Ergotelis FC
Encyclopedia
Ergotelis FC is a Greek
football
club based in Heraklion
, the largest city of the Greek island of Crete
. The name itself, Ergotelis, was that of a famous ancient Cretan expatriate Olympic runner Ergoteles of Himera
.
In 2003 Ergotelis gained promotion to the second division (Beta Ethniki
) after a 32-year absence. Losing no time, they were promoted to the Greek Super League, after a very difficult 2003–2004 season, and thus becoming the second team to have represented Heraklion
in the highest profesional football league in Greece, alongside OFI F.C.
. The team failed to avoid relegation in its first season (2004–2005) in the league, and consequently Ergotelis returned to the Beta Ethniki
once again. The 2005–06 season saw the team return to good form with Greek manager Nikos Karageorgiou
taking over, achieving instant promotion to the Super League after winning the division title.
After the club's second promotion to the Super League, Ergotelis has avoided relegation altogether, and has gradually grown to a competitive and financially strong team, signing stars such as Maris Verpakovskis
and Beto
. During this time, Ergotelis has attracted a lot of attention from the Greek media by achieving memorable results against Greece's giants Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, including a 2–3 away competition win in the Athens Olympic Stadium against Panathinaikos on October 29, 2008, and a memorable friendly game celebrating Ergotelis' 80th anniversary on September 6, 2009, against champions Olympiacos which resulted in an astonishing 5–0 win for the Cretans, marking one of the worst defeats in Olympiacos' history and starting a chain of events that ultimately led to the sacking of then Olympiacos coach Temuri Ketsbaia
. In the 2010-2011 season, Ergotelis finished 8th in the Super League, which marks the club's best finish in the competition since it's promotion.
Ergotelis has also been known for promoting young Greek talent in the Super League, and has had a lot of players feature for the U-19
and U-21 national football teams. Young Ergotelis star Vasilios Koutsianikoulis
' performances in the 2008–2009 season made him the first Ergotelis player to be called-up by Otto Rehhagel
for the Greek National Football Team. Koutsianikoulis' subsequent transfer to PAOK F.C. was considered a major success for the Thessaloniki side, and was extensively covered by Greece's media.
. The first ever game between Ergotelis and OFI, a friendly match in 1929, ended after 35 minutes. Ergotelis were ahead by one goal, when the game had to be abandoned after violence between the players broke out.
During the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 a legislation determined that every regional Greek city should be represented by one football team. At that time, both OFI and Ergotelis used to play in the Second National division. Αt the end of the 1966–1967 season, Ergotelis finished 8th, while OFI finished in a higher position, leading to Ergotelis' relegation. The legislation also allowed the remaining teams in the second division to sign players of the relegated ones, and thus 5 Ergotelis players were transferred to OFI. In the years to come Ergotelis languished in the lower leagues. This fact led to various controversies, especially since Ergotelis' come back, at the early 00's.
This rivalry has shown signs of diminishing over the years, with OFI fans attending newly promoted Ergotelis' games in the Super League during the club's first season in the competition, and Ergotelis loaning their longtime scoring legend Patrick Ogunsoto
to the financially weakened, now Beta Ethniki
side OFI for no fee, as an attempt to assist the latter in their struggle to once again return to the Super League.
Iosif Daskalakis
Dimitrios Grammozis
Dimitrios Kiliaras
Panagiotis Κordonouris
Dimitrios Orfanos
Manolis Roubakis
Albania Altin Haxhi
Bulgaria Georgi Markov
Croatia Darko Miladin
F.Y.R.O.M. Dragan Nacevski
Guinea-Bissau Daniel Kenedy
Hungary Bela Kovacs
Zsolt Posza
Latvia Maris Verpakovskis
Nigeria Patrick Ogunsoto
Romania Lucian Pârvu
Serbia Perica Ognjenovic
Slovenia Suad Filekovic
Ukraine Oleg Iachtchouk
United States Clint Mathis
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
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...
club based in Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
, the largest city of the Greek island of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. The name itself, Ergotelis, was that of a famous ancient Cretan expatriate Olympic runner Ergoteles of Himera
Ergoteles of Himera
-Background:Civil disorder had compelled him to leave Crete. He came to Sicily and was naturalized as a citizen of Himera. He won the Olympic dolichos of 472 BC and 464 BC, as well as winning twice in both Pythian and Isthmian games.-Tributes:A four-line inscribed epigram of ca. 450 BC found in...
