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Pafos FC

Pafos
Full namePafos Football Club
Founded10 June 2014; 10 years ago (2014-06-10)
GroundStelios Kyriakides Stadium
Capacity9,300[1]
ChairmanRoman Dubov
ManagerJuan Carlos Carcedo
LeagueFirst Division
2023–24First Division, 5th
Websitehttps://pafosfc.com.cy/
Current season

Pafos F.C. (Greek: Πάφος F.C.) is a Cypriot professional football club based in Paphos. It was created in 2014, by the merger of AEP Paphos and AEK Kouklia. The club plays 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

Early years (2014–2017)

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/Lomakin Era (since 2017)

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.

Pafos FC - Aris Limassol FC 25.02.2022

Since Dubov's arrival, the team's placement in the league has improved or remained constant every year, from 2018 until 2023. On 25 February 2022, a new attendance record was set for Pafos FC, as over 4661 fans came to support the club in a 1–1 home draw against Aris Limassol, which secured a place in the championship playoffs for the first time in the club's history.[6] Pafos FC players were the top goalscorers of the Cypriot First Division in the 2018–19, 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons.

On 24 June 2023, Juan Carlos Carcedo was announced as the new Head Coach of Pafos.[7] In May 2024, Pafos won the Cypriot Cup, marking the club's first major honour.[8]

Domestic history

Season League Cypriot Cup Top goalscorer Manager
Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Name League
2014–15 2nd 2nd 26 19 5 2 55 19 62 First Round Serbia Radmilo Ivančević
Cyprus Sofoklis Sofokleous
2015–16 1st 12th 36 8 12 16 41 58 36 Quarterfinal Netherlands Nassir Maachi 11 Cyprus Sofoklis Sofokleous
Spain José Manuel Roca
Cyprus Apostolos Makrides
2016–17 2nd 2nd 26 17 6 3 51 24 57 First Round Cyprus Dimitris Ioannou
2017–18 1st 10th 36 11 9 16 36 51 42 Semifinal Austria Daniel Sikorski
France Kévin Bérigaud
7 Slovenia Luka Elsner
Scotland Steven Pressley
2018–19 1st 8th 32 12 8 12 39 50 38 Quarterfinal Slovakia Adam Nemec 16 Scotland Steven Pressley
Croatia Željko Kopić
2019–20 1st 7th 23 8 6 9 26 28 30 Second Round Finland Onni Valakari 5 Croatia Željko Kopić
Wales Cameron Toshack
2020–21 1st 7th 40 18 9 13 58 38 63 Second Round Finland Onni Valakari
France Kévin Bérigaud
13 Wales Cameron Toshack
Ukraine Dmytro Mykhaylenko
England Stephen Constantine
2021–22 1st 6th 32 11 13 8 39 30 46 Second Round Finland Onni Valakari 10 Slovenia Darko Milanič
Spain Míchel Salgado (Acting Head Coach)
2022–23 1st 4th 32 17 12 7 60 30 63 Semifinal Brazil Jairo 18 Norway Henning Berg
Spain Míchel Salgado (Acting Head Coach)
2023–24 1st 5th 36 18 8 10 60 33 62 Champions Brazil Jairo 16 Spain Juan Carlos Carcedo

Honours

Type Competition Titles Seasons Ref.
Domestic
Cypriot Cup 1

2023–24

[8]
  •   record

European history

As of match played 19 December 2024
Competition Pld W D L GF GA
UEFA Europa League 2 0 0 2 2 8
UEFA Conference League 12 6 1 5 23 12
Total 14 6 1 7 25 20
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2024–25 UEFA Europa League 1Q Sweden Elfsborg 2–5 0–3 2–8
UEFA Conference League 2Q Lithuania Žalgiris 3–0 (a.e.t.) 1–2 4–2
3Q Bulgaria CSKA 1948 4–0 (a.e.t.) 1–2 5–2
PO Romania CFR Cluj 3–0 0–1 3–1
LP Moldova Petrocub Hîncești 4–1 12th Place
Germany 1. FC Heidenheim 0–1
Kazakhstan Astana 1–0
Italy Fiorentina 2–3
Slovenia Celje 2–0
Switzerland Lugano 2–2
KPO Cyprus Omonia
Notes
  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round
  • LP: League Phase
  • KPO: Knockout phase play-offs

