🇨🇾 APOP Kinyras FC (Cyprus)

APOP Kinyras FC (Cyprus)

Cyprus, a small island in the Mediterranean Sea, a beautiful country in itself, has a football league, and one that is sometimes overlooked because of it’s close proximity to Greece. Clubs like APOEL Nicosia have broken into the European elite, making appearances in the group stages of the Champions League and the Europa League, while AEL Limassol have also featured in Champions League qualifying rounds and reached the group stages of the Europa League in 2012-13. So, they aren’t in anyway minnows of football, but for such a small country, they have limitations. There league is a competitive one though, and as such, they have had their fair share of football clubs that have dissolved over the years. In fact, for such a small country, they have had 54 clubs that I could have chosen to feature in this book. It is a country with a population of 1.21 million people, so I found it amazing that so many football clubs have suffered the faith of becoming non existent anymore. But maybe that’s the problem, I thought. Maybe there are not enough football fans to go around for all these football clubs. I went through various clubs that qualified as a ‘Forgotten Club’, with enough content there for a special Cypriot edition of ‘Forgotten Clubs’ it must be said, I finally landed on a story that I felt should be included in this book. It is a story that is one of familiarity and one that just fits into this book. One of a short existence, yet one that brought success. An underdog story, a cup success, three league successes’ three promotions and a European adventure was all squeezed in the period of just nine years, and it all happened recently. This is the story of APOP Kinyras FC of Cyprus.

APOP Kinyras FC were founded in 2003, when two clubs from the lower tiers of Cypriot football decided to merge. They were APOP Peyias FC and Kinyras Empas FC, thus the name APOP Kinyras FC. Broken down into its entirety, the APOP part of the clubs name means Athlitikos Podosferikos Omilos Pegeias which in English means Athletic Football Club Peyia, while the Kinyras part of the name comes from the mythical king Kinyras who was founder of the Paphos, the region in which APOP Kinyras FC come from. The club played in the colours of yellow and blue and played their home games at the Peyia Municipal Stadium.

The club started their journey in the third division of Cypriot football in the 2003-04 season where they immediately gained promotion. They won the title by beating their nearest rival, MEAP Nisou, by four points, winning nineteen, drawing three and losing just four games all season. It was their brilliant defensive displays that won them the league, only conceding twenty-four times in twenty-six games, keeping fourteen clean sheets in total. Their promotion to the second division didn’t stop their progression at all, with the club winning back-to-back promotions in only their second year of existence.

The 2004-05 season in the Cypriot Second Division saw the club finish top, in a league that had fourteen clubs competing in total. But APOP won the league easily, as they finished eight points clear of their nearest rivals, APEP. This time, it was their attacking prowess that got them promotion, scoring 70 goals that season in twenty-six games. Of course, their defensive record was also impressive, only conceding twenty-two goals in total. That season saw the club win two games, 7-0, against Omonia and ASIL, both at home, and a 7-1 win away from home against Akritas Chlorakas, the side that finished bottom of the the table that season.

The 2005-06 season saw the club reach the dizzy heights of the Cypriot First Division, in only their third season of playing, It was quite an achievement and didn’t go unnoticed, however, it seemed that their rise up the Cypriot football pyramid had gone too fast, and their arrival to the big time came too soon. The club struggled to adapt to the quality of the first division and found themselves at the end of some heavy defeats, mainly away from home. They finished 12^th out of the fourteen clubs, meaning they ended up in one of the three relegation spots that season, finishing nine points from safety, with Olympiakos Nicosia not having to even worry about being caught by APOP. Kinyras only won five games all season, drawing three and losing eighteen, with their usually solid defence being breached a total of 65 times, while only scoring 35 goals in total. The club went down, but it wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened to them.

The 2006-07 season saw the club re-group and come back stronger, winning the Cypriot Second Division, and gaining promotion at the first time of asking. They pipped Alki Larnaca by two points to clinch the title, and their second bit of silverware in the club’s history. More importantly, they were back in the First Division, and this time they were aiming to stay a little bit longer. The 2006-07 season saw the return of form of their defence, only conceding twenty-two goals that season, while comfortably finishing top of scoring charts, with 65 goals.

