OFI Crete Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Όμιλος Φιλάθλων Ηρακλείου 1925, ''Club of Fans of Heraklion 1925''), is a Greek professional
football club based in
Heraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...
, on the island of
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
. It is a part of the
OFI multi sports club. Outside Greece, the club is generally known as OFI Crete FC, however, "Crete" is not actually part of the club's official title. The team competes in the
Super League, the top division of the
Greek football league system, and hosts home games at the
Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium
Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium ( el, Γήπεδο Θεόδωρος Βαρδινογιάννης) is a stadium in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. It was built in 1951 (not at its present state) as the home stadium of OFI Crete. The stadium is commonly ...
in Heraklion, Crete.
OFI is the Cretan club with the most continuous appearances in the
Greek first division. It has won one
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most ...
(
1986–87) and one
Balkans Cup, while they have competed seven times in
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
competitions.
History
Foundation
The club was founded in the autumn of 1925 by a group of Cretan athletes exercising at the same gym in Heraklion. They registered a new sports club under the name Omilos Filathlon Irakleiou (acronym OFI) which means "Heraklion Sports Club". The club's official scope was to participate at all kinds of athletic events and exhibitions. During the first OFI's years, the club's founders made up the majority of the members.
The years before World War II (1925–1940)
The years preceding World War II were a very difficult period not only for Crete, but for Greece in general. Thus, it was extremely difficult for OFI to travel and participate in national football tournaments. As a result, OFI was limited to matches around the island of Crete and particularly with other football clubs based in Heraklion. Strangely enough, these local matches were more frequent in comparison to the official ones of former periods. Even though official documentation does not exist, elderly fans of OFI believe that the team played around 400 matches before the Germans finally occupied Crete.
First participation in the National League (1945–1962)
During occupation of Crete in World War II competitions were suspended and players signed up to fight, resulting in the deaths of many players. In the first period after WW2 the football tournament restarted in Greece with a single Championship, the "First Division", in which only major football clubs from
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
and
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
participated, including a few teams which qualified through preliminary rounds. However, it was almost impossible for a team coming from the province to take part in it.
This situation arose because the
Hellenic Football Federation
The Hellenic Football Federation (HFF), also known as the Greek Football Federation ( el, Ελληνική Ποδοσφαιρική Ομοσπονδία; ΕΠΟ, translit=Ellinikí Podosferikí Omospondía; EPO) is the governing body of football ...
structured a system in which football teams from around the country had to play many preliminary rounds before proceeding to the national championship. As a result, even though OFI was the top football team in Crete, they could not qualify to the national tournament.
After 1956, the system in Greece changed slightly. Advantages were that in some seasons the preliminary rounds were organized in groups of a few teams, where the champions of each group were promoted directly to the championship of the same season's First Division. One of those seasons was in 1957–58. OFI played preliminary games in a group of 4 teams, where they finished in first place. Thus, OFI, for the first time in its history, participated in the Greek National Championship. However, the team could not stand the frequent trips around Greece and finished in last position. Up to 1962, when the official 2nd Division Championship was organized, OFI tried again many times, but unsuccessfully, to take part in the competition of the 1st Division again.
Attempts in the 2nd League (1962–1968)
In 1962–63 the official Greek 2nd division league was set up for first time. OFI was one of the teams that participated in the league and completed the season in 9th position. In 1963–64 and 1964–65, OFI finished in 3rd and 5th position respectively.
In 1965–66, OFI were the champions of the 2nd Division of Greek football and only one step away from promotion to the official 1st National Division of Greek football.
Yet, the Hellenic Football Federation decided that even the champions of the 2nd Division had to play preliminary games in order to be promoted.
OFI lost in the play-off matches and remained in the 2nd Division. In 1966–67 the disappointment was huge, even though OFI ended in 3rd position. Everyone on the island of Crete was feeling that the moment where they could see the pride of their island in the top league was very close.
In 1967–68, OFI finished in 2nd position and went into play-off games with the bottom team of the 1st division. The final match of the play-offs was to take place in the city of
Chania
Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion.
The muni ...
, on 26 June 1968. OFI, with the help of 10,000 Cretans thrashed the team from the 1st division with a 3–0 win and made the dreams of thousands of supporters come true. OFI was an official member of the 1st National Division.
