Las hojas del presidente

By: Chris Paraskevas | August 22nd, 2008

I thought it appopriate to announce the impending exit of Demis Nikolaidis in what I understand is one of his favourite languages – so much so that he even speaks to Rivaldo in Spanish? Correct me if I’m wrong…

In any case, Nikolaidis called the press conference and did what this blog had expected him to do , announcing that he had offered his resignation from the club, effective as of May 2009 (the end of the current season).

My previous reservations about the ill-timing of the announcement – again, I point to the crucial qualifier against Omonia in mid-week – are still standing, particularly in light of the fact that Nikolaidis claims that the sudden arrangement of the press conference had as a catalyst a certain newspaper article. If that is the case, then why allow such an important discussion between shareholders to be leaked out to the public in the first place? Surely the decision-making processes involving the club’s administration should in this case be of a sensitive nature?

I could sit here and play the blame game, pointing the finger at an inexperienced administrator whose qualifications for the job were basically that he was a former player who clearly loved the club. But that would be too easy for me to do and quite frankly, would probably be a little naive considering that my own qualifications for the same role are none. Let’s face it, not many of us know exactly what was going on in the AEK boardroom during the past few days or indeed, during the past season, which seems to have been the beginning of the end for Demis (though he claims that this is the merely the expected end of the five-year tenure which he announced in 2004).

In any case, there are positives to be had from the announcement. The first is, that the former cult figure has not acted irresponsibly in the manner of his exit. For him to have left immediately would have thrown the club into on and off-pitch instability, of which the likes have not been seen even by the Enosi since the dark days of Psomiadis and his two same-named ‘cousins’. The fact that Nikolaidis will maintain an element of administrative predictability for the remaining year can only be positive: it might actually allow us to focus on footballing matters without having to worry about the men in suits.

Secondly, it appears as though Nikolaidis wants to leave as a hero. Traditionally, the Greece international has been considered nothing less than that by fans of the Kitrinomavri but it has been suggested that his popularity as a president has dropped severely during the off-season, with season ticket sales dropping dramatically and fans appearing to be disillusioned by a lack of movement on the transfer market and a poor result against Omonia crystallizing the lack of spending power the club has, relative to the other Atheninan clubs.

The reality is, that Nikolaidis’ chance to extend his reign as AEK president came last season, where an unprecedented level of spending during the off-season – in the context of previous spending sprees in the club’s history – saw the likes of Rivaldo and Arruabarrena brought in on huge wages in an attempt to deliver glory to the Dikefalos Aetos. It was a huge gamble by the 34 year-old: one which failed.

Am I suggesting that last-year’s spending spree and consequent failure to secure Champions League Qualification and any sort of domestic silverware was the final nail in the coffin of Demis’ colourful reign as AEK manager? (As president, he has often involved himself with training sessions in a playing capacity and by some reports has shown some decent touches!) Yes I am.

Despite his repeated claims during the press conference that it was always his plan to leave at the end of the fifth year of his tenure, something tells me that Nikolaidis was trying to use last season to build for himself something special at AEK. The financial windfall of Champions League qualification for three successive years at AEK might just have been enough to keep him at the helm of the club for years to come.

In truth, his exit is one that is based on financial constraint. He tried to succeed in the world of Olympiakos and Panathinaikos with comparatively shoe-string finances and failed. But, one must admire his tenacity and savvy reign.

On that sense though, his exit epitomizes more the direction of modern football as a whole, rather than his own shortcomings as a leader…

Adiós demis y gracias por las memorias.