Asteras Tripoli F.C.

Asteras Tripolis

Full name	Αθλητικός Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Αστέρας Τρίπολης (Athletic Gymnastics Society Asteras Tripolis)
Nickname(s)	"The Yellow-Blue" "Arkades" (Arcadians)
Founded	1931 (1931)
Ground	Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium Tripoli, Greece
Ground Capacity	7,616
Owner(s)	Dimitris Bakos Giannis Kaimenakis
Chairman	Georgios Borovilos
Manager	Staikos Vergetis
League	Superleague Greece
2014–15	Superleague Greece, 3rd
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Asteras Tripoli Football Club (Greek: "Αστέρας Τρίπολης", transliterated "Asteras Tripolis", translated "Star of Tripoli") is a Greek football club from the town of Tripoli in Arcadia, Greece. The club was founded in 1931 and since the 2007–08 season, they have played in Superleague Greece, the top professional league in Greece.

History

Early years

Asteras was founded in 1931, in the area near Tripoli's railway station and was formally recognised forthwith. However, the club stayed inactive and during 1932 all football clubs in Tripoli were temporarily dissolved. At the same time, Minas Tsavdaris founded a football club and named it "Keramikos" after his home area. Despite his efforts, Keramikos was never formally recognised, and in 1938 Tsavdaris decided to transfer all of the club's players to Asteras Tripolis, which was still legally recognised. This signified the revival of the club and Asteras managed to compete in the inaugural season (1939–40) of the regional Arcadian League. However, the subsequent German occupation of Greece ended all league competitions abruptly and the club was dissolved once again.

Post-World War II

After World War II, Asteras was reformed under the name "Neos Asteras" and was accordingly recognised by Tripoli's courts on 23 June 1947. Asteras won five consecutive titles in the Arcadian League (1957–62). The team won consecutive promotions and managed to play for two seasons in the Greek Second Division (1961–63), thus becoming the first team from Tripoli to ever participate in such a high division. In the summer of 1963, Asteras merged with Aris–Atromitos and the new team was named "Athlitikos Omilos Tripolis" (Athletic Club of Tripoli, AOT). AOT's function was based in Asteras' statute and the new club continued its activities until 1968, when it was dissolved once again and was subsequently merged with Arcadikos to form Panarkadikos F.C..

Recent history and era of success

Asteras was reformed again in 1978. The club participated in the regional Arcadian League until 2003. At 2001 the club entered a new era and led an outstanding streak of performances. They remained unbeaten at home for over 5 years (from 2001 to November 2006) and they managed to move up four divisions, earning the promotion for the Greek Super League as Second Division champions on 12 May 2007.

Asteras made a spectacular start in their first season in the Super League. Their first ever win was against Panathinaikos (1–0 in Tripoli) and their first away win against OFI in Crete (3–0). The season was marked by some outstanding performances with the most memorable being the 1–0 home victory against champions Olympiacos. They also managed to win 2–1 against AEK Athens and 2–0 against PAOK at home. Asteras Tripolis became the first and only newly promoted Superleague team that managed to beat Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, PAOK (home and away) and AEK Athens in its first ever appearance in the top division.

Coach Paulo Campos left Asteras on 24 February 2008 with assistant manager Panagiotis Tzanavaras taking over for the rest of the 2007–08 season. Asteras finally ended 7th, missing the European spot in the last games. In the summer of 2008 Asteras announced Carlos Carvalhal as their new manager. He was sacked in mid-season due to poor results which led the team near the relegation zone. He was succeeded by former AEK Athens caretaker manager, Nikos Kostenoglou. In 2009 Asteras signed the Argentine former Internazionale assistant Mario Gómez as their new coach.

The 2012–13 season was the most successful in Asteras' history. They finished third in the Super League (and fourth in the play-offs), securing a place for the 2013–14 Europa League. Meanwhile, they reached the first Greek Cup final in their history, losing 1–3 to Olympiacos after extra time.

"Koriopolis" scandal

In July 2015, and after the prosecutor's proposal to the penal justice, it was announced that Giorgos Borovilos, president of Asteras Tripolis, and Dimitris Bakos, owner of Asteras Tripolis, are going to be tried for the scandal. Taking all evidence into consideration, it is most likely that the team's owners are innocent, as well as the president.

Historical kits and Crest

Emblem evolution

First

1978

2005–06 Gamma Ethniki winners

2006–08 Beta Ethniki winners

First match in Superleague Greece

2008-09 Greek Cup Semi-finals

2009–11

2011-12 Greek Football Cup Semi-finals

2012–13 Superleague Greece 3d position

2013–14

2014–15 UEFA Europa League Group stage

Alternative

2005–06

2009–10

2012–13 Greek Cup Final

2013–14

2014–15

Kit suppliers

Kit provider	Period
Umbro	2000s–2006
Lotto	2006–2012
Nike	2012–present

Stadium

Asteras Tripoli's fans

Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium (formally Asteras Tripolis Stadium) is a privately owned football stadium in Tripoli, Greece. Its capacity is 7,600. The stadium was renamed on 22 November 2012 in honour of the hero of the Greek War of Independence, Theodoros Kolokotronis. But the club proposed a new stadium, the New Asteras Tripolis Stadium

Superleague Greece record

Season	League
	Div.	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P
2007–08	1st	7	30	11	11	8	28	24	44
2008–09	1st	12	30	7	12	11	33	31	33
2009–10	1st	12	30	10	6	14	29	36	36
2010–11	1st	13	30	7	10	13	21	29	31
2011–12	1st	6	30	13	6	11	30	34	45
2012–13	1st	4	30	17	5	8	41	25	56
2013–14	1st	5	34	16	10	8	46	35	58
2014–15	1st	3	34	17	8	9	52	37	59

