Pafos FC
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| Full name | Pafos Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 10 June 2014 | ||
| Ground | Stelios Kyriakides Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 9,300[1] | ||
| Chairman | Roman Dubov | ||
| Manager | Juan Carlos Carcedo | ||
| League | First Division | ||
| 2022–23 | First Division, 4th | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
| | |||
Pafos FC (Greek: Πάφος FC) is a Cypriot football club based in Paphos. The club was created in 2014, by the merger of the two biggest teams of Paphos, AEP Paphos and AEK Kouklia. They play their home games at the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium and currently compete in the Cypriot First Division. The club is owned by the two Russians Sergey Lomakin and Roman Dubov. Lomakin is also the owner of the Russian second-tier club FC Rodina Moscow.[2]
History[edit]
Early years (2014–2017)[edit]
Pafos FC was formed by a merger between the strongest football forces of the province of Paphos. The club's emblem includes the name of the club and town, and features the figure of Cypriot revolutionary Evagoras Pallikarides. The shape and colours of the emblem (white, blue, and gold) refer to the historical clubs of APOP and AEK Kouklia. The emblem was renewed in the 2018–19 season, making the figure of Pallikarides more visible.
On 10 June 2014, the historic building of AEP Paphos FC hosted the first gathering for the supporters of the merged team, in the presence of politicians, active and veteran football players of Paphos, and hundreds of fans. The first president of the team was Christakis Kaizer, who was previously the president of AEK Kouklia and one of the main people in the effort to create the new team together with the then six-member managing committee of AEP.
As an official home stadium for its obligations in the championship of the first division, the team uses Stelios Kyriakides Stadium (Paphiako Stadium).
The purpose of the club is to promote noble rivalry, "fair play" and culture both through sports activities and through numerous cultural and educational events, and visits to schools, and educational institutions in Paphos. The team has projected a picture of renewal and full professionalism in all departments and levels. An important event is the complete renovation of the training center to the standards of European clubs.
The team's first coach was Radmilo Ivančević, who had served as AEP Paphos's coach in the past.[3]
Pafos FC competed in the 2014–15 Cypriot Second Division, in their first season as a club. The first match in the club's history was against Enosis Neon Paralimni, at the Municipal Stadium of Geroskipou which was the first home stadium of the team. The team finished in second place and was promoted to the first division. In the 2015–16 season, in the first participation of Pafos FC in the first division, the team finished in 12th place and was relegated. Their first victory and the team's first overall victory in the first division came on 12 September 2015 in the third game of the league when Pafos FC defeated Aris Limassol 3–0 at home. The team finished 2nd in the Second Division and was promoted to the First Division in the 2016–17 season.[4][5]
Dubov Era (since 2017)[edit]
The following season, Pafos FC remained in the top division, finishing in 10th place under the leadership of their new owner, Total Sports Investments, managed by British businessman Roman Dubov. Changes in the club's structure, the Academy's operational processes, renovation of the Pafos FC Training Center along with resounding transfers significantly raised the level of the club which now appears to be one of the most modern and well-equipped teams in Cyprus.
Since Dubov's arrival, the team's placement in the league has improved (or remained constant) every year, from 2018 until now. On 25 February 2022, a 1–1 home draw against Aris Limassol allowed Pafos FC secure a place in the championship playoffs for the first time in the club's history. On this day, a new attendance record was set for Pafos FC, as over 4661 fans came to support the club.[6]
Pafos FC started the 2022–23 season strong under new head coach Henning Berg, going undefeated in their first 12 matches in the league. However, their form worsened over time, and Berg was sacked in April 2023. They were eliminated by Omonia in the semi-finals of the Cypriot Cup, and finished fourth in the league, missing out on European qualification in the last matchday. Pafos' forward Jairo was the joint top scorer of the league with 18 goals.
On 24 June 2023, Juan Carlos Carcedo was announced as the new Head Coach of Pafos.[7]
Domestic history[edit]
Badge and colours[edit]
The logo of Pafos FC is a variation of AEP Paphos's logo and a refresh of Pafos FC's first logo, including the name of the team and town and the classic figure of the Cypriot hero Evagoras Pallikaridis. The logo also includes the team's colours, blue, white, and gold.[8][9] The emblem was renewed during the period 2018–19, making the depiction of the hero Evagoras Pallikarides more prominent.
