History Iraklis 1908 Thessaloniki F.C.

1 history

1.1 foundation , first years (1899–1914)
1.2 national establishment , success (1914–1959)
1.3 semi-professional alpha ethniki era (1959–1975)
1.4 absolute star: vassilis hatzipanagis era (1975–1990)
1.5 reconstruction , change of ownership (1990–2007)

1.5.1 evangelos mytilineos period (2000–2004)


1.6 financial collapse , relegations (2007–2011)
1.7 resurgence through pontioi katerini (2011–2014)

1.7.1 merged club


1.8 dissolusion (2017)

history
foundation , first years (1899–1914)

omilos filomouson football team in 1905

iraklis traced roots in 1899 when omilos filomouson (meaning friends of music club) established. club established cultural union of greeks of thessaloniki, in 1902 founded sports department. football new sport @ time, rapidly increasing in popularity , board of directors decided line football team. first match held omilos filomouson football team on 23 april 1905, against team of western european diaspora of city called union sportive. omilos filomouson won match 3–0 scoreline. later on, club faced financial problems, members of club joined forces greek athletic club of city, called olympia. result of union foundation of new club on 29 november 1908, called makedonikos gymnastikos syllogos (meaning macedonian gymnastics club), gained permission operate ottoman authorities. new club s first president greek doctor, alkiviadis maltos. name of club had direct reference ethnic tensions took place in area @ time. due young turks revolt of 1908 , promises ease of ethnic tensions in area, club forced change name. new name decided club, ottomanikos ellinikos gymnastikos syllogos thessalonikis iraklis (meaning ottoman greek gymnastics club of thessaloniki iraklis ). new name approved, new statute , new board of directors, general assembly of club on 13 april 1911. after integration of thessaloniki in kingdom of greece, operation of club accepted greek courts in 1914 , on 11 january 1915 iraklis became registered sports club.

national establishment , success (1914–1959)

shortly after end of second balkan war, iraklis 3 jewish football clubs of city, progrès sportive, alliance , french-german school alumni union organised first thessaloniki football championship in january , february 1914. iraklis won alliance 3–1, progrès sportive 5–1 , after winning french-german school alumni union, club proclaimed champion of thessaloniki. on 6 april 1914, iraklis played match against athinaikos syllogos podosfairou, ended draw. club s first match against club outside thessaloniki. in 1914, iraklis established club s youth squad, students of greek gymnasium of city train in football. year later iraklis won second thessaloniki football championship. next championship not held due world war i.

in years following world war i, several football clubs established in thessaloniki , led establishment of macedonia football clubs association in 1923. first championship newly founded association organised shortly afterwards , iraklis lost in tournament s final 4–1 aris. in 1924 iraklis played first match against club outside borders of greece. match against yugoslav club ssk skopje, contest ended 2–1 in favour of iraklis. in same year iraklis played first match abroad, 3–0 friendly win against sk bitola. in 1926 club appointed hungarian joseph sveg manager, first ever foreign manager in greece. under sveg s guidance, iraklis won championship organised macedonia football clubs association in 1926–27. winning 6–0 against reigning champion of west macedonia ermis shorovich , champion of east macedonia , thrace rodopi, iraklis proclaimed champion of macedonia , thrace. in following years, iraklis did not have success finishing in runner , lower positions in macedonia football clubs association championship.

iraklis football team 1930–31 season

in 1933–34 season iraklis won northern group of national championship qualifying championship final, club had compete against champion of southern group olympiacos. first leg played in iraklis ground on 10 june 1934. although iraklis took 2–0 lead @ half time, olympiacos managed make comeback in second half, winning game 2–3 scoreline. second leg played week later in piraeus , olympiacos proclaimed national champion winning match 2–1. in following years iraklis faced mid table mediocrity, exception of 1936–37 season, when club 1 point short macedonia football clubs association champions paok. 1938–39 season successful 1 iraklis, won both macedonia football clubs association championship , northern group of national championship, second resulting qualification of iraklis in national final. in national final iraklis lost aek both away , @ home (1–3 , 2–4 respectively), failing win silverware. in following season iraklis celebrated consecutive win in macedonia football clubs association championship failed qualify national final.