Badge and colours

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.[9][10] The emblem was renewed during the period 2018–19, making the depiction of the hero Evagoras Pallikarides more prominent.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2019–2023 Jako KORANTINA HOMES

Players

As of 30 September 2024[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Croatia CRO Ivica Ivušić
2 DF Cyprus CYP Kostas Pileas
3 DF Argentina ARG Matías Melluso
4 DF Czech Republic CZE Josef Kvída
5 DF Spain ESP David Goldar
7 FW Brazil BRA Bruno Felipe
8 MF Guinea-Bissau GNB Domingos Quina
9 FW Brazil BRA Léo Natel
10 FW Brazil BRA Jairo (captain)
11 FW Brazil BRA Jajá (on loan from Athletico Paranaense)
16 MF Argentina ARG Mateo Tanlongo (on loan from Sporting CP)
22 FW Sweden SWE Muamer Tanković
23 DF Netherlands NED Derrick Luckassen
25 MF Senegal SEN Moustapha Name
No. Pos. Nation Player
26 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Ivan Šunjić
30 MF Romania ROU Vlad Dragomir
32 DF Morocco MAR Mehdi Boukamir (on loan from Sporting Charleroi)
33 FW Brazil BRA Anderson Silva (on loan from Alanyaspor)
45 DF Brazil BRA Rafael Pontelo (on loan from Sporting CP)
49 MF Portugal POR Bruno Tavares
55 GK Croatia CRO Antonio Cikač
70 FW Cyprus CYP Marios Ilia
77 DF Cape Verde CPV João Correia
80 MF Cyprus CYP Christos Efzona
88 MF Portugal POR Pêpê
93 GK Cyprus CYP Neofytos Michail
99 GK Greece GRE Athanasios Papadoudis

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Russia RUS Khetag Kochiyev (at Rodina Moscow until 30 June 2025)
MF Brazil BRA Diogo Dall'Igna (at Enosis Neon Paralimni until 30 June 2025)
MF Guinea GUI Mamadou Kané (at Rodina Moscow until 30 June 2025)
MF Finland FIN Onni Valakari (at AIK until 30 June 2025)
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF Portugal POR Pedro Pelágio (at Chaves until 30 June 2025)
FW Ghana GHA Patrick Twumasi (at Beitar Jerusalem until 30 June 2025)
FW Guinea GUI Thierno Barry (at Enosis Neon Paralimni until 30 June 2025)

Current staff

Senior Management
Vice President Cyprus George Ioannou
CEO Cyprus Charis Theocharous
COO England Rustam Khafizov
Sporting Director Italy Cristiano Giaretta
Head Scout Portugal Rodolfo Filipe Aniceto Vaz
Senior Scout Brazil Pedro Henrique
CFA Representative Cyprus Filippos Georgiou
Technical staff
Head Coach Spain Juan Carlos Carcedo
Assistant Coach Spain Sergio Domínguez Cobo
Assistant Coach Spain Sebastián Corona
Goalkeeping Coach Croatia Silvije Čavlina
Fitness Coach Spain Edu Caro
Head Analyst Cyprus Andreas Kattamis