Debut in the 1st League (1968–1971)
OFI's debut in the national 1st division was very difficult. "Omilos" ended the first round in 15th position. It was a very difficult task to remain in the league. However, in the 2nd round the Cretans played magnificently and finally finished in 12th place. In the next season OFI had already gained the experience of playing in the top league of Greek football. The "Snakes" finished in 13th place, but the strange thing was that OFI remained unbeaten in almost all of their home games in Heraklion. Only two teams managed to survive and leave Crete with an away win. Thus, even if OFI was not a feared opponent, all the other teams were anxious when taking the trip to the island of Crete.
1970–71 was the worst season the team from Heraklion ever had in the 1st Division. OFI ended in 17th position and was relegated for the last time in their history to the 2nd division. The whole season was a tragedy for the Cretans. OFI had to meet "old friends" from the 2nd division again and start battling again in order to be promoted for a second time.
Back to the 2nd League (1971–1976)
OFI had been relegated again, but this time the 2nd division had changed entirely. After all, the championship had been more officially organized and opponents were tougher than before.
OFI spent another 5 seasons in the 2nd division, from 1971–72 to 1975–76. During the first season, the team was continually in 1st place.
However, at the end of the season, OFI's good performances deteriorated and they finally finished 4th. In 1972–73 the management decided on a complete overhaul of the squad. In these circumstances, the 13th position OFI achieved was predictable, yet a new era of the stars of OFI had just begun. In the next season OFI finished 6th and in 1974–75 they finished 5th. In the next season the league was divided again into two groups, each of 20 teams. The champions of each group would be promoted directly to the First National Division. OFI couldn't afford to miss this chance.
Everything started perfectly for "Omilos" in 1975–76. They finished 1st at the end of the first round with a huge lead over the runners-up and then finished the season as champions. The whole island of Crete was celebrating the promotion of OFI to the 1st division. Up to the present, (2007), OFI have never been relegated again.
Theodoros Vardinogiannis era
During the first 3 seasons of OFI's presence in the 1st Division, the Greek championship still had an amateur status. In 1976–77, even though OFI were rookies, they finished in 6th place and gained the admiration of the whole country. In addition Dimitris Papadopoulos finished the top goal scorer of the League season. The following two seasons OFI finished 8th and 7th respectively, a period in which OFI was never once defeated in Crete. Even the "heavyweights" of the league (Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, AEK & PAOK) struggled to win any points when making the trip to the Genti Koule on island of Crete.
The championship in Greece was professionalized in the 1979–80 season and in the middle of that term the
Vardinogiannis Vardinogiannis ( gr, Βαρδινογιάννης) is a Greek surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Giannis Vardinogiannis (born 1962), Greek entrepreneur
*Vardis Vardinogiannis (born 1931), Greek oil and shipping tycoon
*Yiorgos Vard ...
group bought the football club of OFI with Theodoros Vardinogiannis being the major shareholder. During that season the only team that beat OFI at home in Crete was Panathinaikos. The Athenian team took the victory in Heraklion extremely easily with a score line of 0–3. It was the only loss endured by Cretans on the island that year, after all games had been completed OFI finished in 11th position. The next season Panathinaikos embarked on their first set of experiments on OFI. Young players came from all over the country in order to play for "Omilos". Partly because of this experimentation by their new owners OFI only managed 13th position in the League. The 1981–82 campaign saw OFI finish in 9th place and the following 1982–83 season in 7th. It seemed clear that Theodoros Vardinogiannis wanted OFI to be a stronger team in the championship. He tried to achieve that, not by spending money for good players, but by sending 2nd hand players from his other team Panathinaikos or young players that could possibly be useful to OFI, but primarily, for Panathinaikos in the future when the time was right. Thus, in 1983–84, three goalkeepers, one midfielder and one defender came from the Athenian team to Crete.
The continuing experimentation caused OFI to be disappointed yet again. OFI finished in 8th place, exactly the same position they finished next season too. Although OFI's results were not wonderful, this group of fresh players had gained experience and started to play like a team. The one thing that was missing was a good coach, who could get the best out of each player. This man arrived the following season.