The return to the First Division would be a bit different to their last visit to the topflight for several reasons. First, the format had been changed. There would now be a First round, in which each team would play each other twice, home, and away. The league was then split into three different groups. 1^st to 4^th would be placed into Group A, playing for the Championship title. The next group consisted of the clubs that finished 5^th to 8^th, and they would play in Group B, with the winner of that group gaining qualification to the Intertoto Cup. The teams that finished 9^th to 12^th would play in Group C, and battle it out to avoid the third and final relegation place, as the two bottom clubs, who had finished 13^th and 14^th in the first round, were automatically relegated.

APOP finished 6^th, meaning they played in Group B, an improvement from their last stay in the First Division. This time they had won ten, drew seven and lost nine games in the first round. It was decent form for a club that had just been promoted, however, their form dipped when playing in the group stages, and they finished bottom of Group B, and effectively finishing 8^th that season. It was still a success as they had reached their goal of remaining in the topflight for the following season. But it would be the following season that would cement APOP Kinyras FC’s place in Cypriot football history.

The 2008-09 season was much of the same, with the club finishing in 6^th and placing them in Group B. They faired a little better this time around, finishing in 7^th place, but it wasn’t their league form that caught everyone’s eye that season. APOP had gone on a cup run that would see the club create an underdog story that Cypriot football had never seen before. The first round of the cup was played against Omonia Aradippou, a club with a long history in Cypriot football, yo-yoing from the top tier to the second division. This two-legged tie was to be a close run affair, with APOP taking the first leg 2-0 at the Municipal Aradippou Stadium. The tie seemed to be over, but the side from the outskirts of Larnaca came back into it and won the second leg in Peyia, 2-1. It meant that APOP won the tie 3-2 on aggregate. Few would have thought they would continue their cup run past the second round when they met AEK Larnaca, but once again they won the first leg away from home at the AEK Arena, 2-0. AEK Larnaca had won the Cypriot Cup back in 2004, and where runners up in 2006, so they had experience on their side. But APOP battled hard in the second leg and drew it at home, 1-1, meaning they went through, 3-1 on aggregate. The APOP fans were starting to dream that maybe they would see their club lift a major trophy.

Their next opponents would be one of the biggest and most successful clubs in Cyprus, Omonia Nicosia. A club that, before this tie, had won the Cypriot Cup, twelve times. (They have since won it a further three times at the time this has been written) They had also won the Cypriot First Division nineteen times by now (They have won it twice since then at the time this has been written). Many people didn’t give APOP a chance, but they were not to be put down others’ expectations. In the end they beat Omonia, 3-0 on aggregate, after drawing the first leg 0-0, they won the second leg with ease, 3-0, to progress to the semi-finals. There they would face the more successful club in APOEL, a club that had won nineteen First Division titles up until that point (The have since won nine more, including the First Division title that season in 2008-09 at the time this was written) and were the reigning cup holders having won it the previous year for the nineteenth time (The have won it on two more occasions since at the time this was written).

The first leg of the tie took place on April 15^th, 2009, at the Peyia Municipal Stadium, in front of over 3,000 fans. With home advantage APOP didn’t disappoint the home crowd and thanks to goals from Buyse (30^th minute) and Vasconcelos (58^th minute) they ran out 2-0 winners, with APOEL finishing the game with ten men when Pinto saw red in the 80^th minute. But even with the two goal advantage, APOEL were still favourites to progress, and APOP new they would have to put in another big performance. The second leg took place on May 6^th, 2009, at the GSP Stadium, Nicosia. A crowd of just under ten thousand fans packed in tp witness one of the great shocks of Cypriot cup history. But it wasn’t the result that shocked people, as APOEL won the game 1-0 thanks to an early penalty in the 16^th minute, scored by Alexandrou. It was the fact APOP had managed to keep APOEL at bay for the rest of the game and secure their place in the Cypriot cup final for the first time in their history. Little could believe that they would be playing in the show piece event on May 16^th at the GSP Stadium, but that’s what was going to happen, and their opponents that day would be AEL Limassol. Few would have predicted what would happen that day.

