Athinaikos FC – where football is more than merely football

The team from Greece has two goalkeepers in the national team but the main goal is to give the players an experience and help them develop.

Fanns Katsaounos is both the head coach for Athinaikos B16 team and also vice president for the club. Athinaikos has fallen out of the national league system and instead plays in the regional division in Athens. Katsaounos still remembers the good old days though.
– We played head-to-head games with Manchester United. Both games ended 0-0 but United won in overtime, he says with a smile.

There is no competitive edge to his words. Both Katsaounos and the goalkeeper we talk to, outside the school where they live, make it crystal clear that they are here for the experience and to grow as human beings. Which may seem surprising since Antony Kioroglou, the goalkeeper, plays in Greece's national U19 team.

– So do I, says another player. His name is Aggelos Narria. Yet another goalkeeper.

The two goalkeepers compete for the starting job in both Athinaikos and the national team, yet both they and their coach are humble when it comes to their participation in Gothia Cup.

– I've only played one game against a foreign team, Israel's U18 team. It was a good experience. I think being here in Gothia Cup will be a positive experience for us and help us grow and develop. Meeting and understanding people from other countries with different cultures and religions, that's the main reason for us coming here, says Antony Kioroglou.

Coach Katsaounos of course wants the team to advance as far as possible in the tournament. But he stresses that there is a lot more to it than winning football games.

– We hope that our players not only play matches while we're here. They need this experience to develop and grow as players. To have a good time and to be around their team mates, to form bonds, he says.

Pictured (from the left): Antony Kioroglou, Fanns Katsaounos and Aggelos Narria.