.
History
Ergotelis was established on 7 August 1929 in Heraklion as an amateur club of Cretan footballers. The team played in local championships and partly in the national second division in the stadium on Martinengo Bastion. When Greek football was merged between amateur and professional clubs, Ergotelis remained in the amateur league for six years, when the team became professional. Ever since, the Cretan club competed mostly in the fourth and some years in third division of Greece.In 2003 Ergotelis gained promotion to the second division (Beta Ethniki
Beta Ethniki
Football League, former Beta Ethniki, is the second highest professional football league in Greece.-History:In its first years, the system of conduct was very intriguing. It began in 1954 as regional championship, separated in two groups, North and South. Then, the participating teams were the...
) after a 32-year absence. Losing no time, they were promoted to the Greek Super League, after a very difficult 2003–2004 season, and thus becoming the second team to have represented Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
in the highest profesional football league in Greece, alongside OFI F.C.
OFI Crete
OFI , the Sportfriends Association Heraklion, is a Greek association football club based in Heraklion, on the island of Crete. Outside Greece, the club is generally known as OFI Crete F.C., however, the name Crete is not actually part of the club's official title.OFI is the club with most...
. The team failed to avoid relegation in its first season (2004–2005) in the league, and consequently Ergotelis returned to the Beta Ethniki
Beta Ethniki
Football League, former Beta Ethniki, is the second highest professional football league in Greece.-History:In its first years, the system of conduct was very intriguing. It began in 1954 as regional championship, separated in two groups, North and South. Then, the participating teams were the...
once again. The 2005–06 season saw the team return to good form with Greek manager Nikos Karageorgiou
Nikos Karageorgiou
Nikos Karageorgiou is the manager of Greek sports club Ergotelis.As a football player he was a member of Eratino Kavala , AO Kavala , PAOK , Panathinaikos and Skoda Xanthi...
taking over, achieving instant promotion to the Super League after winning the division title.
After the club's second promotion to the Super League, Ergotelis has avoided relegation altogether, and has gradually grown to a competitive and financially strong team, signing stars such as Maris Verpakovskis
Maris Verpakovskis
Māris Verpakovskis , is a Latvian football forward, currently playing for the Azerbaijan Premier League club FK Baku in Azerbaijan and the Latvia national football team.-Latvia:...
and Beto
Gilberto Galdino dos Santos
Gilberto Galdino dos Santos, commonly known as Beto , is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Ergotelis F.C. in Greece....
. During this time, Ergotelis has attracted a lot of attention from the Greek media by achieving memorable results against Greece's giants Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, including a 2–3 away competition win in the Athens Olympic Stadium against Panathinaikos on October 29, 2008, and a memorable friendly game celebrating Ergotelis' 80th anniversary on September 6, 2009, against champions Olympiacos which resulted in an astonishing 5–0 win for the Cretans, marking one of the worst defeats in Olympiacos' history and starting a chain of events that ultimately led to the sacking of then Olympiacos coach Temuri Ketsbaia
Temuri Ketsbaia
Temuri "Temur" Ketsbaia is a Georgian football manager and former player. As a player he represented the Georgian national team and played for Dinamo Tbilisi, Anorthosis Famagusta, AEK, Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Dundee.Ketsbaia is often regarded as having played a major role...
. In the 2010-2011 season, Ergotelis finished 8th in the Super League, which marks the club's best finish in the competition since it's promotion.