The final was played in front of a crowd of fifteen thousand, but expectations that APOP could pull off a cup upset were probably limited to just their fans, as many saw AEL as overwhelming favourites. However, as the game wore on, it seemed as though APOP would hold their bigger, and more successful counterparts to a draw and bring them to extra time. That was until the 84^th minute when Angelos Efthymiou popped up to give APOP the lead. The unthinkable had happened and APOP were five minutes away from lifting their first major piece of silverware. You would have forgiven them for being a bit nervous for the remainder of the game, however those nerves were put to rest when Belgian, Fangio Buyse scored a second in the 88^th minute to all but secure the trophy for the underdogs. The only sour note of the match was that Ivorian, Liri, was sent off in the 89^th minute, but I am sure he got over that once he received his winner’s medal. APOP had secured their first piece of major silverware in the club’s short existence, and things were looking positive for the club. On a side note, Efthymiou, who scored the first goal that game, went on to play for AEL Limassol the following season. The win also meant that APOP had qualified for the next seasons Europa League, an added bonus to what was the best season in the club’s short history.

Their first ever European game came against Austrian side, Rapid Wien, when they played them away on July 30^th, 2009. The match ended 2-1 to the Austrians, but APOP still felt the had a chance to progress, bringing them back to Peyia. And they nearly did it, as they won the game in 90 minutes, 2-1, with goals from Edgar Marcelino and Sebastian Gonzalez. The game, drawn 3-3 on aggregate, and with both side having scored an away goal, went to extra time. Unfortunately, Wien managed to grab the winner, with Trimmel popping up to knock out the Cypriot side and end their European journey early. It was back to domestic matters, and the 2009-10 season was one that the club entered with optimism.

The 2009-10 was nothing spectacular, and once again the club finished in 6^th place after the first round, winning ten, drawing four and losing twelve. But once again, they failed to impress in the second-round group stage, finally finishing 8^th. The one shining light of the campaign was the goalscoring exploits of their Cape Verdean striker, Jose Semedo, who finished joint top goal scorer that season, alongside Brazilian and Ermis striker Joeano, with twenty-two goals each. Semedo would go on to score a total of twenty-sox goals in 37 games for APOP, whilst also making two appearances for the Cape Verde Island, scoring one goal for them. In fact, at the time of writing, Semedo is still currently playing in the 8^th tier of Portuguese football with Futebol Benfica, at the age of 42 years old.

But whatever positive vibes were around the club before, they were soon gone in the next season, as the club finished rock bottom in the First round, meaning automatic relegation. They only managed four wins all season, drawing seven and losing fifteen. If things were bad then, the following season was even worse. With rumblings and rumours that the club were in trouble off the field, and bankruptcy looming, on the field the club struggled again and they were relegated in consecutive seasons, finishing 12^th in the table of the Cypriot second division in the 2010-11 season. They were relegated by just one point, but the was enough to see the club drop down to the third division. Their fans found it hard to believe that only a few seasons before they were winning the Cypriot cup and playing in the Europa League. That wasn’t to be the end of their downfall, as the club endured more humiliation as scandals involving club officials, and financial irregularities, started to pop up, which concluded in the Cypriot FA to relegate the club down to the fourth tier. But the club would never play in that league, finally dissolving in 2012, after being relegated from the second division in 2011-12 season.

And so, the story of APOP Kinyras FC ends, but I spoke to a Cypriot football expert, who gave me more of an insight to the club, and the overall workings of Cypriot football. John Leonidou, Cyprus Correspondent for UEFA.com, answered my questions:

Thank you for taking the time out to answer my questions about APOP and Cypriot football. The first thing I have to ask is what can you tell me about APOP Kinyras?

