APOEL was founded on November 8, 1926 in Nicosia. One of the founders and first president of the team was Georgios Poulias.
The team uses the GSP stadium at the entrance to Nicosia as its home ground, which is shared with other Nicosia first division teams.
Its main colors are blue and yellow. Blue symbolizes the Greek flag while yellow symbolizes the Byzantine one.
Their home kits feature their primary colors – blue and yellow. While their away kits feature orange and black. The kits for cup matches are either white or blue.
APOEL is a first division team and has won a total of 29 championships, 21 cups and 15 super cups. Of which six are doubles and one is a treble.
APOEL has the most participations in all European competitions, with the 2012 Champions League being the most important and historic, where it managed to reach the “8” of the competition, against Lyon after the penalty shootout and the great save by the team’s then goalkeeper, Dionysis Chiotis, who, like many others, wrote his own history wearing the blue and yellow, achieving the impossible! Unfortunately the dream of continuing in the Champions League was extinguished after two consecutive defeats to Real Madrid in Nicosia and Madrid.
APOEL fans are called “portokali” and are the team’s most important player in every match, as with their voice and presence in the stands they help the team bring a positive result to every game.
APOEL F.C is the Cyprus champion after 5 whole years!
Five whole years had passed since the last time APOEL FC won its last championship, before 2024. Five years full of difficulties and a road that seemed endless. However, APOEL FC managed to overcome the obstacles they encountered on their way and win the 29th championship in their history. The championship was decided in the last match of the championship in a match against AEK Larnaca, where APOEL FC managed to hold on to the draw and be crowned champions.
What was it like to be an APOEL fan that night? How did we feel every second passing by from the stands at the GSP stadium?
Let me tell you about my own personal experience as an APOEL fan that night.
Let’s start from the begining…
May 11, 2024 dawned and it was the most stressful day of the year for every APOEL fan. It was the day that the championship would be decided. It was the day that every APOEL fan was anxiously waiting for. It was a match day – not an ordinary match day though… It was the day that at the end of it we would find out if we were champions of Cyprus again! The anxiety was growing, the stress was flaring up, the heart was beating so hard that we felt like it would come out of our bodies.
We arrived at the stadium, sit in our seats and wait for the moment when the referee will blow the whistle to start the match. Just in the first 5 minutes, AEK opens the score with Faraj. However, the APOEL fans, instead of sitting quietly in their seats and losing all hope, turned up the decibels. It doesn’t take long for the equalizer to come 4 minutes later with a goal scored by Marquinhos. The next 81 minutes were the slowest and most torturous minutes of my life. Our goal was to keep the draw if not to bring victory, because we would become champions again, since in the previous game against AEK we won.
Time passed with the score remaining the same – a draw. In the last minutes I couldn’t watch any longer with so much anxiety I was feeling, I sat in my chair unable to say a word and simply waited anxiously for the end of the match.
We are reaching the final minutes, we were one whistle away from being crowned champions again after 5 years. The anxiety was not letting up for a moment… until it was heard… the final whistle was heard! We were champions again! Tears were flowing…
After the crying and the hugs, it’s time for the awards ceremony. The champion’s cup returns home. After about 4 to 5 hours at the stadium, it’s time for us all to go together to PAN.SY.FI, where we would meet up with all the APOEL fans, and start our own party! All of Nicosia turned orange!
We celebrated for months! That night after I returned home without a voice – since I “left” her behind at the party, I was full of joy and the most beautiful emotions. With the tension I had I couldn’t close my eyes… so I continued my own party at home. a party that lasted months…
I will never forget that night! I will remember it forever!
