Apostolos Nikolaidis
Encyclopedia
Apostolos Nikolaidis was a Greek athlete, football manager and businessman. He was a leading board member and president of Panathinaikos
.
, Bulgaria
. After his graduation from the Robert College
in Istanbul
, he moved to Athens
in 1917 and joined the family of Panathinaikos. He was an athletic phenomenon, as he successfully competed in decathlon
, football
, basketball
and volleyball
. He was a member of the Greek Olympic team of 1920 (in Antwerp)
, both as a football player and as a track athlete. He played football for more than ten years and contributed to all sports departments of PAO
. He was also manager of the Greece national football team
. He even became a successful racing driver.
In 1926-27 he was elected president of the Hellenic Football Federation whereas, after the German occupation (1945) and for a period of more than twenty years, he was president of the Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association. Moreover, he was president of the Automobile and Touring Club of Greece. For many decades, he was a board member of Panathinaikos
and in 1974 he became president of the club. He was also the owner of Softex
, a paper towel
company.
Upon his death, as an honour, his coffin was carried on the shoulders of eight athletes from different PAO
departments: Ikonomopoulos, Kamaras
, Antoniadis
(football), Zacharopoulos (track), Georgantis, Iliopoulos (volleyball), Garos, Kalogeropoulos (basketball). The home stadium of Panathinaikos
at Alexandras Avenue
was named after him in 1981, at a ceremony presided by the then Prime Minister Georgios Rallis.
, the best player of the team. The dispute was about Messaris wanting to study engineering at the National Technical University of Athens
, while Nikolaidis did not want him to be involved in anything except football. It was rumoured that Nikolaidis was involved in Messaris' application being rejected three times by NTUA. This dispute led Messaris to quit football altogether, much to the dismay of a significant number of players and administratives, who sided behind Stamatis Merkouris, the son of Athens' Mayor at the time
. Merkouris challenged Nikolaidis' authority, eventually leading to a poll. Nikolaidis won by a small margin and he immediately ousted from Panathinaikos all those who stood against him, including a figure with mythical proportions to PAO fans, the founder of the club Giorgos Kalafatis. Although many of them joined the team again later, this action was never forgiven by a portion of the fans.
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
.
Biography
He was born in PlovdivPlovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. After his graduation from the Robert College
Robert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, he moved to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
in 1917 and joined the family of Panathinaikos. He was an athletic phenomenon, as he successfully competed in decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. He was a member of the Greek Olympic team of 1920 (in Antwerp)
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
, both as a football player and as a track athlete. He played football for more than ten years and contributed to all sports departments of PAO
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
. He was also manager of the Greece national football team
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
. He even became a successful racing driver.
In 1926-27 he was elected president of the Hellenic Football Federation whereas, after the German occupation (1945) and for a period of more than twenty years, he was president of the Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association. Moreover, he was president of the Automobile and Touring Club of Greece. For many decades, he was a board member of Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
and in 1974 he became president of the club. He was also the owner of Softex
Softex
Softex S.A. is a Greek paper towel company, headquartered in Athens in the Athens Industrial Area west of downtown. The company is located at the Acteon Building in Irinis Street, Neo Faliro, Athina....
, a paper towel
Paper towel
A paper towel is an absorbent textile made from paper instead of cloth. Unlike cloth towels, paper towels are disposable and intended to be used only once. Paper towels soak up water because they are loosely woven which enables water to travel between them, even against gravity...
company.
Upon his death, as an honour, his coffin was carried on the shoulders of eight athletes from different PAO
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
departments: Ikonomopoulos, Kamaras
Aristidis Kamaras
Aristidis Kamaras , is a retired Greek footballer.He started his career at Apollon Athens as a defender. His career at Apollon didn't last long as Panathinaikos picked him up at a young age in the Summer of 1961....
, Antoniadis
Antonis Antoniadis
Antonis Antoniadis is one of the great goal scorers of Greek and European football in the post-war era, scoring about 187 goals in a career which spanned 22 years. He started his career playing for Xanthi before moving on to Panathinaikos...
(football), Zacharopoulos (track), Georgantis, Iliopoulos (volleyball), Garos, Kalogeropoulos (basketball). The home stadium of Panathinaikos
Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium
Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium is a football stadium in Athens, Greece. The stadium, has been the home of Panathinaikos FC and has played for most of the years of its existence, since its foundation back in 1908....
at Alexandras Avenue
Alexandras Avenue
Alexandra's Avenue is a main east-west thoroughfare running from Patission Street/28th of October Street and Kifissias Avenue in the northern part of the city of Athens, Greece. It is named after Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, later Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia...
was named after him in 1981, at a ceremony presided by the then Prime Minister Georgios Rallis.
Controversy
Although considered by most as the "Patriarch" of Panathinaikos, Nikolaidis was responsible for one of the biggest crises in the history of the club, the breakaway of 1931. While he was a leading board member of the club, he had a major dispute with Angelos MessarisAngelos Messaris
Angelos Messaris was a Greek footballer. He played for Panathinaikos and he is widely regarded as the best Greek player of the pre-war era. This is probably also due to the myth that for decades followed his sudden and mysterious early leaving from football. He made his last appearance in the...
, the best player of the team. The dispute was about Messaris wanting to study engineering at the National Technical University of Athens
National Technical University of Athens
The National Technical University of Athens , sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece....
, while Nikolaidis did not want him to be involved in anything except football. It was rumoured that Nikolaidis was involved in Messaris' application being rejected three times by NTUA. This dispute led Messaris to quit football altogether, much to the dismay of a significant number of players and administratives, who sided behind Stamatis Merkouris, the son of Athens' Mayor at the time
Spyridon Merkouris
Spyridon Merkouris was a Greek politician and long-time mayor of Athens in the early 20th century.He was born in Ermioni in 1856. Elected as mayor of Athens in 1899, he held the post continuously until 1914. As a committed royalist, in 1917, during the National Schism, he was exiled to Corsica...
. Merkouris challenged Nikolaidis' authority, eventually leading to a poll. Nikolaidis won by a small margin and he immediately ousted from Panathinaikos all those who stood against him, including a figure with mythical proportions to PAO fans, the founder of the club Giorgos Kalafatis. Although many of them joined the team again later, this action was never forgiven by a portion of the fans.