, who tempted him by offering a much higher annual salary without going into a negotiation with his club. Pantelakis never gave his consent for the transfer to be completed and for the next two seasons, Koudas participated only in Olympiacos friendly games.Military junta's General Secretary of Sports Kostas Aslanidis suggested in 1968 that Koudas should return to PAOK for two years and then move to Olympiacos, but Pantelakis refused saying "I may go toGyaros island (place of exile for leftist political dissidents), but Koudas would never go to Olympiacos".[2][3] Koudas' return to PAOK in August 1968 coincided with the arrival of quality footballers, such asChristos Terzanidis,Dimitris Paridis andAchilleas Aslanidis, while the addition of the greatStavros Sarafis had preceded it a year earlier. Pantelakis had now laid the foundations for the creation of a promising team that was destined to play attractive football over the next decade and to be competitive against the big teams from Athens winning the first domestic titles in club's history. Giorgos Pantelakis established himself in the minds of all sports fans as a charismatic, reliable and dynamic sportsman and a symbol of dedication to the club he served for decades, sealing with his profound personality a great and glorious part of its history. He dedicated his entire life to sports and to PAOK.[4][5][6]
Many people were linked with Pantelakis and had a long-standing presence and contribution to the club during his term of office.[7][8][9]
"As a person, I always rely on history. And for me, Pantelakis is that figure who deserves my attention and the desire to be better than him, not worse."
On 2 February 2009, Pantelakis was run over by a passing motorbike in Thessaloniki center and was transported toIppokrateio General Hospital with a severe head injury. He did not manage to recover and succumbed to his injuries the same day, dying at the age of 82.[10] According to his will, his entire estate was donated to charitable projects. His funds were used for the creation of the pediatric oncology clinic at theAHEPA Hospital, with instructions that his donation would not be revealed until the whole work was completed. Two ambulances were gifted to the Hellenic National Center of Emergency Care and a sports center (including a football and a basketball field) was built in the school facilities of the Children's Heritage Foundation atThermi.[11] On 3 November 2016, with a modest ceremony, unveiling of the bust of the late Georgios Pantelakis took place at the PAOK FC headquarters. The bust was placed next to PAOK trophy cabinet at the entrance of the administration offices.[12]