The Reclamation’s Eleven in the Greek League

The Greek Football Association (EPO) elections are nearby and the average football fan is struggling to understand who are these notorious eleven – just like the well-known Hollywood movie Ocean’s Eleven – that the «reclamation» has agreed to elect with no questions asked, recjectic immediately Haristeas, Seitaridis, Kafes and Papadopoulos from the Greek «Dream Team» of 2004.

Let’s see…

From the eleven choices of the «Melissanidis – Giannakis Papadopoulos – Thomas Mitropoulos – Alexis Dedes and a little bit of Iakovos Filippousis alliance», six or seven participated from the day of election until today in the Grammenos administrations. The worst administration of all time in the history of EPO. The administration which became synonym to football infamy.

They are Panagiotis Dimitriou, Panagiotis Papachristos, Leonidas Thomaidis, Asterios (Stergios) Antoniou, Giorgos Chatzisarogloy, Dimosthenes Kouptsis, as well as Manos Gavriilidis from the Cup committee. All of them were part of the Grammenos administration and they handled crucial functions of EPO. They are responsible for its huge debt, making it synonym to mismanagement and lack of transpaerency and with their decisions the shameful events at EPO are remembered in the black books of the history of football worldwide.

The «new» but tests, who will work alongside the old crew, are Aggelos Daniil, Kyriakos Fytras, Klearxos Tzaferis and Dimitris Bouhlariotis. The old sport Damianos (Manos) Gavriilidis belongs to a whole different category, known for his «balls» in the Greek Cup!!!

The «head» of the «eleven» is – informally, but with apparent primacy – Panagiotis Dimitriou, president of Union of Football Clubs of Athens for twenty consecutive years, host and messmate of the annual celebbrations of the Melissanidis – Thomas Mitropoulos duo.

He is often in trouble withe the prosecutal authories, either for issues of criminal fraus (the Travel Plan case, where EPO lost millions of Euros) or for financial audits for tax-evading, or for everything that is happening during games under his authority where tickets were issues so fans could watch, despite the coronavirus ban.

He is also the instigator and solely responsible for the farce that was the 2020 Cup Final. Then, in order to satisfy the orders he got from his patrons and to make Olympiacos life a living hell, so Melissanidis could go away with the three goals he was about to receive, he didn’t hesitate to involve his own daughters. He got a perfect score for his precious services and now he sees his trouble pay out, having secured the nomination for the position of Deputy President.

Closely following, two new seedlings of AEK influence, that sprouted during the age of «reclamation» and were connected to the interventions during the Unions elections, the «organisation that is under investigation from the Ethics Committee» under Giannakis Papadopoulos. And not just the Ethics Comittee, but also the responsible prosecutor.

Violence

Since we are on the topic of the Ethics Committee, let’s talk about Aggelos Daniil, president of Union of Football Clubs of Achaea, elected thanks to the precious support of Giannakis’ task force in one of the worst – as far as violence to the electorates of the unions and buying of consience – elections in the history of EPO.

He claims to be an «accountant», but after a year of unspecified occupations, his last dismissal was exceptionally questionable.

No-one knows how he makes ends meet, if he is currently employed and by whom. Maybe the ongoing investigation of the Ethics Comittee can help us, where mr. Daniil seems to be a protagonist along with AEK’s Giannakis Papadopoulos in a lot of Union elections (Aitoloakarnania, Karditsa, Thesprotia, Fthiotida etc). He also votes as a spokesperson of local unions each time!

His previous experience in financial administration… under the eye of Giannakis probably gave him the upper hand to gain the position of Treasurer in the new administration. He will be the first unemployed treasurer in EPO’s history!

Kyriakos Fytras is also shown as unemployed and of unknown residence, it is heard that he lives somewhere in Attica. He was transferred at some poin in the past in the Union of Football Clubs of Argolida, he was elected with the usual procedure of the «proclamation» and he became vice president of the Union. After a year he quit, typically still a part of the Union, he left Argolida (his relationship with the area being that once he played for Troiziniakos), he has little communication with the Union of Football Clubs, but he is good friends with president Giannis Sideris and even better with Giannakis Papadopoulos! These two are enough for him to be saved, to survive and to appear today in EPO so he can learn the ropes.