Ergotelis has also been known for promoting young Greek talent in the Super League, and has had a lot of players feature for the U-19
Greece national under-19 football team
-Group 3:- Current squad :Represented Greece in the UEFA under 19 championship July 20- August 1 2011- See also :* Greece Under-19 2007 national team* Greece Under-19 2007 national team- External links :*...
and U-21 national football teams. Young Ergotelis star Vasilios Koutsianikoulis
Vasilios Koutsianikoulis
Vasilios Koutsianikoulis is a Greek footballer. He currently plays for Greek Super League team Ergotelis F.C. He is a left footed winger that can play either on the left or right wing and is considered a strong prospect for the national team.- Iraklis Chalkis:Koutsianikoulis began his career at...
' performances in the 2008–2009 season made him the first Ergotelis player to be called-up by Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel is a German football coach and former football player. Along with Helmut Schön, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Udo Lattek and Hennes Weisweiler, he is considered one of the most successful German managers....
for the Greek National Football Team. Koutsianikoulis' subsequent transfer to PAOK F.C. was considered a major success for the Thessaloniki side, and was extensively covered by Greece's media.
Rivalry with OFI
Ergotelis has enjoyed a fierce rivalry with other local Superleague side, OFI F.C.OFI Crete
OFI , the Sportfriends Association Heraklion, is a Greek association football club based in Heraklion, on the island of Crete. Outside Greece, the club is generally known as OFI Crete F.C., however, the name Crete is not actually part of the club's official title.OFI is the club with most...
. The first ever game between Ergotelis and OFI, a friendly match in 1929, ended after 35 minutes. Ergotelis were ahead by one goal, when the game had to be abandoned after violence between the players broke out.
During the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 a legislation determined that every regional Greek city should be represented by one football team. At that time, both OFI and Ergotelis used to play in the Second National division. Αt the end of the 1966–1967 season, Ergotelis finished 8th, while OFI finished in a higher position, leading to Ergotelis' relegation. The legislation also allowed the remaining teams in the second division to sign players of the relegated ones, and thus 5 Ergotelis players were transferred to OFI. In the years to come Ergotelis languished in the lower leagues. This fact led to various controversies, especially since Ergotelis' come back, at the early 00's.
This rivalry has shown signs of diminishing over the years, with OFI fans attending newly promoted Ergotelis' games in the Super League during the club's first season in the competition, and Ergotelis loaning their longtime scoring legend Patrick Ogunsoto
Patrick Ogunsoto
Patrick Ogunsoto is a Nigerian professional footballer who currently plays as a forward.-Career:Ogunsoto started his European career at APOEL FC. One year later he was transferred to Ergotelis FC, who played in the third division at the time...
to the financially weakened, now Beta Ethniki
Beta Ethniki
Football League, former Beta Ethniki, is the second highest professional football league in Greece.-History:In its first years, the system of conduct was very intriguing. It began in 1954 as regional championship, separated in two groups, North and South. Then, the participating teams were the...
side OFI for no fee, as an attempt to assist the latter in their struggle to once again return to the Super League.
Current squad
- For recent transfers, see List of Greek football transfers summer 2011.
Players out on loan
Notable former players
Greece Georgios AlexopoulosGeorgios Alexopoulos
Georgios Alexopoulos is a Greek international football player.-Club career:Alexopoulos began his career in the academy of Panathinaikos FC and wore the green jersey for 7 years. He was then transferred to Iraklis F.C. and after a year to Egaleo F.C., where he become a leading figure. In the summer...
Iosif Daskalakis
Iosif Daskalakis
Iosif 'Sifis'Daskalakis [Ιωσήφ 'Σήφης' Δασκαλάκης in Greek] is a Greek footballer who plays in the position of the goalkeeper. He is currently plays for Olympiacos F.C. He previously played for OFI Crete and Ergotelis.-References:...
Dimitrios Grammozis
Dimitrios Grammozis
Dimitrios Grammozis is a Greek footballer who currently plays for Kerkyra F.C. in the Greek Super League.-Honours:1. FC Kaiserslautern* DFB-Pokal finalist: 2002–03Hamburger SV* Bundesliga 3rd place: 1999–2000Omonia...
