Football in Cyprus

Last updated

Football in Cyprus
CountryCyprus
Governing body Cyprus Football Association
National team(s) Men's national team
Women's national team
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions

Football is Cyprus's most popular sport. [1] [2]

Short of some sporadic surprise wins versus higher-ranked countries, mostly on home soil, the national team has not enjoyed any success of note. On the other hand, Cypriot clubs have reached the Champions League group stage three times in recent years; that has made Cyprus the smallest sovereign state (in terms of both of area and population) to have been represented in the main phase of Europe's most prestigious club tournament, since the introduction of the group stage in 1992.

Contents

APOEL FC has made history by being the first and only Cypriot team to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League (in 2012), and the round of 16 of the Europa League (in 2017). They have also won the domestic league and cup more times than any other Cypriot club (28 and 21 times respectively). APOEL's performances, in both domestic and European competitions, have made it the most successful club in Cyprus.

Founded in 1911, Anorthosis Famagusta is the oldest Cypriot football club. AEL is the most popular club in Cyprus, . [3]

History

Football was introduced to Cyprus early in the 20th century by the British (Canon Frank Darvall Newham, founder of The English School, Nicosia). Initially played in the island's schools, it proved hugely popular and a number of clubs were duly formed. Football clubs played friendly games only and the first unofficial island-wide league was organised in 1932. [4]

The rivalry between teams that support different political parties has grown intense over the decades and the matches result in bloody conflicts between the fans. The fans take extreme pride in their team not only because the history of their team but because the connection their political party has with their team. The more hardcore right wing fans were waved before fascist symbols during matches whereas the hardcore left wing fans wave symbols associated with communism. AC Omonia's hardcore fans in the season 2011-2012 made an enormous choreography of the hammer and sickle, whereas Anorthosis Famagusta FC and others have shown their love towards their Turkish-occupied home city of Famagusta and their passionate Greek-Cypriot heritage. The two teams mentioned above have an often violent rivalry, resulting in injuries to fans. Another team associated with politics is the rivals of Omonia, APOEL. APOEL's fans have strong connections with the nationalist party.

Cyprus Football Association

As football became established, the clubs were united in agreeing that an official body was needed to regulate the sport. In September 1934, the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) was formed and matches were soon being played on an official basis. The association became a FIFA member in 1948 and an UEFA member in 1962. [4]

Pancyprian Footballers Association

Until the mid-1980s, footballers in Cyprus did not have any organisation or union that promoted their interests. Players were usually paid small wages and needed to have other jobs in order to support themselves and their families. [5] [6] [7] On December 12, 1987 the Pancyprian Footballers Association (Greek : Παγκύπριος Σύνδεσμος Ποδοσφαιριστών) was created. On February 25, 1997, the PFA became a FIFPro member. [8]

There are 52,403 (19,203 registered) players and 108 football clubs in Cyprus. [9]

League system

The governing body of football in Cyprus is the Cyprus Football Association. The first official league was organised in 1934. The Cyprus Football Association oversees the organization of:

Teams

National team

The Cypriot national team has yet to qualify for a major FIFA or UEFA competition.

Cyprus' highest FIFA ranking (43rd) came in October 2010. Cyprus is currently ranked 111th (as of June 2023).

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AC Omonia</span> Multi-sport club based in Nicosia, Cyprus

Athletic Club Omonia Nicosia, commonly known as Omonia Nicosia, or simply Omonia, is a Cypriot professional multi-sport club, established on 4 June 1948 in Nicosia. It is best known for its football department, which has participated in the Cypriot First Division since 1953. On 14 June 2018, the football department of AC Omonia became a professional for-profit football company, and is since known as Omonia FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">APOEL FC</span> Association football club in Nicosia, Cyprus

APOEL FC is a Cypriot professional football club based in Nicosia, Cyprus. APOEL is the most successful football team in Cyprus with an overall tally of 29 national championships, 21 cups, and 13 super cups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cypriot Cup</span> Football tournament

The Cypriot Cup, formally known as the Cypriot Coca-Cola Cup of First and Second Division for sponsorship purposes, is a Cypriot knockout football club competition, hosted annually by the Cyprus Football Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apollon Limassol FC</span> Cypriot sports club

Apollon Limassol FC is a Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon FC currently plays in the Cypriot First Division and has won the championship title four times, the cup nine times and the Super Cup four times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nea Salamis Famagusta</span> Sports club based in Ammochostos, Cyprus