Gerards' years (1985–2000)
In 1985, OFI appointed Dutch
Eugène Gerards
Eugène 'Gène' Gerards (7 May 1940 − 2 January 2018) was a Dutch football player, manager and scout. As a player, Gerards played for Limburgian clubs SV Limburgia and Fortuna '54. As a manager, he spent the majority of his career in Greece, ...
as the head coach, who remained for a legendary 15 years. This is still the record tenure for a coach in the Greek League, and will be a feat that lives long in the memory of Cretans. Gerards' first 3 years at the helm in Crete were nothing short of amazing. In 1985–86, OFI finished 2nd in the league and only missed out on becoming champions by 5 points. Gerards continued his revolution with a 3rd-place finish in 1986–87 and 4th place in 1987–88. As Gerards' OFI continued to achieve high finishes in the Greek Championship the team from Crete did something wonderful 21 June 1987. In the Olympic Stadium in Athens they defeated
Iraklis 3–1 on penalties winning the Greek Cup. The game had finished 1–1 after regular and extra time. With string league position and victorious in the Cup OFI was at that time one of the major players in Greek football.
The 1987–88 season was special for Cretans for another reason too – it was the first time in league history that OFI finished in a higher position than Panathinaikos, beating them 2–1 in Heraklion on the way, with a goal in last minute from Stefanos Vavoulas.
This golden era also saw OFI participate in European competition –
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
1986 and
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...
1987.
On 7 June 1989, OFI won the
Balkans Cup by beating
Radnički Niš 3–1 in
Serres
Sérres ( el, Σέρρες ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki.
Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northe ...
.
In the following seasons (1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92) OFI wasn't as successful. OFI finished 6th, 7th and 6th respectively, missing UEFA Cup participation by a few points. On 27 May 1990, OFI made the biggest overthrow in Greek football, as the club losing to 50' with 4–0 from
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
in
Karaiskakis Stadium
The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης), commonly referred to as the Karaiskakis Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Καραϊσκάκη, ), is a football stadium in Piraeus, Attica, Greece, and the ...
, ending with 4–5. In June 1990, OFI played once again in the final of the Greek Cup, this time against Olympiacos. The game took place in Olympiacos' home stadium and OFI lost 4–2.
In June 1991, OFI played in the final of the Pre-
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
Cup, against
AEK Athens
A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...
. The game took place in
Georgios Kamaras Stadium
Georgios Kamaras Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Γεώργιος Καμάρας) is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Apollon Smyrnis. The stadium holds 14,200 ...
and OFI lost 1–0.
During the last of those three seasons, OFI brought a young Argentinian star to Crete – Victor Hugo Delgado. However, there was little time for Cretans to enjoy the benefits of his talent as he was soon transferred to
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...
.
In season 1992–93, OFI was in great form once again. OFI finished 4th in the Championship and qualified for the following season's UEFA Cup tournament. The season's great star for OFI was Nikos Nioplias. At the end of the previous season the Vardinogiannis family decided that he might become useful to Panathinaikos, so he became the 3rd player to move to Athens from OFI. Without the team's great star, OFI only managed a 7th-place finish in the 1993–94 Championship. But despite those facts the name of OFI was heard loud and clear all around Europe. That season OFI achieved the unthinkable – they eliminated
Slavia Prague
Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in ...
in the 1st round of the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
and
Atlético Madrid in the 2nd round (both 2–1 on aggregate). Nobody in Europe could believe that an unknown quantity like OFI could ever knock out of Europe such illustrious opposition. The famous cup run came to an end when OFI was eliminated in the 3rd round by Portuguese club
Boavista (round of 16). Despite the disappointment there was pride for Cretans to be taken in that their team was the most successful Greek team in European competition that season.
In 1994–95, Panathinaikos were in dire need of a striker, and OFI had 2 top rated strikers from the previous season, Nikos Machlas and Alexis Alexoudis. Even though Panathinaikos wanted Machlas, he himself refused to go to Athens, and as a result, Panathinaikos grabbed Alexoudis. OFI ended in the 9th position this year. In the next season, Eugène Gerards tried to build a new team with young players. Yet the Dutchman had lost 2 great players to Panathinaikos and Nikos Machlas was transferred to Vitesse Arnhem. OFI finished 5th and missed qualification for the UEFA Cup in the last game of the season.
1996–97 was an amazing season for "Omilos". With the participation of Nikos Nioplias (Panathinaikos did not need him anymore, so he was transferred back to OFI), OFI was in 2nd place before the winter break and four of their players were part of the Greece National Team.
On the last day of the transfer period, Panathinaikos grabbed Kostas Konstantinidis, the best defender of OFI's squad. Finally OFI finished 3rd in the championship by humiliating Panathinaikos one week before the end and leaving the team from Athens in 5th place, outside the positions leading to UEFA competitions. The whole island of Crete was again celebrating the great performance of OFI.