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers[edit]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–2023 | Jako | KORANTINA HOMES |
Players[edit]
- As of 28 February 2024[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan[edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Current staff[edit]
| Senior Management | |
|---|---|
| Vice President |  George Ioannou |
| CEO | Charis Theocharous |
| COO |  Rustam Khafizov |
| Sporting Director |  Gaizka Mendieta |
| Head Scout |  Rodolfo Filipe Aniceto Vaz |
| Senior Scout |  Pedro Henrique |
| CFA Representative | Euripides Loizides |
| CFA Representative | Charis Theocharous |
| Technical staff | |
| Head Coach | Juan Carlos Carcedo |
| Assistant Coach | Sergio Domínguez Cobo |
| Assistant Coach | Sebastián Corona |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Nikos Constantinides |
| Fitness Coach |  Leonidas Papadakis |
| Head Analyst | Andreas Kattamis |
Managers[edit]
- As of match played 21 April 2024
| Manager name | From | To | Duration | P | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Radmilo Ivančević | 1 July 2014 | 14 October 2014 | 105 days | |||||
| Sofoklis Sofokleous | 1 November 2014 | 9 November 2015 | 1 year, 8 days | |||||
| José Manuel Roca | 17 November 2015 | 14 December 2015 | 27 days | |||||
| Apostolos Makridis | 16 December 2015 | 31 May 2016 | 167 days | |||||
| Dimitris Ioannou | 14 June 2016 | 31 May 2017 | 351 days | |||||
 Luka Elsner | 30 June 2017 | 21 January 2018 | 205 days | 23 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 26.09 |
 Steven Pressley | 31 January 2018 | 9 October 2018 | 251 days | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 36.36 |
 Željko Kopić | 19 October 2018 | 6 November 2019 | 1 year, 18 days | 41 | 16 | 11 | 14 | 39.02 |
| Jeremy Steele (Caretaker) | 6 November 2019 | 13 December 2019 | 37 days | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 60 |
 Cameron Toshack | 13 December 2019[11] | 20 October 2020[12] | 312 days | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 38.1 |
 Dmytro Mykhaylenko | 20 October 2020[13] | 31 January 2021[14] | 103 days | 16 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 25 |
| Stephen Constantine | 4 February 2021[15] | 30 June 2021[16] | 146 days | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 66.67 |
| Darko Milanič | 30 June 2021[17] | 10 May 2022[18] | 314 days | 33 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 33.33 |
| Míchel Salgado (Caretaker) | 14 May 2022[19] | 22 May 2022 | 8 days | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
 Henning Berg | 11 June 2022[20] | 3 April 2023[21] | 296 days | 33 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 51.52 |
| Míchel Salgado (Caretaker) | 3 April 2023 | 24 June 2023 | 82 days | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 33.33 |
| Juan Carlos Carcedo | 24 June 2023[7] | 303 days | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 55.26 |
References[edit]
- ^ "Στάδιο Στέλιος Κυριακίδης (πρώην Παφιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο)". Cyprussports.org. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- ^ "Limassol second-tier club gets Russian YouTuber makeover". Financial Mirror. 2022-08-18. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΙΑ ΜΕ ΡΑΤΜΙΛΟ ΙΒΑΝΤΣΕΒΙΤΣ (in Greek). pafosfc.com.cy. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ "Cypriot Second Division - Participating and promoted teams per season". 2016-06-24. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ "lucky88". Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "ΤΟΣΟΙ στην Πάφο!". Balla.com.cy. 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- ^ a b "PAFOS FC NEW HEAD COACH – Juan Carlos Carcedo". pafosfc.com.cy. Pafos FC. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ "Πάφος FC: Με διαγωνισμό το έμβλημα του νέου σωματείου". sentragoal.philenews.com. 3 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ "Δείτε το νέο έμβλημα της Πάφος F.C!". protathlima.com. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ "Our Team – PAFOS FC". pafosfc.com.cy. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019.
- ^ "Cameron Toshack". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "CONTRACT TERMINATION WITH CAMERON TOSHACK". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ "DMYTRO MYKHAYLENKO – nEW HEAD COACH". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ "CONTRACT TERMINATION WITH DMYTRO MYKHAILENKO". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "STEPHEN CONSTANTINE / NEW HEAD COACH OF PAFOS FC". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "END OF CONTRACT WITH STEPHEN CONSTANTINE". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "DARKO MILANIC APPOINTED AS HEAD COACH". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "Darko Milanic has been relieved of his duties as Pafos FC Head Coach, effective immediately". facebook.com/fcpafos. FC Pafos Facebook. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Pafos FC football advisor Michel Salgado will be in charge for the last two games of the season as an Interim Head Coach". facebook.com/fcpafos. FC Pafos Facebook. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "HENNING BERG JOINS PAFOS FC AS NEW HEAD COACH". pafosfc.com.cy. Pafos FC. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "PAFOS FC: HENNING BERG RELIEVED OF DUTIES". facebook.com/pafosfc/. Pafos FC Facebook. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