Notable wins Season Match Score 2007–08 Asteras Tripolis – AEK 2–1 2007–08 Asteras Tripolis – Olympiacos 1–0 2007–08 Asteras Tripolis – Panathinaikos 1–0 2007–08 Asteras Tripolis – PAOK 2–0 2007–08 PAOK – Asteras Tripolis 0–1 2008–09 Asteras Tripolis – Aris 4–0 2009–10 Asteras Tripolis – AEK 2–0 2009–10 Aris – Asteras Tripolis 0–1 2010–11 AE Larissa – Asteras Tripolis 0–2 2011–12 Asteras Tripolis – Olympiacos 2–0 2011–12 PAOK – Asteras Tripolis 2–3 2012–13 Asteras Tripolis – AEK 3–1 2012–13 Asteras Tripolis – PAOK 1–0 2013–14 Asteras Tripolis – Olympiacos 2–1 2013–14 Asteras Tripolis – Panathinaikos 1–0 2013–14 Asteras Tripolis – PAOK 2–1 2014–15 Asteras Tripolis – PAOK 3–0 2015–16 Asteras Tripolis – PAOK 2–1 2015–16 AEK – Asteras Tripolis 0–1 European record Last update: 10 December 2015 Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate 2012–13 UEFA Europa League 2Q Inter Baku 1–1 1–1 2–2 (4–2 p) 3Q Marítimo 1–1 0–0 1–1 (a) 2013–14 UEFA Europa League 3Q Rapid Wien 1–1 1–3 2–4 2014–15 UEFA Europa League 2Q RoPS 4–2 1–1 5–3 3Q Mainz 05 3–1 0–1 3–2 PO Maccabi Tel Aviv 2–0 1–3 3–3 (a) Group C Tottenham Hotspur 1–2 1–5 3rd place Beşiktaş 2–2 1–1 Partizan 2–0 0–0 2015–16 UEFA Europa League Group K Schalke 04 0–4 0–4 3rd place APOEL 2–0 1–2 Sparta Prague 1–1 0–1 Honours Domestic competitions Superleague Greece Third place (1): 2014–15 Greek Cup Runners-up (1): 2012–13 Football League Winners (1): 2006–07 Football League 2 Winners (1): 2005–06 Delta Ethniki Winners (1): 2005 Arcadian Championship Winners (8): 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1988, 1990, 2003 Arcadian Cup Winners (3): 1990, 2004, 2005 Arcadian Double Winners (1): 1990 Professional history 9 seasons in the Super League Greece 3 seasons in the Second Division 2 seasons in the Third Division 5 seasons in the Fourth Division Players Current squad As of 5 August 2015 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Position Player 1 GK Tomáš Košický 2 MF Dudu 3 DF Thanasis Panteliadis 6 DF Fernando Alloco 7 FW Pablo Mazza 8 MF Elini Dimoutsos 9 FW Dimitris Papadopoulos 10 FW Manuel Lanzarote 11 MF Nicolás Fernández 13 MF Giorgos Zisopoulos 15 DF Khalifa Sankaré 17 DF Ritchie Kitoko 18 DF Kostas Giannoulis 19 MF Tasos Tsokanis No. Position Player 20 MF Taxiarchis Fountas 21 GK Kostas Theodoropoulos 23 MF Facundo Bertoglio 25 MF Dimitris Kourbelis 27 DF Braian Lluy 30 DF Dorin Goian (Captain) 31 MF Aleksandar Stanisavljević 37 GK Georgios Bantis 54 MF Rachid Hamdani 62 MF Walter Iglesias 86 MF Ederson Tormena 94 FW Hervaine Moukam 99 FW Apostolos Giannou Out on loan Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Position Player DF Giorgos Kyriakopoulos (on loan to Ergotelis) MF Wato Kuaté (on loan to Trikala F.C.) Historical squads Fülöp Kourbelis Sankaré Tsabouris Pipinis Usero (c) Kontoes Rayos Navarro De Blasis Perrone 2013 Greek Cup Final starting lineup vs. Olympiacos C.F.P. (4–5–1) Affiliated clubs Villarreal CF Personnel Owner(s): Dimitrios Bakos & Giannis Kaimenakis President: Georgios Borovilos 1st Vice-President Nikolaos Bakos 2nd Vice-President Alexandra Kaimenaki Technical staff Manager: Staikos Vergetis Assistant Manager: Dimitris Terezopoulos Goalkeeper Coach: Head Doctor: Kostas Dimitrakopoulos Physio: Kostas Diamantopoulos Managerial history Giannis Petrakis (2004 – Jan 06) Lysandros Georgamlis (Jan 2006 – May 06) Giannis Papakostas (June 2006 – Dec 06) Paulo Campos (Nov 29, 2006 – Feb 2, 2008) Panagiotis Tzanavaras (Feb 25, 2008 – May 13, 2008) Carlos Carvalhal (May 14, 2008 – Oct 15, 2008) Nikos Kostenoglou (Nov 20, 2008 – May 18, 2009) Mario Gómez (July 1, 2009 – Oct 25, 2009) Vangelis Vlachos (Oct 26, 2009 – Jan 17, 2011) Pavlos Dermitzakis (Jan 21, 2011 – May 17, 2011) Óscar Fernández (June 15, 2011 – Sept 19, 2011) Horácio Gonçalves (Sept 19, 2011 – Nov 7, 2011) Sakis Tsiolis (Nov 9, 2011 – Sept 30, 2013) Staikos Vergetis (Oct 2, 2013–) References External links (Greek) Official website Asteras Tripolis TV channel from Goal4Replay.net (English) (Greek) Asteras Tripolis Stadium in English