PAS Giannina F.C.

The beginning (1966–1971)

The first match was a friendly one against Olympiacos because of Siontis' transfer.the result was 2–1 for Olympiacos.The first official match was for the Greek cup against Pindos Konitsas.The result was 4–0 for PAS Giannina.

PAS Giannina was a mid-table club of the Second Division until 1971. In 1966–67 the club finished 6th. In 1967–68 it finished 10th. In 1968-69 it finished 5th. In 1969-70 it finished 7th. In 1970–71 it finished 13th.

The rise of "Ajax of Epirus" (1971–1983)

In 1971 the Portuguese Gómez de Faria was signed as manager. In 1971–72 PAS Giannina finished 13th. In the middle of the season three Argentine players were signed: Alfredo Glasman, Jose Pasternac and Eduardos Kontogeorgakis (who is Eduardo Rigani's son). At the end of the season three more Argentine players were signed: Juan Montes, Oscar Alvarez and Eduardo Lisa. PAS Giannina was in the race for promotion. In 1972–73 the club finished second. In 1973–74 it finished first and promoted to the First division.

PAS Giannina was in the First Division for 10 years. The club finished several times near the top of the First Division table, often earning victories over more established Greek teams such as Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens and PAOK. The effective and spirited play of the club during these years drew flattering comparisons with the famous Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam, and the moniker "Ajax of Epirus" has stuck with the team ever since.

In 1974–75 PAS Giannina finished 9th. In 1975–76 PAS Giannina finished 5th for the first time. This position is the record high for the club.In 1976–77 it fiished 11th. In 1977–78 the club finished 5th again. The club qualified for the Balkans Cup for the first time in its history. In 1978–79 it finished 14th. In 1979–80 it finished 6th. In the middle of the season the former Poland national team coach Jacek Gmoch was signed from the Epirote club. It was a brief but reasonably successful tenure.In 1980–81 it finished 11th. In 1981–82 it finished 14th. In 1982–83 it finished 9th.

In the doldrums (1983–1997)

The period following the aforementioned peak years of the club generally marked a sharp decline in the fortunes of it as many of its top stars moved on or retired outright without being satisfactorily replaced. In 1983–84 PAS Giannina finished 15th. It was in a tie with Panionios. There was a play out match in Larissa between the two clubs. Panionios won the match 2–0. PAS Giannina relegated in the Second Division. In 1984-85 the club finished first in the Second Division and promoted to the First Division. In 1985–86 it finished 13th. In 1986–87 it finished 16th and relegated to the Second Division In 1987-88 it finished 12th. In 1988–89 it finished 4th. The club qualified for the promotion playoffs with Ethnikos, Apollon Kalamarias, Korinthos, Diagoras and Veroia. It failed to get promoted. In 1989–90 it finished third and promoted to the First Division. In 1990–91 the club finished 18th and relegated to the Second Division. In 1991–92 the club finished 14th. In 1992–93 it finished 10th. PAS Giannina qualified for the Balkans Cup for the second time in its history. In 1993–94 it finished 5th. Also the club was runner up in the Balkans Cup 1993–94. In 1994–95 it finished 8th. In 1995–96 it finished 12th. In 1996-97 it finished 16th. PAS Giannina relegated to the Third Division for the first time in its history.

The gleam (1997–2002)

PAS Giannina was in the Third Division for the first time in its history. In 1997–98 it finished first and promoted to the Second division. In 1998–99 it finished 4th, failing to get promoted to the First Division. In 1999–00 it finished third and qualified for the promotion playoffs with Aigaleo and Panserraikos.PAS Giannina won Panserraikos 3–1 and draw with Aigaleo 1–1. After that the club promoted to the First Division. In 2000-01 it finished 13th and qualified to the relegation playoffs. The club relegated after a 3-game playoff with OFI Crete. In 2001–02 PAS Giannina finished first and promoted to the First Division.

Crisis (2002–2007)

PAS has experienced a fair degree of instability in these years. In 2002–03 PAS Giannina finished 14th. After the penalty of 90 points the club finished 16th and relegated. The penalty of 90 points imposed on it by the Greek football association (EPO) for financial reasons. There were a lot of financial problems in season 2003–04. The club finished 14th and qualified to playout with Ilisiakos. The club lost 3–1 and relegated in the Third division for the second time in its history. The club turned on a semi-professional status. The control of the club switched over to attorney Alexis Kougias. In 2004–05 the club finished second and failed to get promoted. In 2005–06 it finished second and promoted to Second Division. In 2006–07 PAS Giannina finished 5th. Also, PAS Giannina has reached the semifinals of the Greek Cup 2006–07 against AE Larissa FC. PAS Giannina lost 2–0 both home and away match. On the quarter-final PAS Giannina won Olympiacos, 2–0 at home and lost 2–1 in Karaiskakis Stadium of an extra-time goal from Evangelos Kontogoulidis before a hostile crowd.

Recent years (2007–Today)

PAS Giannina finished 4th in the Second Division in the 2007–08 season, failing to get promoted.