John Leonidou: APOP Kinyras Peyias has they were officially known were the merger of two teams from the district of Paphos - Evagoras and APOP. Throughout their history both those sides had been fairly small clubs languishing between the first and second division with little if any notable success in the top division. The merger - along with investment from local property business groups - aimed to put the district of Paphos on the Cypriot footballing map. Despite being a prominent city with a strong tourism stream, its own international airport and beautiful scenerary, Paphos remained languishing behind the island's other big districts - namely Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol - when it came to football. They officially launched in 2003 with some significant investment in foreign players and a new stadium, they moved up the divisions and were competing in the top division by 2007. In the 2009, they became the first club from Paphos to win a major trophy - beating AEL 2-0 in the final. It remains one of the biggest upsets in Cypriot football history especially after they had previously dispatched the other big favourites APOEL and Omonoia. APOP also became the first team from Paphos to play in a UEFA tournament during a shortlived stint in the Europa League qualifying round - losing 3-2 on aggregate to Rapid Wien. Following that defeat, the club's fortunes began to go downhill and by the time the banking crisis hit the island, APOP were already on their knees and relegated. The club was declared bankrupt and dissolved in 2012. Today, the sole representative of the Paphos district in Cyprus is Paphos FC. 

In my research, I found that there have been up to 54 Cypriot clubs that have been dissolved. There could well be more. For such a small nation, what is the reason for this? Not even fans? Bad financial management? 

John Leonidou: The main reason for this is really bad management and clubs exceeding their grasps when it comes to spending. Many Cypriot clubs - many times under pressure from fans - never plan for the long term future and instead invest (sometimes over their budgets) on rafts of foreign players in what can only be described as a 'smash and grab' season for silverware. When boards come under pressure, they are usually quick to sack managers, fire players and replace them sometimes within four or five games. Bad management has very often landed clubs in huge financial difficulties that are many times too hefty to overcome. 

3. I can remember, a few years back, watching the Republic of Ireland scoring a last-minute equaliser against Cyprus back in 2007. I think we only narrowly beat you at Croke Park in that World Cup qualifying group, 2-1. At the time, I remember thinking, 'Cyprus isn't a bad side.' Since then, I haven't really seen much progression. Can you tell us what you think on that subject?

John Leonidou: If memory serves, it was 1-1 and Cyprus were very unlucky to concede an stoppage time equaliser. I think it was also the same qualifying campaign that Cyprus beat Ireland 5-2 in Nicosia. Those were the good old days when Cyprus had it in them to spring some big wins and surprise results - including a 1-1 draw with Germany and further wins over Wales and Bulgaria. At the time, Cyprus had a generation of good attacking players - many of which had played and prospered in Greece at the top sides. While they were strong going forward, they did have big flaws at the back and that was always their downfall. To put it plainly, there has been hardly - if any - progress since then. Some have blamed the lack of chances Cypriot players are getting in their own leagues due to the high number of foreign players down the years. Others blame poor development standards for players that are 18 and over. Some also point the finger at the Cyprus FA saying that they are unable to put a system in place (much like Belgium or Iceland) that would harmonise and enhance the national youth setup on the island. The body of opinion is divided over who or what is to blame. A personally think it's a combination of things. What is apparent is that something has gone clearly wrong if the quality of the national team has taken big steps back instead of strides forward.

Sticking with the national side, with the introduction of the Nations League and more teams beating entered in the World Cup for 2026, can you see Cyprus qualifying for their first ever international tournament soon? 

John Leonidou: With this current crop of players the answer has to be no. If the correct foundations are put in place and with a bit of luck, then I can see Cyprus perhaps challenging in maybe 10-15 years. There are talented young players on the island - gifted young players with raw talent. But then something goes wrong when they close in on adulthood. 