all club football in greece suspended 1941 1945 due german occupation of country. after war period, club competing aris thessaloniki championship, gave upon winner right participate in greek championship. iraklis participated in 1947 greek cup final, defeated 5–0 dominant greek team of era, olympiacos. in 1950s, team solidified position among top teams in greece along olympiacos, aek athens, panathinaikos, aris , paok. nevertheless, club struggled financial difficulties in ailing greek economy. thessaloniki (where many refugees greco-turkish war of 1919–1922 had settled) particularly damaged economic downturn. highlight of decade 1957 greek cup final, in iraklis once again defeated olympiacos, 2–0.

semi-professional alpha ethniki era (1959–1975)

iraklis played in inaugural season of ethniki. club secured 10th position in first season of national top tier of greece. iraklis football academy founded during same season after suggestion of club manager panos markovic. in 1960–61 season iraklis finished 8th , achieved record 4–0 win against atromitos piraeus. club reached greek cup semi-finals season, getting eliminated panionios. following 2 seasons iraklis played in inter-cities fairs cup, getting eliminated both times, fk vojvodina , real zaragoza respectively. in league, iraklis secured 6th position 1961–62 season, club record @ time. rest of 1960s, iraklis secured mid-table positions repeating club record in 1969–70 season. in 1965, kostas aidiniou, player fellow greek international zacharias chaliabalias lead club following decade, debuted iraklis. during 1968–69 season iraklis matched record win won ael limassol 4–0 margin.

in 1970–71 season iraklis, under guidance of yugoslav manager ljubiša spajić, finished 5th in league, club s best positioning since establishment of alpha ethniki. in season, iraklis sold 45,634 tickets in 1–0 home win against panathinaikos, club record since today , alpha ethniki record @ time. following seasons, iraklis achieved safe mid-table positions. in 1972, iraklis signed dimitris gesios kozani, player become club s all-time league top-scorer. in 1973–74 season iraklis broke biggest win record in alpha ethniki, beating ael 6–1. on 29 august 1974, iraklis sold star player aidiniou olympiacos 11,000,000 drachmas. in next season iraklis beat kalamata 5–0 @ home match record win , finished 8th in league. club reached semi-final of season s cup. iraklis eliminated 1–2 panathinaikos @ home. after match, 3 players of iraklis, chaliabalias, rokidis , nikoloudis revealed there attempt panathinaikos officials bribe them semi-final. 2 first driven out of club while latter sent off club 6 months.

the absolute star: vassilis hatzipanagis era (1975–1990)

on 22 november 1975, club acquired vassilis hatzipanagis, ussr national of greek descent, late voted greece s golden player uefa jubilee awards. in 1975–76 greek cup competition iraklis eliminated veria, pierikos, trikala , panetolikos reach semi-finals. in semi-finals iraklis beat panathinaikos 3–2, @ home. panathinaikos appealed against result claiming iraklis winning goal came offside position. courts turned down panathinaikos appeal , iraklis qualified final face olympiacos. on 9 june 1976 iraklis won cup after 6–5 penalty shootout. in final hatzipanagis scored twice, kousoulakis , gesios scored once each, in match ended 2–2 in full-time , 4–4 in extra-time. in league iraklis finished in 8th position led gesios , hatzipanagis, scored 9 , 6 goals respectively. in next season iraklis eliminated cypriot club apoel in cup winners cup , struggled in league finishing in 12th position, gathering 1 point more relegated panetolikos. iraklis improved in next season ending ninth in league gesios achieving personal best scoring 13 goals. 1978–1979 season club improved under guidance of antoni brzeżańczyk. iraklis finished sixth in league, had positive goal aggregate first time since 1973–74 season , achieved club s biggest victory in alpha ethniki beating rodos 8–1 margin.