The third in the group and one of the new choices of the AEK system is Klearhos Tzaferis, president of the Union of Football Clubs of West Attica. He is an owner of a driving school (the past remains alive!!), he is completely unfamiliar with football before he was planted in the President’s Union in order to destroy it, which is what happened eventually.

Τhe countermen

It is known that the «reclamation» has made EPO into a… cafeteria. Of course, that they would put three countermen in the Executive Comittee of Epo, that was beyond any freudian fantasy.

First and foremoest, the well-known «Mozart», Leonidas Thomaidis, he is a cafeteria owner in the western suburbs. The cafeteria was a place of gatherings of all the company of Thomas Mitropoulos, who was always ready to help his famous friend and partner. He is a close friend of Dimitris Melissanidis and Giannakis Papadopoulos, for whom he helped hugely in order to steal 350,000 euros from EPO. A case which is in the hands of the corruption prosecutor.

No-one knows Mr. Thomaidis well in the area of Eastern Attica, that he seems to represent. He presented himself suddenly during the 2016 election, as a representative of «Atlantis F.C.» in the presidential elections of Union of Football Clubs Eastern Attica and he participated in the vote count next to the other AEK fan, Giarenis. So he was also planted!

Living examples of great service in the «reclamation» cafeteria, as is the current state of EPO, are the two other countermen from Northern Greece: Manos Gavriilidis with a cafeteria in Komotini and Giorgos Chatzisaroglou with a take away in Drama.

The former is close with the Cup Comittee, he is in love with the draws and the balls (he has an exceptionally sensitive sense of touch and he can understand the needs of the reclamation) and he has transformed the Cup draws into a one man shown, especially when the team reps aren’t present.

«Mister Manos» – as he is often called – has settled in the Union of Football Clubs of Thrace for more than 15 years (almost twenty). Recently, after the Olympiacos – Aris Cup draw, he was detected by the local police moving with a huge, brand new SUV in a period where his cafeteria was closed for over a year. Obviously, he invested correctly and even during a global financial and health crisis, Manos has his way!!! After the SUV, came the nomination for the Executive Comittee of EPO. Who else could carry the weight of all these… balls.

The latter made a mess of women’s football and its organisations in order to promote a local team.

Mr. Chatzisaroglou, presiden of the Union of Football Clubs of Drama from August 2012 (he gained this position via draw!), is also of unknown employment and with big financial openings, he saw the «reclamation» in the face of PAOK and Malamas Tevekelis as a «life-changing chance» and he immdiately grabbed it.

He has paid off all his debts, his services probably have good delivery. Don’t forget that he is an owner of a take away cafe and he can reclaim Greek football/cafeteria, just like he did with his financial!!

Last but not least, from the «reclamation’s» talents, Mr. Papachristos, close friend of Giannakis Papadopoulos. He was elected by the Aitoloakarnania Union. These elections were remembered because a lot of tramps showed up, also for its chases, the electorate «abductions» by threat of live and physical integrity. These are the elections where Mr. Daniil voted as a union rep and now EPO’s Ethics Committee is looking for them, after the end of which whole families in the area were destroyed and their property had damage.

From the rest, Stergios Antoniou (he is a pensioner) is constnatly trying to authentically represent New Democracy in Pella and always a nominee for the Parliament (he was never elected).

Dimosthenis Kouputsidis is a special case of a Union president (Grevena) with just ten union, with «yellow blood in his veins», who is elected thanks to PAOK. He is AEK more than Melissanidis and he is remembered for his cries «president do something, they are butchering us».

Mr. Bouchlariotis, president of the Union of Football Clubs of Larisa, is a born and bred PAOK fan and frequently goes to Toumba. He is said to be a man of passion and his weaknesses are known in the area. He became close to Diamantidis, a well-known PAOK fan and Gagatsis’ best man, who is involved in many black-and-white «issues».

In the «powerful and hopeful hands» of the Reclamation’s Elecent, Greek football will be led to the road of progress and success – according to the machinations of the alliances. Would the «reclamation» leave Greek football in the hands of Zagorakis, Aggelos and Giourkas.

Let’s be serious…