On this day 97 years ago, on March 10, 1925, the processes for the establishment of a new sports association in Piraeus had a happy ending. In Moira's tavern, prominent Piraeus, businessmen, soldiers and athletes were christening the Piraeus Olympic Fans Association, a club that would soon live up to their expectations, surpassing the narrow limits of the great port and embracing all of Greece.
Olympiacos has a birthday and surely, if you are its fans, at some point you will have read about the historic meeting with the first members of the newly founded club, they accepted the proposal of Noti Kamperos for the name of the new club.
Various departures and mergers were preceded by the Andrianopoulos brothers. First, the football section of the Piraeus Association (of Yiannis, Giorgos and Vassilis) was detached and merged with the Piraeus Union (of Dinos) creating the Piraeus Sports Football Association, which also had the informal name Olympiacos. Already the former officer and industrialist Michalis Manouskos, together with the officer of the PN, Notis Kaberos, had applied for recognition by the Court of First Instance.
There was, however, misgiving about the name Olympiacos, due to the involvement of the Olympic Games committee. Notis Kaberos, brother of Dimitris Kaberos, a pioneer and daring aviator in those years (hence the nickname crazy caberos because of the spectacular flights watched by thousands of people) was ready to solve the problem.
He had sent a letter to his friend and student at the University of Vienna, Thanasis Mermigas, asking him to investigate whether there is a problem with the name Olympiacos, in relation to the Olympic movement, the Games, the IOC, etc. Mermigas, a founding member of the "red and white" club, looked into the issue, reached the Austrian Olympic Committee, which gave a positive opinion in favor of the name. After all, there were several Olympic games across Europe, the most famous being that of Marseille, whose official name is Olympique de Marseille
In September 1924, the four Andrianopoulos (Leonidas was still a minor) left the APSP and created the Olympic Club of Piraeus, but without insisting on the new split. Their father, Andreas Andrianopoulos, a distinguished merchant of the city, and Notis Kaberos, who was the mastermind behind the new club, convinced them to return. A few months later, everything was ready.
They say that the calligrapher and visionary Kaberos, ten days before the definitive amalgamation of the Piraeus Athletic Football Club, with the Piraeus Fans' Association (or Club), presented every day one letter of the name he had in mind, until the word was completed Olympic. "Our brand will denote strength, athletic prowess, ethos, noble rivalry, dominance, ultimately the Olympic ideal" noted Kaberos, while Michalis Manouskos added the Piraeus Fans' Association, giving the new club its full name. He was also the first president of Olympiakos (Kamperos kept the role of vice president) while later he was also (appointed by the Metaxas dictatorship) Mayor of Piraeus. In 1941 he refused to cooperate with the German occupiers and resigned from his post.
The laurel-crowned teenager was chosen as the emblem, while the colors (red and white) were chosen by Yiannis Andrianopoulos, influenced by his stay in England, either from Cambridge College, or from Arsenal. A few days after its official establishment (the recognition of the official name took place on 20/5/1925) it gave its first match. Journalist Aris Melissinos had previously written that Olympiakos' first match was a derby against Ethnikos, which he had defeated 4-1. According to others, the maiden game of the "red and white" team was played at the Piraeus Cycling Stadium, against the team of the French warship Jeanne D'Arc. On April 30, 1925, Olympiacos won 6-0.
The truth is that a month after its establishment, Olympiacos won the first championship of the newly established Piraeus Association of Football Clubs, its players also starred in the first match of mixed teams between Athens and Piraeus, while it soon started the eternal rivalry with Panathinaikos, giving the first friendly fight against the "greens".
The "red and whites", as if ready for a long time, entered the football reality of Greece furiously and soon developed into one of its great powers. You are overpowered if you prefer...
Piraeus claims from Athens
The country was transforming day by day, as refugees from Asia Minor came out of the margins and entered dynamically in all areas of everyday life. The population of little Greece almost doubled after the disaster and Piraeus, as one can easily understand today, a hundred years later, was the first stop of the uprooted who left one after another, trying to board the rescue ships.
Society and its needs were also radically changing. In 1925, most football clubs in Piraeus felt marginalized by those in Athens. In fact, the establishment of EPSA isolated the people of Piraeus even more.
It was preceded by the establishment and dissolution of the Union of Football Clubs of Greece, the first attempt to unify on a pan-Hellenic level all the clubs that played football and slowly gathered crowds of people in their primitive stadiums. It also organized the first championship of the 1922-23 season, which Piraeus won, when in the final they defeated Aris in Thessaloniki with 3-1. The four Andrianopoulos (Yiannis, Giorgos, Vassilis and Dinos) played with Piraikos, while the jersey of Aris was worn by Apostolos Nikolaidis, Panathinaikos' iconic leader. Disagreements between the executives of the newly formed Union led to its dissolution.
In the June 1925 issue of the monthly "Sports Review", a pioneering magazine of the pioneer of sports and sports journalism, Constantinos Roubesi, Notis Kaberos, writes articles and is catapult.
