| Full name | Ποδοσφαιρικός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Αλικαρνασσού Ηρόδοτος Podosferikós Athlitikós Sýllogos Alikarnassoú Iródotos (Irodotos Football Sports Club of Halicarnassus) | |||
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| Short name | Iródotos | |||
| Founded | 18 June 1932; 93 years ago (1932-06-18) | |||
| Ground | Municipal Nea Alikarnassos Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 1,500 | |||
| Chairman | Manolis Limnaios | |||
| Manager | Giannis Xatzisevastos | |||
| League | Heraklion FCA First Division | |||
| 2022–23 | Super League Greece 2, 15th (expelled) | |||
| Website | https://irodotosbc.com/ | |||
Irodotos Football Club, short forPodosferikós Athlitikós Sýllogos Alikarnassoú Iródotos (Greek:Ποδοσφαιρικός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Αλικαρνασσού Ηρόδοτος, meaningIrodotos Football Sports Club ofHalicarnassus) and also simply known asIrodotos, is aGreekfootball club based inNea Alikarnassos,Heraklion. The club is named after the ancient historianHerodotus, descended fromHalicarnassus,Asia Minor, whosebust is also used as the club logo. Irodotos was established in 1932 by refugees fromAsia Minor (and specifically the site of modernBodrum, then still calledHalicarnassus), who were displaced following theGreco-Turkish War in 1922. By acclamation, Irodotos is considered the third most successful club inHeraklion in terms of achievements, due to its consistent presence in theSecond andThirdnational divisions, but has maintained a considerable fan base, and a longstanding rivalry with localSuperleague sideOFI, despite the fact the two haven't met in national competitions for almost 30 years. The club currently competes in theFootball League, the second tier of theGreek football league system, while also administering amateur men's football andbasketball departments. In the past it also had departments forwrestling,cycling,women's football andathletics. Its colours are blue and white.
Several years after the public housing development ofNea Alikarnassos was founded (in 1925), formerHalicarnassus residents and refugees established a sports club in order to strengthen the collective consciousness ties between the inhabitants of the settlement. The club was named afterHerodotus (Greek:Ηρόδοτος), thus commemorating the ancient historian native toHalicarnassus. The club was officially established asPodosferikos Athlitikos Syllogos Alikarnassou Irodotos (or P.A.S.A. Irodotos) by then community president, Michalis Eleftheriadis and other prominent figures of the refugee community. In its early years, and until the end of theGerman occupation of Crete, Irodotos' sporting activities were primarily mild, before reverting to full activity in 1948.
Irodotos joined the Third Division of the regionalHeraklion Football Clubs Association, managing consecutive promotions to reach the First Division and compete against historical clubs such asOFI andErgotelis. Irodotos promoted to national competitions (e.g. theBeta Ethniki, second tier of theGreek football league system) in 1960, and played in the competition until 1965, when the club was relegated to the newly establishedGamma Ethniki (third level in theleague pyramid). In total, Irodotos has played 12 seasons in the Second National Division (relegated for the last time in 1982) and 16 times in theGamma Ethniki, thus making it the club with the third most appearances in professional competitions based inHeraklion, behind ex-Greek Superleague local rivalsOFI andErgotelis. Furthermore, Irodotos has reached theGreek Football Cup Quarter-finals once in1987–88 (losing to competition finalistsPanathinaikos) and the Round of 16 twice, the first time during the1981−82 season (eliminated by eventual competition winnersAEK) and for a second time during1988−89, when they were eliminated by club rivalOFI.
In recent years, Irodotos have played primarily in theGamma Ethniki, from which they were last relegated in the end of the2014–15 season after being deducted fifteen points by theHellenic Football Federation in response to the murder of visiting fan Kostas Katsoulis by Irodotos hooligans in the municipalNea Alikarnassos Stadium during aFootball League 2 home match vs.Ethnikos Piraeus.[1]
After the tragic incidents that took place in 2015, Irodotos made a triumphant return to theGamma Ethniki winning four trophies in a single season during 2016−17. More specifically, Irodotos was crowned champion of theHeraklion FCA Championship, while also managing to win theHeraklion FCA Cup, along with theGreek Football Amateur Cup and eventually theGreek Amateurs' Super Cup.[2] Their next season in theGamma Ethniki saw them win the Group 8 title and qualify to theFootball League promotion play-offs, where they eventually celebrated their return to the 2nd tier of theGreek football league system after a 36-year absence.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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