In the next two seasons, OFI finished in 7th and 8th position respectively, suffering constant humiliations by Panathinaikos in matches between the two, as revenge for what happened in May 1997. In addition to that,
Kostas Kiassos, a great OFI midfielder, was the next 'victim' and was transferred to Panathinaikos. Nevertheless, OFI resumed their successful UEFA Cup campaigns. The pride of Crete eliminated Icelandic team
KR Reykjavik
KR is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 and WMO country code for South Korea.
KR or Kr may also refer to:
Sports
* KR (basketball club), associated with Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur
* Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, an Icelandic football club
* Kickoff ...
in the second qualifying round (3–1 on aggregate) and Hungarian team
Ferencváros
Ferencváros () is the 9th district of Budapest ( hu, Budapest IX. kerülete), Hungary.
Name
The southern suburb of Pest was named after King Francis I on 4 December 1792 when he was crowned king of Hungary.
History
The development of Fe ...
in the 1st round proper (4–2 on aggregate, with an unforgettable 3–0 victory in Crete). OFI's European dream was ended by
AJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise (), commonly known as AJ Auxerre or simply Auxerre (), is a French football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the first division ...
in the 2nd round of the UEFA Cup.
In the year 2000 and after 15 successful years, Eugène Gerards announced his retirement from OFI's bench as the team finished 4th in the championship. It was the last time that OFI gained a position that lead to European competitions, and the last season that OFI was considered one of the top teams in Greece.
New era (2000–2009)
The new century found OFI unstable and close to relegation almost every year. While Nioplias and Machlas retired, the team partly suffered from a series of bad rosters and managers. In 2001, OFI really struggled to remain to the 1st League. The next two years, OFI managed to play a little better, thus avoiding low positions easier. But then the dark years came: OFI avoided relegation every year, for one or two points difference.
President Fanouris Vatsinas appointed German
Reiner Maurer as a coach in the summer of 2006. Maurer had the team playing greater football, even competing for a European place since the Gerards era. In the 2007 summer, OFI played in the Intertoto cup, but under-performed. The 2007–08 season found the club fighting to avoid relegation once again, and Maurer was sacked.
Giorgos Paraschos
Georgios Paraschos ( el, Γεώργιος Παράσχος; born 23 August 1952) is a Greek professional football manager and former player.
Playing career
As a football player, he began his career from the youth academy of PAOK in 1967. He b ...
was brought as a temporary manager, and he was eventually replaced by Czech,
František Straka
František "Franz" Straka (born 28 May 1958) is a Czech former football player and manager of Fotbal Třinec.
Biography
Playing career
Straka played most notably for Sparta Prague. In 1988, he moved to Germany and spent the rest of his playi ...
before the start of the new season.
In 2009, OFI suffered from the bad presidency of Fanouris Vatsinas, who was asked by the fans to leave the club. Furthermore, former player Machlas offered a great amount of money in order to purchase the team. OFI started with awful results, Straka was dismissed and
Ioannis Matzourakis came to fill his position. During the 2008–09 season, OFI struggled to remain to the Greek Super League, but failed and is in fact relegated to the second division after finishing 16th.
Since relegation OFI has gone into 'meltdown'.
Once the season had ended the majority of the club's senior players filed claims against club's president Fanouris Vatsinas for hundreds of thousands of euros in unpaid wages. As the non-payment of wages was also a breach of contract many of them also freed themselves from their professional contracts with the club and sought new teams for the forthcoming season.
Meltdown and restart (2009−2018)
It took OFI two years to eventually return to the
Super League, under a new administration led by former OFI scoring legend
Nikos Machlas
Nikos Machlas ( el, Νίκος Μαχλάς, born 16 June 1973) is a retired Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career OFI Crete
Machlas began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 ...
. Despite managing an impressive 6th-place finish in
the 2013−14 season, severe financial debts around the €12 million range would not allow the club to relive its past glory days in top-flight. OFI quickly fell behind in the league Table during the
2014–15 season. On 21 March 2015, OFI withdrew from professional competitions, as the administration failed to meet the club's pressing financial obligations. In a symbolic gesture, the 15 players who still comprised the club's roster walked on the pitch of the
Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium
Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium ( el, Γήπεδο Θεόδωρος Βαρδινογιάννης) is a stadium in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. It was built in 1951 (not at its present state) as the home stadium of OFI Crete. The stadium is commonly ...
on that day (before match-day 29) and waived OFI's fans farewell. After 47 consecutive years in professional competitions, OFI was relegated to amateur status.