the 1979–80 season first season of professional football in greece. iraklis finished in 8th position in league having best goal difference since establishment of alpha ethniki +11. highlight of season 6–0 against title perennial contenders panathinaikos, panathinaikos biggest league defeat date. in greek cup competition of season iraklis eliminated veria, niki volos, almopos aridaia , panarkadikos reach semi-finals. in semi-finals iraklis eliminated paok, club s chairman accused bribe attempt paok s player filotas pellios. iraklis proceeded play in cup final, players morale damaged club defeated underdogs kastoria 5–2 margin. @ end of season iraklis demoted beta ethniki, due alleged bribery scandal. iraklis appealed against decision, , club was, later on, declared not guilty, club played in second division. in 1980–81 season iraklis had compete in beta ethniki without star player vasilis hatzipanagis. club won championship in northern group ilias chatzieleftheriou being top scorer 24 goals. iraklis scored total of 99 goals, conceding 22, , achieved club league record 12–0 win against edessaikos. upon return top tier iraklis managed finish in 6th position in league , achieved club s best goal difference @ time +14. in 1983–84 iraklis finished in third place overall, remains date club s best positioning, since professional football established in 1959. club, led chatzipanagis scored 12 goals in season, had best goal difference since establishment of alpha ethniki +27 goals , best defence record, conceding 20 goals.

in 1984–85 season iraklis finished in 5th position setting club s offensive record scoring 59 goals. major contributors record chatzipanagis, lakis papaioannou , sigurður grétarsson each contributing 10 goals throughout campaign. in same season iraklis won international competition, balkans cup. iraklis had eliminate turkish giants galatasaray winning 5–2 on aggregate in quarter-finals, , ankaragücü through penalty shoot-out in semi-finals. in final s second leg iraklis won argeș pitești 4–1, winning trophy 5–4 on aggregate. in 1985–86 season iraklis, lead lakis papaioannou finished season 8 goals, finished in fourth position, having best defensive record in league, conceding 22 goals. 2 years later, 17,000 fans travelled athens support iraklis in 1987 greek cup final, unfortunately see team lose 3–1 on penalties (1–1 regular time) ofi crete. on 9 november 1990, shortly after uefa cup match against valencia, hatzipanagis announced retirement professional football.

reconstruction , change of ownership (1990–2007)

the 1990s period of reconstruction club, aging players either left club or retired. hatzipanagis retirement in 1990 had major negative impact on team s success. fans began calling change in club s management, club president petros theodoridis began selling team s talented players (christos kostis, giorgos anatolakis, savvas kofidis etc.). iraklis competed in 1990 against valencia in uefa cup, being eliminated in overtime @ mestalla.

evangelos mytilineos period (2000–2004)

iraklis squad 1999–2000 season

the team sold in 2000 prominent greek businessman evangelos mytilineos €3,500,000 (1.18 billion drachmas). despite acquisition of many promising players during first summer, 2000–2001 campaign didn t have expected results, club finishing in 5th position, out of european qualification spots. however, iraklis managed progress 2nd round of uefa cup, achieved memorable (although without effect) win on 1. fc kaiserslautern in fritz-walter-stadion. next summer, mytilineos s first move sell highly rated striker , fans favorite michalis konstantinou panathinaikos, setting new record highest fee received domestic transfer. move worsened relationship between new owner , fans, while weakened club, since konstantinou not replaced. manager giannis kyrastas, considered 1 of greece s bests, replaced previous coach angelos anastasiadis in second tenure managed qualified once again uefa cup on small budget. in 2004, mytilineos announced desire leave team , therefore sell giorgos spanoudakis (a friend of school years, used first vice-president of club), €1, since team heavily in debt. spanoudakis initiated series of expensive unsuccessful deals polish international cezary kucharski , serie veteran giuseppe signori, driving team close bankruptcy. later tried rid of team selling yet unknown businessman named dimitris houlis, had been president of akratitos f.c.. after 5-month period during houlis controlled team, greek football commission annulled transfer, raising questions in media regarding handling of previous 1 between mytilinaios , spanoudakis, too.

