Panionios GSS FC

Panionios GSS FC
Data
Full name	PAE Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis (Pan-Ionian Gymnastic Association of Smyrna FC)
Nickname(s)	Kyanerythri (Blue-Reds) Istorikos (Historic)
Founded:	January 1, 1890
Jersey colour:	blue-red
Stadium:	Nea Smyrni (11,700 capacity)
Address:	Panionios 1 Khrisostomou Smirnis Nea Smyrni 171 21 Greece Tel.: +30 210 9311189 Fax: +30 210 9332036
Website:	www.panionios.gr

Panionios GSS FC (Greek: Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης - Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis), the Pan-Ionian Gymnastic Association of Smyrna, is a Greek association football club based in Athens, Greece.

The club currently competes in the Super League Greece.

History

The club was founded in 1890 in Smyrna (now İzmir, Turkey). Smyrna had a flourishing Hellenic population at the time, with athletic clubs, schools, etc. This was a continuation of the Greek presence and cultural prevalence in the area since the ancient times (cf. ancient Ionia). After the Asia Minor Catastrophe, which saw the expulsion of the Greek population of Anatolia by the Turkish army of Kemal Atatürk in 1922, the Smyrnan refugees in Athens founded the suburb of Nea Smyrni (New Smyrna), and Panionios continued its sport activities there.

Panionios has spent nearly its entire history in the Greek First Division (now called 'Superleague'), having missed out from competing in Greek football's top division only twice in its more than one hundred year history. Within this, Panionios rose quite often to the high levels, with top achievement in terms of the league being the 2nd position that the club reached in 1971, losing the title to AEK.

In December 2001, working around bankruptcy legislation, the club was renamed to Panionios NFC, to avoid the threat of relegation from the first division because of financial difficulties.

Panionios has produced all three major Greek strikers of the 1980s, namely Nikos Anastopoulos (later of Olympiakos), Thomas Mavros (later of AEK), and Dimitris Saravakos (later of Panathinaikos). Other notable players coming out of the club include Nikos Tsiantakis (later of Olympiakos) and Takis Fyssas, later of Panathinaikos and member of Greek national team that won Euro 2004).

The football club has since been renamed Panionios GSS FC.

Panionios has won the Greek Cup twice, in 1979 and 1998

Stadium in Smyrna, 1920

Sofia Benardi and Eirini Armaou

Vasilis Kokkonis

Current squad

No. Position Player

1 GK Miroslav Koenig
2 DF Giannis Maniatis
3 DF Josef Gaspar
4 DF Sékou Berthé
5 DF Marcelo Jose Pletsch
8 FW Mario Breska
9 FW Carlos Carneiro
10 MF Levan Tskitishvili
11 FW Christos Aravidis
12 GK Haralambos Tabasis
13 DF Evvagelos Koutsopoulos
14 DF Grigoris Makos
15 MF Nikos Stamos
17 DF Albi Kondi
18 FW Drazen Zezelj
19 MF Spiros Dorovinis
20 MF Fanouris Goundoulakis
21 MF Nikos Spiropoulos
23 MF Dario Fernandes
24 DF Savas Exouzidis
29 DF Hristos Hatzifountas
44 FW Giorgos Xidis
35 FW Dimitrios Sialmas
45 FW Rafik Djebbour
46 DF Oumar Kondé
47 FW Kyriacos Pavlou
47 FW Lourenço da Silva
MF Bennard Yao Kumordzi

Squad Changes for 2007/08 season

In:

Bennard Yao Kumordzi - Signed from Egaleo

Out:

Tamadani Nsaliwa - to AEK Athens FC

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