Dimitrios Kiliaras
Dimitrios Kiliaras
Dimitrios Kiliaras is a young Greek football player currently playing for Panionios in the Greek Super League.-References:*-External links:...
Panagiotis Κordonouris
Panagiotis Κordonouris
Panagiotis Κordonouris is a Greek footballer who is currently playing for Greek club Ergotelis.-External links:**...
Dimitrios Orfanos
Dimitrios Orfanos
Dimitrios Orfanos who is a Greek professional footballer.-External links:*...
Manolis Roubakis
Manolis Roubakis
Manolis Roubakis is a Greek footballer who is currently without a team.-External links:*...
Albania Altin Haxhi
Altin Haxhi
Altin Haxhi is an Albanian footballer. He plays as a defender for Apollon Kalamarias F.C..-Club career:Haxhi's former clubs include KS Luftëtari Gjirokastër, Panachaiki, PFC Litex Lovech, Iraklis, PFC CSKA Sofia, Apollon Kalamarias, Anorthosis Famagusta and Ergotelis FC.APOEL announced that it...
Bulgaria Georgi Markov
Georgi Markov (footballer)
Georgi Markov is a former Bulgarian football defender. He is known as a tough, but generally fair tackler and has been nicknamed the "Woerner Grater" .-Career:...
Croatia Darko Miladin
Darko Miladin
Darko Miladin is a Croatian football player. He is currently free agent.-External links:...
F.Y.R.O.M. Dragan Nacevski
Dragan Nacevski
Dragan Načevski is an ethnic Macedonian footballer who plays as forward for FK Metalurg Skopje.Načevski has been capped 14 times for the Republic of Macedonia national football team.-Clubs:*1998-2004 : FK Vardar...
Guinea-Bissau Daniel Kenedy
Daniel Kenedy
Daniel Kenedy Pimentel Mateus dos Santos, known as Kenedy , is a retired Guinea-Bissauan/Portuguese footballer. As a midfielder or defender, he played on the left side of the pitch.-Club career:...
Hungary Bela Kovacs
Béla Kovács (footballer)
Béla Kovács is a Hungarian football player.-External links:*...
Zsolt Posza
Zsolt Posza
Zsolt Posza is a Hungarian football player. He last played in Cyprus for Doxa Katokopia as a goalkeeper. Who currently plays for Kaposvári Rákóczi FC.-External links:** * **...
Latvia Maris Verpakovskis
Maris Verpakovskis
Māris Verpakovskis , is a Latvian football forward, currently playing for the Azerbaijan Premier League club FK Baku in Azerbaijan and the Latvia national football team.-Latvia:...
Nigeria Patrick Ogunsoto
Patrick Ogunsoto
Patrick Ogunsoto is a Nigerian professional footballer who currently plays as a forward.-Career:Ogunsoto started his European career at APOEL FC. One year later he was transferred to Ergotelis FC, who played in the third division at the time...
Romania Lucian Pârvu
Lucian Pârvu
Lucian Pârvu is a Romanian footballer who currently plays for Doxa Katokopias in Cyprus.-External links:* * at zerozerofootball.com...
Serbia Perica Ognjenovic
Perica Ognjenovic
Perica Ognjenović , is a Serbian footballer mainly as a forward....
Slovenia Suad Filekovic
Suad Filekovic
Suad Filekovič is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays for Hapoel Ashkelon in the Israeli Premier League.-Club career:...
Ukraine Oleg Iachtchouk
Oleg Iachtchouk
Oleg Iachtchouk , Lanivtsi Raion, Ternopil Oblast then Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukrainian professional footballer. He plays as a striker for Cercle Brugge and also holds the Belgian nationality. His last name is sometimes transliterated as Yaschuk or Jachtsjoek.-Club career:Iachtchouk first made a name...
United States Clint Mathis
Clint Mathis
Clint Mathis is a retired American soccer player.-Youth and college:Mathis played club soccer at a young age for Rockdale Youth Soccer Association, and then for AFC Lightning, a Georgia powerhouse producing players such as current U.S. international Ricardo Clark, in Fayetteville...