The founder and sponsor of Olympiakos admits that "the creation of a higher football authority is a great and urgent need..." clarifying that he means a real federation (Federation, as Gallisti calls it). Because, as Kamperos emphasizes "the Union of Football Clubs of Greece was indeed created ahead of time and saw days of brilliant action and glory. But the lack of state protection left it at the mercy of the ill-fated currents and delivered it to an inglorious death"
The passionate writing of Noti Kamperos also highlights his fiery character. A little below he reveals the reasons why the Union of Football Clubs of Greece did not thrive as an effort:
"Firstly, that its recognition by the State was delayed a lot and secondly that its staff came to come mainly from Piraeus. Thus the first accident deprived it of its prestige and power. And the second exposed it to reasonable misunderstandings. Where did the Athenian Societies' defection, with just cause or pretext, unfortunately come from?
Kaberos lies to the representatives from Piraeus, because by refusing to resign, they gave the occasion to those in Athens to leave permanently and create EPSA.
"The Association of Athens". -notes- charting a stable and definitive direction, they stubbornly isolated Piraeus. And they said harshly to the Piraeus Associations:Create your own Union and through the Unions, or the Local ones, we will unite together again.
The solution was indeed a simplistic one. But there was serious objection. Piraeus, after Athens, completed the same football region until then. Piraeus had only two first division teams. Isolated from Athens, he wanted to be condemned to wither, limiting himself to one or two matches and waiting for the outcome of the lique wealth (s.s. a typographical error, probably, since the French-speaking officer wrote ligue) in Athens..."
This is how the EPS Piraeus was created, with the competition of the unions even reaching the red, even with unfair practices. Camperos writes worriedly that "the fair or unfair transfer of athletes from one Association to another timely or untimely creates issues, breeds passions, wears out morally. In addition, the uncharacteristic effort, the apparent illness of some who seek the detachment of athletes from the opponent Union through promises, compensations, accusations and other lowly means, it causes hatred between the Unions and threatens to create a bitter trade, the trade of sports"
Olympiakos' first title
The newly founded EPSP, with president Iosif Terezakis (soldier, founded the first football club of Piraeus, Evangelistria in 1906, chess player, referee, a versatile personality) quickly organized the first football championship of the city with the participation of six teams. Apart from Olympiakos, the Piraeus Football Club (i.e. National Piraeus, as it was later renamed), the Piraeus Football Association Neapolis, the Faliraki Union "Megas Alexander", the Faliraki Association and Titan took part.
The championship went to Olympiakos, whose players had experience and quality anyway. Coached by Yannis Andrianopoulos, who came from the English school and had performances. The first eleven Kleidouhakis, Dedes, Alekakis, Pezonis, Stephopoulos, Koronaios, Lekos, Tsolakidis, Vassilis, George, Giannis and Dinos Andrianopoulos. During the championship, Vlasis, Passas also played and Basile
The matches that gave him the title:
- 12/4/1925:Olympiacos-Falirica Union 2-0
- 4/21/1925:Olympiacos-Titan 5-2
- 10/5/1925:Olympiacos-Piraeus Union 13-0
- 17/5/19225 (final) Olympiacos-Piraikos (National) 4-2
"Piraeus won"
A week later, the mixed teams of the two Unions faced each other. On the one hand Athens with the backbone of Panathinaikos, EPSA champion that year and AEK and on the other Piraeus based on the newly founded Olympiakos. The two Unions, the two Mayors, the two cities and the two teams, of course, starred in the big - for the time - match.
"Fortunately, since this game, which would confront two of the best teams that the two cities have to show, peaked the interest of the fans who flooded the stadium of the Panathinaikos sports club where it was held" wrote the "Sports Review"
Piraeus had 8 Olympiakos footballers:Kleidouhakis, Panopoulos, Vlassis, Lekos and the 4 Andrianopoulos (Yiannis, Giorgos, Vassilis, Dinos). Hatziandreou, Kourantis and Faliriki Union were selected from Piraikos. Team colors black and green vertical stripes (and white collar)
Athens used five footballers from Panathinaikos, Kalogeropoulos, Nikolaidis, Sotiris and Theofanis Asprogerakas, Panourgias, five from Enosi Konstantinoupoleos, Ieremidis, Dimopoulos, Kehagioglou, Michaelidis, Baltas and Stathopoulos from Atromitos Athens.
"The beginning of the game is done with an unexpected speed and lightning energy on the part of the hunters of the Athens team, who are in front of the opposing team's goal. A hasty and mistimed shot and this is the result of this amazing descente... ." writes the "Athletic Epitheorisis" eloquently. The continuation, however, belongs to the team of Piraeus, whose superiority "proved to be so obvious that it gathered the interest of the watching crowd, which, regardless of its feelings, was unable to acknowledge the indisputable superiority of its players Piraeus which by all means without exception of the signs of the order of the present".