As a result, the professional football department merged with
its parent sports club, which opened up winding-up proceedings and appointed liquidators for the bankrupt Football Club, a process that would allow a new football department of OFI to compete in the amateur
Gamma Ethniki
The Gamma Ethniki ( el, Γ΄ Εθνική Ερασιτεχνική Κατηγορία, C National Amateur Division) is the third highest football league in Greece.
History
The Gamma Ethniki began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 198 ...
(the third tier of the
Greek football league system under new leadership, free of the financial obligations of the previous administration. OFI, therefore played in the third division for the first time in its history during the
2015−16 season, managing instant promotion after winning the Division title. After spending two seasons in the
Football League, OFI eventually achieved a return to the
Super League as
2017−18 Second Division champions, alongside fellow historic top-tier regulars
Aris Thessaloniki
Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki
...
.
The Michael Bousis era
On 4 October 2018, Professional Sports Committee of Greece announced that Michael Bousis became the new major shareholder of OFI and in a few days (on 10 October) he took over the leadership of the administration during a press conference in Heraklion.
On 18 April 2019, the Professional Sports Committee of Greece announced that team Vice President C' Angelo P. Palivos, his brother Gregory Palivos and their mother Vassiliki Tyrvolis Palivos, secured ownership and control of 36.4% of the team's shares. The brothers both served on the teams Board of Directors on behalf of the Palivos family of Las Vegas, Nevada & Chicago, Illinois.
On 22 June 2020, Michael Bousis bought out the shares of the Palivos family and became again the majority owner of OFI Crete FC. On the same day, Angelo and Gregory Palivos resigned from their board seats.
On 17 May 2021, Michael Bousis announced that Minas Lysandrou, is the new CEO of the club. Lysandrou served as AEK Athens F.C CEO up until 31 March 2021.
Crest and colours
Crest
OFI's traditional crest has been used since the club's foundation in 1925 (with several variations throughout the years). It featured a white shield with a black outline, and a diagonal black ribbon containing the club's acronym "ΟΦΗ" in white Greek letters, read from the bottom left to the top right of the crest. In 2016, as part of the club's re-entry into professional competitions after its dissolution the year before, the club's foundation date «1925» was added to the crest, while the outline was significantly thickened, so as to constitute a substantial visual change from the logo of the bankrupt, liquidated forerunner Club.
As of August 2020, the club's new administration issued a new crest, which incorporates the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
letters "ΟΦΗ" in the centre of a circle, thus forming the badge of the club. According to the club's press release for the unveiling of the club's new logo, the departure from the previously used shield, and use of the circle expresses stability and balance, while the concentric circle design being used as a metaphor for teamwork, focus and dynamism.
Visually, the crest' design was inspired by the lines of the football field as seen from above, with the letters O and H corresponding to the two boxes, and the letter Φ representing for the center of the pitch.
Ofi.png, 1925–2016 (variations)
OFI1925_Logo.png, 2016–2020
Colours
The colours that OFI used were black and white, because none of the existing sports clubs had the same colour combination in Crete.
Sponsorships:
*Great Shirt Sponsor:
OPAP
OPAP – Greek Organisation of Football Prognostics S.A. ( el, ΟΠΑΠ – Οργανισμός Προγνωστικών Αγώνων Ποδοσφαίρου Α.Ε.) is a Greek company organizing and conducting games of chance. It is headquarter ...
*Official Sport Clothing Manufacturer:
Puma
*Golden Sponsor:
AVIS
Avis is Latin for bird and may refer to:
Aviation
*Auster Avis, a 1940s four-seat light aircraft developed from the Auster Autocrat (abandoned project)
*Avro Avis, a two-seat biplane
*Scottish Aeroplane Syndicate Avis, an early aircraft built by ...
Stadium
![Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Theodoros_Vardinogiannis_Stadium_2019.jpg)
OFI's stadium is
Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium
Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium ( el, Γήπεδο Θεόδωρος Βαρδινογιάννης) is a stadium in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. It was built in 1951 (not at its present state) as the home stadium of OFI Crete. The stadium is commonly ...
, a
stadium in
Heraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...