Managers

As of match played 19 December 2024
Manager name From To Duration P W D L Win %
Serbia Radmilo Ivančević 1 July 2014 14 October 2014 105 days
Cyprus Sofoklis Sofokleous 1 November 2014 9 November 2015 1 year, 8 days
Spain José Manuel Roca 17 November 2015 14 December 2015 27 days
Cyprus Apostolos Makridis 16 December 2015 31 May 2016 167 days
Cyprus Dimitris Ioannou 14 June 2016 31 May 2017 351 days
Slovenia Luka Elsner 30 June 2017 21 January 2018 205 days 23 6 6 11 26.09
Scotland Steven Pressley 31 January 2018 9 October 2018 251 days 22 8 5 9 36.36
Croatia Željko Kopić 19 October 2018 6 November 2019 1 year, 18 days 41 16 11 14 39.02
England Jeremy Steele (Caretaker) 6 November 2019 13 December 2019 37 days 5 3 1 1 60
Wales Cameron Toshack 13 December 2019[12] 20 October 2020[13] 312 days 21 8 5 8 38.1
Ukraine Dmytro Mykhaylenko 20 October 2020[14] 31 January 2021[15] 103 days 16 4 5 7 25
England Stephen Constantine 4 February 2021[16] 30 June 2021[17] 146 days 18 12 2 4 66.67
Slovenia Darko Milanič 30 June 2021[18] 10 May 2022[19] 314 days 33 11 14 8 33.33
Spain Míchel Salgado (Caretaker) 14 May 2022[20] 22 May 2022 8 days 2 1 0 1 50
Norway Henning Berg 11 June 2022[21] 3 April 2023[22] 296 days 33 17 11 5 51.52
Spain Míchel Salgado (Caretaker) 3 April 2023 24 June 2023 82 days 9 3 3 3 33.33
Spain Juan Carlos Carcedo 24 June 2023[7] 1 year, 179 days 70 40 11 19 57.14

References

  1. ^ "Στάδιο Στέλιος Κυριακίδης (πρώην Παφιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο)". Cyprussports.org. Archived from the original on 2021-12-18. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  2. ^ "Limassol second-tier club gets Russian YouTuber makeover". Financial Mirror. 2022-08-18. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  3. ^ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΙΑ ΜΕ ΡΑΤΜΙΛΟ ΙΒΑΝΤΣΕΒΙΤΣ (in Greek). pafosfc.com.cy. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Cypriot Second Division - Participating and promoted teams per season". 2016-06-24. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  5. ^ "lucky88". Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  6. ^ "ΤΟΣΟΙ στην Πάφο!". Balla.com.cy. 2022-02-25. Archived from the original on 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  7. ^ a b "PAFOS FC NEW HEAD COACH – Juan Carlos Carcedo". pafosfc.com.cy. Pafos FC. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  8. ^ a b Καρτσάκης, Νίκος (18 May 2024). "Ομόνοια - Πάφος 0-3: Έγραψαν ιστορία οι Παφίτες, κατακτώντας το πρώτο Κύπελλο της ιστορίας τους". gazzetta.gr (in Greek). Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "Δείτε το νέο έμβλημα της Πάφος F.C!". protathlima.com. 7 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Our Team – PAFOS FC". pafosfc.com.cy. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019.
  12. ^ "Cameron Toshack". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "CONTRACT TERMINATION WITH CAMERON TOSHACK". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 20 October 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  14. ^ "DMYTRO MYKHAYLENKO – nEW HEAD COACH". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 20 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  15. ^ "CONTRACT TERMINATION WITH DMYTRO MYKHAILENKO". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 31 January 2021. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  16. ^ "STEPHEN CONSTANTINE / NEW HEAD COACH OF PAFOS FC". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 4 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  17. ^ "END OF CONTRACT WITH STEPHEN CONSTANTINE". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.[permanent dead link]
  18. ^ "DARKO MILANIC APPOINTED AS HEAD COACH". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "Darko Milanic has been relieved of his duties as Pafos FC Head Coach, effective immediately". facebook.com/fcpafos. FC Pafos Facebook. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  20. ^ "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. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  21. ^ "HENNING BERG JOINS PAFOS FC AS NEW HEAD COACH". pafosfc.com.cy. Pafos FC. 11 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  22. ^ "PAFOS FC: HENNING BERG RELIEVED OF DUTIES". facebook.com/pafosfc/. Pafos FC Facebook. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.