The Derby of the Eternal Enemies refers to
Nicosia
Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
's
local derby,
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
matches played between
APOEL
APOEL FC ( el, ΑΠΟΕΛ; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', literally "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") ...
and
Omonia. It is the classic, biggest
rivalry in Cypriot football, as the two teams are the most successful and most popular football clubs of the island. The rivalry is also indicative of social, cultural and political differences.
In recent years, APOEL's successes in European Competitions, combined with Omonia's financial struggles, have led to APOEL mostly dominating the rivalry. A seven-and-a-half year long winless streak for Omonia came to an end on 7 December 2020.
Background
The derby originates from 1948 when the board of
APOEL FC sent a telegram to the
Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics (Greek: Σ.Ε.Γ.Α.Σ.), with the opportunity of the annual Panhellenic Track and Field Competition stating its wish for the "communist mutiny" to be ended. Club's players considering this action as a political comment on the
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...
distanced themselves or were expelled from APOEL. A month later these players formed
AC Omonia. The first derby was played on 12 December 1953 and ended in a goalless draw.
Records and statistics
''Last update: 1 May 2023''
Summary
Statistics by competition
The table below shows the results of the two teams in the
Cypriot First Division.
1In
2008-09, the two teams faced four times but their last match was interrupted due to riots. The
Cyprus Football Association judiciary has set aside both groups. This match is not counted in the statistics of the matches of the two teams
See also
*
Sports Rivalry
*
Local derby
*
List of association football rivalries in Europe
This list deals with association football rivalries around the Europe among clubs. This includes local derbies as well as matches between teams further afield. For rivalries between international teams and club rivalries around the world, see ''L ...
References
{{Football in Cyprus
Football in Cyprus
AC Omonia
APOEL Nicosia
Football derbies in Cyprus