,
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
. It was built in 1951 (not at its present state) as the home stadium of OFI. The stadium is commonly known by its nickname, ''Yedi Kule'' ("''Seven Towers''" in
Turkish). The historic ground of OFI was constructed in 1951 and after the death of the historic leader of the
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises ...
it was named "Theodoros Vardinoyannis". The opening of the stadium took place on 11 November 1951 with the football game of
OFI Crete OFI may refer to:
* Overseas Filipino Investors, Filipino expatriates who contribute to the economy of the Philippines through remittances, buying property, and creating businesses
* OFI Crete, a Greek association football club based on the islan ...
with the team of Α.Σ.Δ.Α.Ν. (
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
: A.S.D.A.N.) (something like the current national team) and the result was a defeat for OFI, 4–1, a result that had a little meaning compared with the benefits that the Cretan club had won. At last, the largest Cretan club acquired its own "home", that would roof all the faithful of the new football ideals developed in
Iraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...
,
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
. The stadium was built on the ruins of a Christian and a Jewish cemetery and that in the area where the pitch is located, there were two big holes, remaining structures of German army guns from the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
occupation.
The highest attendance recorded at Yedi Kule is 12,391 for OFI's match against
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
on 25 September 1988. OFI won the game 2–1.
Supporters
OFI has a big fan base in Crete. Most popular organized fan clubs are the "Snakes 4 Heraklion club" and "S.F Cretans 4 T. Papadopoulos".
OFI fans have good relations with the fans of
PAOK, a friendship that started in October 1987 when OFI faced
Atalanta
Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology.
There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology ...
for
1987–88 Cup Winners' Cup at
Toumba Stadium
Toumba Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Τούμπας) is a football stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is property of AC PAOK. The official name of the stadium is simply PAOK Stadium ( el, Στάδιο ΠΑΟΚ), but through the years it has become ...
and numerous PAOK fans supported the Cretans.
Rivalries
Rivalry with Ergotelis
OFI has enjoyed a fierce rivalry with other local Super League side,
Ergotelis. The first ever game between Ergotelis and OFI, a friendly match in 1929, ended after 35 minutes. Ergotelis were ahead by one goal, when the game had to be abandoned after violence between the players broke out. Under the
Greek military junta of 1967–1974, a legislation determined that every regional Greek city should be represented by one football team. At that time, both OFI and Ergotelis used to play in the Second National division (Football League). Αt the end of the 1966–67 season, Ergotelis finished 8th, while OFI finished in a higher position, leading to Ergotelis' relegation. The legislation also allowed the remaining teams in the second division to sign players of the relegated ones, and thus five Ergotelis players were transferred to OFI. In the years to come Ergotelis languished in the lower leagues. This led to various controversies, especially since Ergotelis' come back, at the early 2000s. This rivalry has shown signs of diminishing over the years, with OFI fans attending newly promoted Ergotelis' games in the Super League during the club's first season in the competition, and Ergotelis loaning their longtime scoring legend
Patrick Ogunsoto to a financially weakened Beta Ethniki side OFI for no fee, as an attempt to assist the latter in their struggle to return to the Super League.
Honours
Domestic
*
Super League
**Runners-up (1):
1985–86
*
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most ...
** Winners (1):
1986–87
**Runners-up (1):
1989–90
*
Pre-Mediterranean Cup
**Runners-up (1): 1990–91
*
Greek Super Cup
The Greek Super Cup ( el, Σούπερ Καπ Ελλάδος), officially known as the Cup of Friendship and Solidarity ( el, Κύπελλο Φιλίας και Αλληλεγγύης) was a Greek association football one-match competition which w ...
**Runners-up (1): 1987
*
Football League
** Winners (3): 1965–66, 1975–76,
2017–18
*
Gamma Ethniki (3rd National Division)
** Winners (1):
2015–16
European Competitions
*
Balkans Cup
** Winners (1):
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
Regional
*
Heraklion FCA Championship (Tiers 4−7)
**Winners (18) (record): 1927−28,
1928−29, 1930−31, 1931−32, 1932−33, 1934−35, 1947−48, 1948−49, 1951−52, 1953−54, 1954−55, 1955−56, 1956−57, 1957−58, 1958−59, 1959−60, 1960−61, 1961−62
Seasons in the Super League era
Best position in bold.
Key: FR = First Round, 3R = Third Round, 4R = Fourth Round, 5R = Fifth Round, GS = Group Stage, R16 = Round of 16, QF = Quarter-finals, SF = Semi-finals.