5. Of course, at club level, Cypriot sides have played in the major European competitions already, with APOEL Nicosia playing in the Champions’ League group stages and AEL Limassol playing in the Europa League group stages. With the introduction of the Europa Conference League, can you see Cypriot clubs being competitive and maybe even challenging for a European trophy?

John Leonidou: Challenging would be a far fetch. APOEL went the furthest of any Cypriot side in 2012 when they reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League - a historic feat for such a small club. APOEL also reached the Last 16 of the Europa League some years later. But Cypriot football simply doesn't have those kinds of funds anymore. Budgets have been significantly slimmed down mainly due to FFP and their own budgetary constraints and so the quality of foreign players arriving on the island are nowhere near as good as they used to be. The onus on Cypriot sides is qualifying for the group stages with the grandest prize being the Champions League. Depending on the group, most Cypriot clubs will then focus on qualifying out of their groups.

6. Here in Ireland, Cypriot football has come under a little bit of a spotlight in recent years, with Jack Byrne, the League of Ireland's player's player of the year at the time, moving from Shamrock Rovers to APOEL, with Mick McCarthy also being manager at the time, after his second spell at being the Republic of Ireland manager. Of course, neither move was that successful, but how do you view Cypriot’s football league's perception to the rest of the world? 

John Leonidou: In Cyprus, players and managers come and go all the time and despite heightened excitement when they first arrive, perceptions can quickly go south if things don't go according to plan from the off. There is little patience in Cypriot football and a few bad results/performances could be curtains for players and/or managers. There was interest and excitement in Mick and Jack when they first arrived but the mood quickly dampened as results didn't go that well. In Cyprus, the fans like big names from other leagues - even if its players way past their prime and in their twilight of their careers.

7. Finally, I always save this question for last. But who is your favourite player to have played in the Cypriot League? Who was the best player to ever play in the league, and who is the best Cypriot player of all time?

John Leonidou: My favourite player to have played in the Cypriot League has to be Sinisa Gogic (the father of St Mirren midfielder Alex Gogic) who played for mainly APOEL and Anorthosis. From the former Yugoslavia and now a naturalised Cypriot, he arrived in the late eighties in Cyprus and was head and shoulders above anyone. He for me was the one player who could have gone on to have a successful career in any league - I believe he was that good. Strong, pacey, fantastic technique and a clinical finisher. He had all the attributes of a centre forward. At 34, he signed for Olympiakos in Greece and was their top scorer in the Champions League. 

The best player to ever play in the league is split in Cyprus between two players who dominated the local football scene in the seventies - Forwards Sotiris Kaiafas of Omonoia and Andreas Stylianou of APOEL. Both had big careers and are considered legends of Cypriot football.

If I had to pick my favourite Cypriot player of all time, then it would be Michalis Konstantinou. Another forward who had a brilliant career in Greece with plenty of goals in the Champions League and has the most goals for Cyprus. 

A football club, like so many in this book, that had a short but successful history, but inevitably paid the price for it. As mentioned in my research, I was amazed to find that their have been 54 football clubs that have dissolved, merged or just disappeared on record from the Cypriot footballing family. Sometimes, with these so called smaller footballing nations, we forget that they too can run into the same financial problems that bigger clubs and bigger nations fall into, despite not having the vast sums of money to play around with. In the case of APOP, it went downhill quite quickly. One minute they are upsetting the odds, and producing one of their nations biggest cup shocks in modern history, the next they find themselves being relegated to the fourth tier of their nations footballing pyramid, afte only previously playing in Europe second most prestigious club tournament. It really can happen that fast, and it is a warning to any club out there that it can happen to them as wel, if they do not plan financially for the future. Fans aren’t bothered by the finances of their lub once they are winning on the pitch, but when off field problems and onfield problems start to appear, that’s when everyone starts to worry, and unfortunately, by the time all the information becomes transparent, it is usually too late for some to safe themselves. In the case of APOP, it was too late. Will they ever come back? Maybe? Who knows. One minute they were winning trophies, the next they were gone. It could be a case that one minute they are gone, the next they are winning trophies. Football is funny like that.