Nea Salamis Famagusta or Nea Salamina Famagusta is a Cypriot sports club based in Ammochostos, Cyprus. The club is named after Salamis, an ancient city near present-day Famagusta. Nea Salamis Famagusta fields teams in men's football and volleyball, and formerly fielded teams in women's football, track and field, water sports and table tennis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GSP Stadium</span> Football stadium in Strovolos, Cyprus

The GCP Stadium is a football stadium in Strovolos, Nicosia District, Cyprus. Although small by international standards, it is the largest stadium in Cyprus, with a capacity of 22,859 and was opened in 1999. It serves as the home stadium for the 3 biggest football clubs of Nicosia APOEL, Olympiakos & Omonia. It is also the home stadium of the Cyprus national football team. A stadium under the same name, the old GSP Stadium, existed from 1902 until 1999 in the centre of Nicosia and had a capacity of 12,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anorthosis Famagusta FC</span> Cypriot association football club

Anorthosis Famagusta, commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Famagusta multi-sport club founded in 1911 in Varosha, Famagusta.

The 2011–12 season was the 101st season in Anorthosis Famagusta FC history and their 63rd consecutive season in Cypriot First Division, the top division of Cyprus football. It covered a period from 1 July 2011 to 30 May 2012.

The 2012–13 season was Anorthosis' 64th consecutive season in the Cypriot First Division, the top division of Cyprus football. It covers a period from 1 July 2011 to 30 May 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marios Antoniadis</span> Cypriot footballer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nea Salamis Famagusta FC</span> Football club

Nea Salamis Famagusta FC is a Cypriot professional football club based in Ammochostos. It has been a refugee club since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, when Turkey occupied the northern part of the island. There are also fraternal relations with Olympiakos Piraeus.The club is temporarily based in Larnaca and suported by Merdian.

The 2013–14 season will be Anorthosis' 65th consecutive season in the Cypriot First Division, the top division of Cyprus football. It covers a period from 1 July 2013 to 30 May 2014.

The 2013–14 season is Omonia's 59th season in the Cypriot First Division and 65th year in existence as a football club.

The 2013–14 Cypriot First Division was the 75th season of the Cypriot top-level football league. It began on 31 August 2013 and ended on 31 May 2014. APOEL were the defending champions.

The 2014–15 season will be Anorthosis' 66th consecutive season in the Cypriot First Division, the top division of Cyprus football. It covers a period from 1 July 2014 to 30 May 2015.

The 2016–17 Cypriot First Division was the 78th season of the Cypriot top-level football league. The season began on 20 August 2016 and ended on 21 May 2017. The fixtures were announced on 7 July 2016. APOEL were the defending champions.

The 2017–18 Cypriot First Division was the 79th season of the Cypriot top-level football league. The season began on 19 August 2017 and is ended on 13 May 2018.

The 2018–19 Cypriot Cup was the 77th edition of the Cypriot Cup. A total of 24 clubs were accepted to enter the competition. It began on 5 December 2018 with the first round and concluded on 22 May 2019 with the final held at GSP Stadium. The winner of the Cup was AEL Limassol for seventh time and qualified for the 2019–20 Europa League second qualifying round.

The 2023–24 Cypriot First Division is the 85th season of the Cypriot top-level football league. Aris Limassol are the defending champions, having won their first title in the 2022–23 season.

The 2017–18 season was APOEL's 78th season in the Cypriot First Division and 90th year in existence as a football club. In addition to the domestic league, APOEL participated in this season's editions of the Cypriot Cup, the Cypriot Super Cup and UEFA Champions League.

References

  1. ↑ "Amazon.com.cy". Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  2. ↑ Doyle, Paul (2013-03-21). "How Cyprus's financial crisis may bolster moves towards football unity | Paul Doyle | Football". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  3. ↑ Solutions, BDigital Web. "Πρωταθλήτρια σε κόσμο η… Ομόνοια". 24sports.com.cy. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  4. 1 2 "Cyprus Football Association" . Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "European football: In another league". The Economist. 2011-01-31. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  6. ↑ "Play but no pay: how foreign players were cheated". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  7. ↑ "Premier League has second-largest proportion of foreigners in Europe | Football". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  8. ↑ Η ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΓΚΥΠΡΙΟΥ ΣΥΝΔΕΣΜΟΥ ΠΟΔΟΣΦΑΙΡΙΣΤΩΝ (in Greek). Π.Α.Σ.Π. 2008-05-12. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  9. ↑ "Cyprus: country information". FIFA. 2008-12-02. Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
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