In the summer of 2008 ownership of the club was passed over to Giorgos Christovasilis, a businessman from Athens whose roots are from the Epirus region. He signed Guillermo Ángel Hoyos as manager and some great players such as Luciano. In the 2008–09 season, the club promoted as second in Superleague. In the summer of 2009 the club signed players such as Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos, Ibrahima Bakayoko, Konstantinos Mendrinos, Ilias Kotsios. In 2009–10 the club finished 15th and relegated one more time. On the other hand, the club was successful in the Greek cup. PAS Giannina reached the semifinals for the second time in its history. In the quarter final PAS Giannina won PAOK 4–0 in Zosimades. In the semifinals, the club lost from Panathinaikos on aggragate 2–4.

In the 2010–11 season, PAS Giannina was promoted as second again to Super League. The club takes part in Super League every year. In 2011–12 PAS Giannina finished 8th. In 2012-13 PAS Giannina finished 5th and qualified for the playoffs with Atromitos, Asteras Tripolis and PAOK for the first time in its history. It started with 2 wins but at the end it finished 4th. The club qualified for Europa League. PAS Giannina were not licensed to play in the Europa League and therefore were replaced by the next Europa League licensed team in the table, not already qualified for any European competition, which was Skoda Xanthi. In 2013–14 the club finished 11th, a safe mid-table position. In 2014–15, the club finished 6th. Also that year, there were awards for the manager and two players. G. Petrakis won the best manager of the year award. Charis Charisis won the best young player of Greek Superleague award and Markos Vellidis won the best goalkeeper award. In 2015–16, the club finished 6th again. PAS Giannina qualified for UEFA Europa League 2016–17 because Panionios was excluded from participating in the 2016–17 European competitions by UEFA for financial reasons. The club qualified for European competitions, except Balkans Cup, for the first time in its history.

In 2016–17 the club takes part in Superleague. An important moment was the charity match for the refugees between the veterans of the club and FC Barcelona. The charity match and activities were organized by the Barça Players Association in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and with the support of PAS Giannina CF.

Stadium-Facilities

PAS Giannina have only had one home ground, Zosimades, where they have played since its foundation. The capacity is 7500 seats. The stadium is in the downtown of Ioannina. The highest attendance (14557 fans) was in a match with Olympiacos in season 1974–75.

The training facilities are in PEAKI. There are three football fields and a car parking with capacity of 500 cars.

Honours and distinctions

Over the years, PAS has competed in the Superleague for a total of 22 seasons (plus 2016–17). The club has never won the Superleague or the Greek Cup, but it has won lower division titles throughout its history and represented Greece in the 1978–79 and 1993–94 Balkans Cup tournaments. During its history in the Superleague, the club finished 3 times in the 5th position (1975–76, 1977–78, 2012–13 seasons) and 3 times in the 6th position (1979–80, 2014–15, 2015–16 seasons). On January 31, 2007, PAS clinched a spot in the Greek Cup semifinals by virtue of an extra-time goal from Evangelos Kontogoulidis before a hostile crowd in Karaiskakis Stadium. With an aggregate score of 3–2, PAS Giannina also is the first ever lower division club that eliminated Olympiacos from the Greek Cup tournament.

The most famous player to have donned the blue and white PAS jersey in recent years is defender Giourkas Seitaridis, who later played for Panathinaikos, FC Porto, Dynamo Moscow, and Atlético Madrid as well as the triumphant Euro 2004 Greece squad.

National

International

UEFA Europa League

Last update: 5 August 2016

Rivalries

PAS Giannina fans feel deep antipathy towards the clubs from Athens, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, AEK Athens.

There is a rivalry with OFI Crete based on the events surrounding their 2001 playoffs. In contrast, derby matches against AE Larissa FC are competitive in the sporting sense but do not evoke the same feelings of enmity from PAS Giannina supporters. The other important rivals are Panachaiki, Panetolikos F.C., AO Kerkyra (now A.O.Kassiopis)

In the past there were local derbies in Epirus.These were with Anagennisi Artas and PAS Preveza.

There was a rivalry with Panionios based on 1984 playout match. This rivalry has been increased since the summer of 2016, when Panionios was not granted a license by UEFA to compete in the Europa League following a claim by PAS Giannina. UEFA ruled that PAS Giannina take Panionios’ place in the 2016 2nd qualifying round of the Europa League.

Supporters and Nickname

The team is well known for its passionate supporters, mainly from the city of Ioannina and the whole Epirus region. The biggest union of fans are the Blue Vayeros, Azzurra Familia, and Apei Rotan.

PAS Giannina was given the nickname Ajax of Epirus (Greek: Άγιαξ της Ηπείρου) in the 1970s, thanks to their impressive football style which was linked licentia poetica to the style of the famous Dutch club.

Crest and colours

The colours of the team are blue or cyan and white. The crest depicts an ancient bull with an oak wreath, as appeared in an ancient coin (238–168 BC) of the Epirote League plus the word "ΑΠΕΙΡΩΤΑΝ" meaning "people of Epirus".

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Dual nationality

Themistoklis Tzimopoulos
Leonardo Koutris
Christopher Maboulou

Sponsorships