Kalamata F.C.

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Kalamata
Full nameΠοδοσφαιρικός Σύλλογος "Η Καλαμάτα"
Nickname(s)Μαύρη Θύελλα (Black Storm)
Founded1967; 57 years ago (1967)
GroundKalamata Municipal Stadium
Capacity4,496
OwnerGeorge Prassas
ChairmanGeorge Prassas
ManagerDimitrios Spanos
LeagueSuper League Greece 2
2023–24Super League Greece 2, 5th
Websitehttp://fckalamata.gr/

Kalamata Football Club (Greek: Π.Σ. "Η Καλαμάτα") is a Greek professional football club based in Kalamata, Messenia. They compete in the Super League Greece 2, the second tier of the Greek football league system. The club's home ground is the Kalamata Metropolitan Stadium.

Creation and early years

Kalamata FC was formed in 1967 when local teams Apollon Kalamata FC and Kalamata Sports Club were forced to merge by the Greek Junta.[1] The Phoenix, which was the emblem of the dictatorship, was chosen as the team's crest and was removed after the Greek restoration of democracy in 1974.

History

The team has competed in the Greek first division seven times, in 1972–73, 1974–75, from 1995–96 to 1997–98, and from 1999–2000 to 2000–01.[2]

Kalamata F.C. achieved its first two promotions to the first division, in 1972 and 1974, under President Lykourgos Gaitanaros. Its first two promotions in the early 1970s are considered the team's first golden era.[citation needed] The team could not stick in the top flight though, and would not have a resurgence until the 1990s.

Nikos Liberopoulos

Businessman Stavros Papadopoulos bought the team in 1992, while the club was stuck in Gamma Ethniki, the third division. Upon his arrival, Papadopoulos began pouring a substantial amount of money into the club, and by 1995 the team had achieved promotion to the first division. The team dropped back to the second division for one season in 1998, but again achieved promotion to the first division the very next year, and remained in the top flight until Papadopoulos sold the team in 2000. After Papadopoulos' departure Kalamata fell to the second division and has since stayed in the lower divisions.

The Papadopoulos era of Kalamata F.C. saw the signing of many international players from Ghana, such as Samuel Johnson, Afo Dodoo, Ebenezer Hagan, Peter Ofori-Quaye and Derek Boateng. Johnson later transferred from Kalamata to Anderlecht and later played for Fenerbahçe, Hagan transferred to Iraklis and then to PAOK, Ofori-Quaye was sold for a club record US$3.5 million to Olympiacos, and Derek Boateng left for Panathinaikos. Kalamata FC is credited with starting the trend among Greek clubs of signing African talent since the late 1990s. The Papadopoulos era also saw the uncovering of a wealth of young Greek talent, including Greek international player Nikos Liberopoulos, who made his name at Kalamata before moving to Panathinaikos, and from there to AEK and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Kalamata FC team bus

After being demoted to the second division in 1997, they eventually started to bring in young Brazilian talent, as well as some veterans of the biggest teams in Brazil. The Brazilians helped the team gain promotion to the first division right away in 1998. According to Brazilian media and insiders, Papadopoulos' son Daniil, a former high level amateur athlete in America, was supposedly instrumental in spotting some of the Brazilian talent and sending them to Kalamata FC.[citation needed] One of them, Hilton Assis (1999-2000), turned out to be the first cousin of Brazil and Barcelona FC super star Ronaldinho. Hilton was once a promising player in Brazil who starred for Internacional of Porto Alegre, but serious knee operations curtailed his career. When he was healthy he was Kalamata's top goal scorer, but he returned to the Brazilian first division after Papadopoulos sold the team.

Kalamata's long-standing rivals are Paniliakos and Egaleo.

Crest and colours

Former crest of Kalamata F.C.

Kalamata F.C.'s official colours are black and white, and the team is known in Greece as the "Black Storm" (Μαύρη Θύελλα).

Stadium

Kalamata plays its home matches at Kalamata Metropolitan Stadium in Kalamata. The stadium was completed in 1976, and currently has a seating capacity of 5,400.[3]

Supporters

Kalamata F.C.'s most famous supporters' club is the "Bulldogs Fan Club".[4]

Rivals

Kalamata's long-standing rivals are Paniliakos, located in Pyrgos in the western Peloponnese, and Egaleo, in Athens suburb of Egaleo. Messiniakos is Kalamata's cross-town rival, but Messiniakos generally competed in lower leagues.

Participations in Leagues

1st tier 7
2nd tier 24 (*include 2024-25)
3rd tier 21
4th tier (*not exist) 4

Sponsors

As for the 2019–20 the main sponsor of the team is the Greek electrical company Volterra SA and the kit provider is Capelli Sport.

Players

Main page: List of Kalamata players

Current squad

As of 13 September 2024

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Greece GRE Georgios Ladas
4 DF Greece GRE Stefanos Stroungis
5 MF Argentina ARG Santiago Ubeda
6 DF Finland FIN Juha Pirinen
7 MF Argentina ARG Juan Cataldi
8 MF Greece GRE Georgios Xenitidis
9 FW Argentina ARG Jeronimo Barrales
10 FW France FRA Nicolas Diguiny
11 MF Greece GRE Frixos Grivas
12 GK Montenegro MNE Ivo Marovic
14 MF Greece GRE Georgios Pamlidis (on loan from Aris)
15 DF Greece GRE Georgios Valerianos
17 MF Netherlands NED Daan Rienstra
18 FW Bolivia BOL Carmelo Algarañaz
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF France FRA Messemo Bakayoko
20 MF Guinea GUI Ahmad Mendes Moreira
22 DF Greece GRE Apostolos Stikas
23 MF Greece GRE Nikos Anastasopoulos
24 DF Greece GRE Panagiotis Konstantinopoulos (captain)
27 DF Greece GRE Manolis Tzanakakis
48 MF Brazil BRA Matheus Alves
62 DF Greece GRE Timotheos Tselepidis
70 GK Greece GRE Konstantinos Kotsaris
77 DF Syria SYR Abdul Rahman Oues
99 MF Ghana GHA Hagan Frimpong
— MF Argentina ARG Patricio Núñez (on loan from Deportivo Morón)
— DF Greece GRE Stavros Vasilantonopoulos
— MF Greece GRE Georgios Moustakopoulos

Honours

Domestic

League titles

Regional

League titles

Cups

League Participation

Notable wins

Season Match Score
1995–96 Kalamata – Olympiacos 3–0
1974–75 Kalamata – Panathinaikos 2–0
1996–97 Kalamata – Panathinaikos 1–0
2000–01 Kalamata – AEK Athens 3–1
1995–96 Kalamata – AEL 5–0
1996–97 Kalamata – Aris 5–0
2000–01 Kalamata – Aris 5–2

European matches

Season Competition Round Club Home Away
2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup 3rd Round Czech Republic FK Chmel Blšany 0−3 0–5

Notable Former Managers

Notable former players

Greece
Ghana
Argentina
Brazil
Albania
Uruguay
Serbia
Sweden
  • Sweden Peter Larsson

References

  1. ^ "History of Kalamata FC". fckalamata.gr. 2004-08-18. Archived from the original on 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  2. ^ "Greece - Final Tables 1959-1999". RSSSF. 2003-08-03. Archived from the original on 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  3. ^ "Kalamata Stadium". Stadia.gr. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
  4. ^ "Bulldogs Fan Club". Bulldogs Fan Club. Archived from the original on 2009-02-06.
  5. ^ "Greece - List of Second Division Champions". RSSSF. 2004-06-03. Archived from the original on 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
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