ivan jovanović, player , later coach of team

in january 2004, savvas kofidis, famous player of team in 1980s, became team s manager. during 2005–06, led iraklis acclaimed 4th-place finish, playing effective , attractive football, creating club record 13 consecutive wins @ home. however, considerable debts players, coaches , state, spanoudakis started 2006–07 season attempting reconcile iraklis finances selling joël epalle , panagiotis lagos, instrumental in previous year s success. next year kofidis resigned manager of considerably weakened team after iraklis lost 7 , drew 2 of first 9 games in greek super league , additionally eliminated uefa cup in time wisła kraków. 2006–07 season ended in hard breaking fashion team gained survival greek super league in last matchday, after breaking 39 matches unbeaten home run of skoda xanthi.

financial collapse , relegations (2007–2011)

on 13 july 2007, spanoudakis resigned , team passed hands of consortium of local businessmen, prominent greek singer antonis remos (a lifelong fan of team) leader. new owners tried stabilize team financially having paid debts giuseppe signori (almost 1,000,000 $) , other players , lenders past.

however, on 4 may 2011 iraklis relegated football league (greece) after failing obtain license participate in 2011–12 superleague. on 19 may 2011, disciplinary committee of competition found iraklis guilty of forgery during winter transfer window. therefore, club automatically placed in last position. unique case iraklis has never finished in relegation spot has been relegated twice. moreover, on 26 september professional sports committee stripped iraklis professional licence , demoted delta ethniki. situation spurred reactions iraklis fans, demonstrations in thessaloniki , athens.

resurgence through pontioi katerini (2011–2014)

the team competed in 2011–12 delta ethniki, started late due koriopolis, without success. meanwhile, club s board discussing possible merger club. there discussions local teams agrotikos asteras , anagennisi epanomi, ones pontioi successful, , pre-agreement contract signed between iraklis , pontioi on 3 january 2012. resulting team named aep iraklis f.c., virtually iraklis replaced pontioi katerinis, ceased exist. on 20 january 2012, merger approved amateur iraklis, , football team disbanded , withdrawn delta ethniki.

the merged club

on 3 january 2012, 2 teams reached agreement regarding running of new club, further negotiations planned after 6 months. pontioi katerinis change name aep iraklis, take badge , colors of iraklis, , move kaftanzoglio stadium. squad consist of players both teams , trained in katerini.

on 23 january 2012, team played first game @ home against tilikratis, while pending approval of merger greek professional sports committee.

Ιn august 2012, aep iraklis incorporated aep iraklis 1908 fc. new merged club has no legal connection original iraklis thessaloniki f.c., considered direct continuation of it, uses crest of iraklis thessaloniki fc, colours, , incorporates players , people associated former iraklis fc. therefore, g.s. iraklis thessaloniki has no shares of new company, instead still holds 10% of bankrupt original iraklis fc company, remains dissolved.

on 24 september 2012, merged club accepted in greek football league, acknowledgement of injustice against old pae iraklis. in 2014 company renamed in pae iraklis 1908.

in summer of 2014, , after several months of negotiations, spyros papathanasakis became new major shareholder of club. iraklis season 2014–15 promoted second division superleague.

two years later, however, team again relegated football league, while financial situation of club again under severe deterioration. urged papathanasakis, on 7 september 2017, declare iraklis inability satisfy financial obligations, causing club disbanded second time in 5 years. new football institution, formed after tax identification number change meaning – under national law – clearance debts, bound merged local outfit iraklis ampelokipon , compete in first local division of thessaloniki ahead of 2017–18 season.

dissolusion (2017)

iraklis dissolved in 2017, due major financial issues club had been facing years. failed participate in football league (second tier) , dissolved football club , begun season in division 3.