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Personnel
Ownership and current staff
Coaching staff
Medical staff
European record
Managerial history
* Stratos (1946)
*
Kostas Zogas (1958)
*
Mantalopoulos (1959)
*
Vaggelis Helmis (1965–66)
*
Petritsis (1967–68)
*
Kostas Zogas (1967–68)
*
Domagoj Kapetanović
Domagoj Kapetanović (30 January 1926 – 2005) was a Yugoslav football player and manager best known for winning the 1976 NASL Championship with Toronto Metros-Croatia.
Playing career Club
Kapetanović started his playing career with Građ ...
(1968–71)
*
Giorgos Stratakis (1970–71)
*
Thanasis Soulis (1971–72)
*
Giorgos Stratakis (1971–72)
*
Takis Papartheniou (1972–73)
*
Kostas Karapatis
Konstantinos "Kostas" Karapatis ( el, Κώστας Καραπατής; 9 January 1928 – 25 April 2022) was a Greek football player and manager who played as a goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (s ...
&
Manolis Tzanis (1973–74)
*
Thanasis Zafeiropoulos (1975–76)
*
Nikos Alefantos (1976–77)
*
Antonis Georgiadis (1978–30 June 1980)
*
Les Shannon
Leslie Shannon (12 March 1926 – 2 December 2007) was an English football player and manager.
As a forward, he scored 40 goals in 274 league games in the Football League, playing for Liverpool between November 1944 and November 1949 and t ...
(1979–80)
*
Nikos Alefantos (1981–82)
*
Giorgos Stratakis (1981–82)
*
Les Shannon
Leslie Shannon (12 March 1926 – 2 December 2007) was an English football player and manager.
As a forward, he scored 40 goals in 274 league games in the Football League, playing for Liverpool between November 1944 and November 1949 and t ...
(1982–84)
*
Manolis Tzanis &
Aris Vasileiou (1984)
*
Lakis Petropoulos (1984–85)
*
Giannis Parasidis (1984–85)
*
Petr Packert (1984–85)
*
Mike Bailey (1984–85)
*
Eugène Gerards
Eugène 'Gène' Gerards (7 May 1940 − 2 January 2018) was a Dutch football player, manager and scout. As a player, Gerards played for Limburgian clubs SV Limburgia and Fortuna '54. As a manager, he spent the majority of his career in Greece, ...
(23 June 1985 – 20 Nov 2000)
*
Aris Vasileiou (2000)
*
Giannis Samaras (2000–02)
*
Zdeněk Ščasný
Zdeněk Ščasný (born 9 August 1957) is a Czech football manager and former player.
Ščasný has won the Czech league championship five timesthree times as a player and twice as a coachand the Czech Cup three timestwice as a player and onc ...
(1 July 2002 – 15 Nov 2003)
*
Giorgos Foiros
Georgios Firos ( el, Γεώργιος Φοιρός; born 8 November 1953) is a Greek football manager and former football player.
Career
Born in Evosmos, Thessaloniki, Firos played center-back or sweeper. He was one of the very few players that ...
(26 Nov 2003 – 30 June 2004)
*
Giannis Chatzinikolaou (1 July 2004 – 30 June 2005)
*
Vangelis Vlachos (1 July 2005 – 13 Feb 2006)
*
Myron Sifakis
Myron Sifakis ( el, Μύρων Σηφάκης; born 28 September 1960) is a Greek retired goalkeeper and current football manager.
Career Playing career
Sifakis began his football career at his local side Atsalenios. He was then transferred to ...
(14 Feb 2006 – 30 June 2006)
*
Reiner Maurer (1 July 2006 – 12 Nov 2007)
*
Giorgos Paraschos
Georgios Paraschos ( el, Γεώργιος Παράσχος; born 23 August 1952) is a Greek professional football manager and former player.
Playing career
As a football player, he began his career from the youth academy of PAOK in 1967. He b ...
(16 Nov 2007 – 30 June 2008)
*
František Straka
František "Franz" Straka (born 28 May 1958) is a Czech former football player and manager of Fotbal Třinec.
Biography
Playing career
Straka played most notably for Sparta Prague. In 1988, he moved to Germany and spent the rest of his playi ...
(1 July 2008 – 11 Oct 2008)
*
Ioannis Matzourakis (12 Oct 2008 – 15 May 2009)
*
Giorgos Paraschos
Georgios Paraschos ( el, Γεώργιος Παράσχος; born 23 August 1952) is a Greek professional football manager and former player.
