Nikolaidis on his way out?

By: Chris Paraskevas | August 21st, 2008

AEK could be in the hands of a new owner within the space of a few hours, with rumors now circulating that a press conference called by current president Demis Nikolaidis for Friday, 22nd August, 11 am local time, could be used to announce his departure from AEK.

The man tipped to be his replacement is former AEK president and oil tycoon Dimitris Melissanidis. For me, it is the right move at the wrong time.

In an extremely difficult period for the club from a footballing perspective, the last thing needed was off-pitch instability. Ahead of a crucial qualifier against Omonia next week, what was needed was unity and a total focus on the task at hand. What we have are further distractions for the 11 men who will take the to the field in Nicosia…

If Demis wanted to leave, he should have done so at the beginning of the summer, allowing for the new owners to build a side for the upcoming season and mould the club into their image. What we potentially have is a Newcastle-esque situation, whereby the impending arrival of new owners could spell the end for Donis, as it eventually did for Sam Allardyce, the choice of previous owner Freddy Shepherd and instantly out-of-favour with Mike Ashley. Is that the sort of thought process we need before attempting to overturn a 1-0 deficit in a UEFA Cup Group Stage Qualifier?

On the other hand, one can’t help but feel that the sudden decision to end his reign at the helm of the Enosi might have been influenced by the result at home to Omonia, which has simply brought to the fore a number of on and off-pitch issues which have been plaguing the club for the best part of a-season-and-a-half now. A lack of movement on the transfer market and poor pre-season form are merely some of the consequences of problems whose origins do not necessarily reside in the summer that has just past, nor in fact, at any time during Demis’ time as president. The Dikefalos Aetos has been suffering for quite some time…

Ultimately, the exit of Demis is an inevitable one. The financial constraints of the Euro 2004-winner was always going to be the source of his demise - he simply doesn’t have the financial power of the likes of Melissanidis, Kokkalis and Pateras. Despite the solid foundations Nikolaidis laid during tumultuous times for AEK, the make-up of modern football demands money. Without it, how can one compete with the yearly spending sprees of the Athenian rivals?

Whatever is announced at tomorrow’s press conference, most AEK fans, regardless of their opinions of the young president, will no doubt be thankful for the unique contribution he made to a football club never short of controversy…

Anyway, while all of this commotion is unfolding, there’s a friendly match soon to get underway between our beloved Kitrinomavri and Dutch side Groningen. Fun, fun, fun…