Piraeus will win 2-0 with one goal in each half. "The line of forwards with the Andrianopoulos brothers and G. Hatziandreou completing this famous quartet of brother players, as mentioned above, was the main strength of the team"
The first eternal derby with a referee leaving!
Some mixed teams, of course, and another Olympiacos-Panathinaikos, entirely. The eternal rivals, met for the first time in time rivals in a friendly game that took place on June 28, 1925. The "red and white" having won the first EPSP championship, leading the Piraeus Mixed Team to a 2-0 win over the Athens counterpart and triumphing in the tournament that he did in Thessaloniki, they were already popular, they went to Leoforo to square off against the champion of Athens, Panathinaikos. The match was friendly, but essentially it would highlight the top team in the country.
Just in the first minute, a strong shot by Yannis Andrianopoulos was superbly saved in the corner by the goalkeeper Kalogeropoulos. Friendly-unfriendly, the first derby of the two "centuries" had the evolution of ... all the rest. Foul and dry bread. "Athletic Epitheorisis" writes:"From this point the game continues with enough stubbornness on both sides, which is the cause of successive fouls at the expense of both teams and at the expense of the game, which is not conducted with order and coherence. The result of precisely their foul was that Panathinaikos scored two goals and Olympiacos scored 1, up to 25 minutes from the start of the match..."
And there, on the occasion of a protest by an Olympiakos player, the referee Kambouropoulos "leaves the management of the match despite the arrangements and to the general surprise". Yes Yes. The referee (appointed by EPSA) leaves the teams in the cold of the bathroom, takes his hat and leaves. With a 20-minute delay, the match continues and D. Hontzopoulos takes over as referee. Just before the end of the first half, Olympiacos equalizes at 2-2.
Panathinaikos scores a third goal (with a penalty) and maintains the lead, but a few minutes before the end of the match, Olympiacos equalizes at 3-3, which was supposed to be the score of the first duel between the two big teams. According to "Epitheorisi", the Olympiakos team "on the other hand demonstrated better offensive action due to its unparalleled line of attack, the Andrianopoulos brothers and T. Lekkos, but it was very unfortunate in the shots "
The compositions of the historic match:
Panathinaikos: Kalogeropoulos, Nikolaidis, Perantakos, Panourgias, Theofanidis, Andritsos, Sotiris and Theofanis Asprogerakas, Pantermalis, Sidiropoulos, Georgiadis
Olympian: Kleidouhakis, Alekakis, Vassiliou, Pezonis, Mich. Lekkos, Vlassis, Takis Lekkos, George, Giannis, Vassilis, Dinos Andrianopoulos
The tour in Thessaloniki
A month ago (end of May), Olympiacos visited Thessaloniki for a series of matches against the city's teams. The first match takes place on the small pitch of Analipsi, against Aris. Despite the ... narrow space, Olympiacos opens the scoring with a powerful shot by Giorgos Andrianopoulos, in general they are better and win 3-1 (28/5/2025).
"The people of Aris, through the president of Mr. Ilthadis, offer a beautiful bouquet of flowers and I hear that in the evening they invite Olympiakon to a joint dinner," writes the correspondent of "Epitheorisis" in Thessaloniki.
The match against Herakles is watched by the general Alexandros Othonaios, the commander of Thessaloniki Ioannis Kanavos, with the president of "Giraios" Apostolos Kosmopoulos offering to the vice-president of Olympiakos Noti Kaberos, a gold-plated effigy of a football player as a souvenir of the match.
Olympiacos is storming and crushes Heraklis 6-1. The evening closes at the White Tower where "a meal was served on behalf of Herakles at the Olympiakon with all the athletes sitting next to each other. Those from the "Olympiakon" whom we met spoke enthusiastically about the kindness of their Thessalonian colleagues".
This impressive start of a newly formed team that began to sweep everything. Only Panathinaikos could beat him (in the friendly derby of 1926). For three years (4/3/1926-3/3/1929) he remained undefeated, recording great victories (7-1 against PAOK, 5-1 against PAO, 6-2 against AEK) while also defeating Levski Sofias in an international friendly with 3-2. A few years later he would be called a Legend...
PS:The four brothers were added a little later and Leonidas and the Andrianopoulos - in the same eleven - of Olympiakos became five! Θα ήταν έξι, αν συνέχισε ο Σπύρος που έπαιξε λίγο στις αρχές του 1930, ή ο Αριστείδης που ήταν ποδοσφαιριστής του Πειραϊκού, αλλά πέθανε από τύφο, πριν από την ίδρυση του Ολυμπιακού. Τα αδέρφια ήταν... οκτώ, καθώς υπήρξε και ο Σταύρος που δεν ασχολήθηκε, ωστόσο, με το ποδόσφαιρο!
Πηγές:Αθλητική Επιθεώρησις (1925-1926), Ολυμπιακά Νέα. Φωτογραφίες από το αρχείο του Γιάννη Φιλέρη.