Playing career
As a football player, he began his career from the youth academy of PAOK in 1967. He b ...
(2009)
*
Nicos Papavasiliou &
Myron Sifakis
Myron Sifakis ( el, Μύρων Σηφάκης; born 28 September 1960) is a Greek retired goalkeeper and current football manager.
Career Playing career
Sifakis began his football career at his local side Atsalenios. He was then transferred to ...
(1 July 2009 – 2 Nov 2009)
*
Nikos Goulis (5 Nov 2009 – 30 June 2010)
* Giannis Chatzinikolaou (1 July 2010 – 28 Sept 2010)
*
Nikos Anastopoulos
Nikos Anastopoulos ( el, Νίκος Αναστόπουλος; born 22 January 1958) is a Greek former footballer who was one the most prolific strikers in the Greek league during the 1980s and widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the ...
(28 Sept 2010 – 29 Dec 2012)
*
Giannis Petrakis
Giannis Petrakis ( gr, Γιάννης Πετράκης; born 20 May 1959) is a Greek professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Super League club Levadiakos.
Playing career
Petrakis began his football caree ...
(2 Jan 2013 – 10 May 2013)
*
Pavlos Dermitzakis
Pavlos Dermitzakis ( gr, Παύλος Δερμιτζάκης; born 29 June 1969) is a Greek professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Super League 2 club Panserraikos.
Playing career
Dermitzakis began his f ...
(16 May 2013 – 7 Oct 2013)
*
Ricardo Sá Pinto
Ricardo Manuel Andrade e Silva Sá Pinto (born 10 October 1972) is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a forward, currently manager of Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal.
He was known for his fighting spirit, best displayed in hi ...
(18 Oct 2013 – 25 May 2014)
*
Gennaro Gattuso
Gennaro Ivan Gattuso (; born 9 January 1978) is an Italian professional football coach and former player, who currently serves as manager of La Liga club Valencia.
He was born in Corigliano (Calabria). As a player, he mainly played in the cent ...
(5 June 2014 – 30 Dec 2014)
*
Nikos Anastopoulos
Nikos Anastopoulos ( el, Νίκος Αναστόπουλος; born 22 January 1958) is a Greek former footballer who was one the most prolific strikers in the Greek league during the 1980s and widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the ...
(1 Jan 2015 – 21 Mar 2015)
*
Murat Seropian
Murat Seropian ( el, Μουράτ Σεροπιάν; born 26 October 1970) is a Greek football manager and former player.
References
1970 births
Living people
Greek people of Armenian descent
Armenian emigrants to Greece
Armenian f ...
(1 July 2015 – 29 Sept 2015)
*
Nikos Goulis (7 Oct 2015 – 7 Jan 2016)
*
Nikos Nioplias
Nikos Nioplias ( el, Νίκος Νιόπλιας; born 17 January 1965) is a Greek professional football manager and former player.
Playing career
Club
His career began with OFI Crete in 1983, winning the Greek Cup in 1987, and he remained fo ...
(21 Jan 2016 – 21 Jan 2017)
*
Nikos Papadopoulos (24 Jan 2017 – 21 Jan 2019)
*
Jaime Vera (25 Jan 2019 – 29 June 2019)
*
Georgios Simos (12 July 2019 – 6 March 2021)
*
Nikos Nioplias
Nikos Nioplias ( el, Νίκος Νιόπλιας; born 17 January 1965) is a Greek professional football manager and former player.
Playing career
Club
His career began with OFI Crete in 1983, winning the Greek Cup in 1987, and he remained fo ...
(6 March 2021 – 21 October 2022)
*
Valdas Dambrauskas (25 October 2022 – present)
Records and statistics
Most appearances and top scorers
See also
*
O.F.I. (sports club)
References
External links
Official websites
*
OFIat
Super League OFIat
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
News sites
*OFI o
gentikoule.grOFI newsfrom
Nova Sports
Nova Sports is a Greek sports pay television network owned by Nova, a subsidiary of Greek telecommunications company of the same name. It was launched in 1994 as ''SuperSport'' and at the time was the first premium sports service in Greece. It i ...
Other
Vardinogianneio Athletic Center
{{Football in Greece
Football clubs in Heraklion
Football clubs in Crete
Association football clubs established in 1925
1925 establishments in Greece