AEK boss issues challenge
AEK’s president Demis Nikolaidis – facing a challenge by the club’s amateur division, a minority shareholder, over the location of the club’s new stadium – told a news conference yesterday that he would be willing to accept the rival camp’s choice for a new arena if could arrange the project’s financial aspects. Nikolaidis, a former AEK soccer star who took over in 2004 and brought the historic club back from looming bankruptcy after persuading government officials to offer major debt relief, favors a move to a new site in Ano Liosia, which he has contended is a more feasible option. The club’s traditional Nea Philadelphia site, Nikolaidis asserts, is stifling the club’s ambitious plans for a bigger and better complex. «Opinion is split. In such cases, somebody’s got to take a step back. We’ve decided to do that. We’ll wait for the result of the amateur division’s tender for Nea Philadelphia. If they manage, then the team will play there,» Nikolaidis said. Even so, Nikolaidis did not hesitate to defend his choice of site in Ano Liosia. «We’ve reached the conclusion that it’s a better solution. There are more than two investors ready for its construction. The cost will be less. We’ve looked at the issue for 10 months now,» said Nikolaidis, who spearheaded a team of investors to take over the club while it was headed for bankruptcy two years ago. The club’s old stadium in Nea Philadelphia was demolished just over two years ago, even though no details regarding a new stadium had been decided on. AEK presently plays its home games at the Athens Olympic Stadium. Nikolaidis, at yesterday’s news conference, said he was perplexed by the disapproval expressed by a section of organized fans during the club’s games. The club president has advocated a policy for hooliganism-free soccer as part of a wider objective to relaunch soccer as a family-oriented sport. The club’s organized fans, usually the culprits behind fan violence, have objected. Unlike other club bosses, Nikolaidis in the past has joined organized fans in the stands. In their most recent aspersions, the fans have called their club boss a traitor for wanting to move from AEK’s traditional base. «Over time, I realized that it wasn’t about willingness, but rival policy,» said Nikolaidis, referring to his duel with the amateur division over the new stadium. «I didn’t expect such hatred. A year ago, I was their man and now they despise me and say I’m a liar and a crook. They question if I remember being with them in the stands. I remember, but they don’t remember who it was for,» he continued. Nikolaidis refused to comment about his club’s performance this season, but pledged to make a statement at the end of the season, now just two rounds of play away. AEK is placed second, two points ahead of Panathinaikos, in their battle for a Champions League berth. The team is also preparing to face Olympiakos in the cup final.
