Where To Now, For AEK?

By: Chris Paraskevas | November 6th, 2008

In cooperation with Goal.com:

It was a moment that should have unified, a split second of magic that should have inspired celebration in even the most cynical and disillusioned fan.

With seconds remaining and the scores at 1-1, the Olympic stadium was an appropriate venue for what was an effort of Herculean proportions from a side who are in every sense of the word, mortal.

Forget that Giorgios Donis, arguably one of the most talented managers to emerge out of Greece in recent years, was about to be shown the exit door from a club after just eight matches and one chaotic pre-season in charge.

The former Larissa coach is not the most popular figure amongst fans, having struggled to implement a noticeable playing philosophy at his new club, struggling to bring results.

But out on the pitch, football is not about the man who sits on the bench, nor the specific individuals who wear the jerseys, or even those who sit with jackets in the stands.

No. When a football club are faced with adversity, ridiculed and trapped in a seemingly vicious cycle of failure and embarrassment, a greater cause transcends the fickle preferences of the teeming masses.

The cause of the team.

Algerian striker Raffik Djebbour has this season typified the out-of-form forward, the acquisition of unfulfilled potential.

Arriving from neighbouring Athenian club Panionios with a reputation for prolific goal-scoring ability born out of his power and technique, he was one of the latest transfers of what was a shambolic pre-season from an administrative and personnel perspective.

His new manager, Giorgios Donis, has justified his complete absence of early-season form by pointing out that the 24 year-old had barely been given the chance to work his way into a state approaching match fitness.

However, his apparently psychological frailty was typified by a glaring miss against Larissa two weeks ago, alongside some non-existent performances.

It is within such a context that the international was introduced as a second-half substitute against Asteras Tripolis on Sunday, a match upon which his manager’s job conspicuously depended.

After labouring admirably for much of the second-half, the French-born attacker watched as his side faced the prospect of one of the most embarrassing results of their season, conceding the most demoralizing of Marcelao free-kicks with less than a third of the game remaining.

To make matters worse, the loss of midfielder Antonis Rikka to injury meant Donis’ troops would need to play out the last fifteen minutes of the game with ten men, after he had already used up all of his allotted substitutions.

Considering such circumstances while seeing Raffik Djebbour produce a quite stunning bicycle kick in the 93rd minute of the match to seal one of the most sensational victories on the Greek domestic scene in living memory, one wonders how the reaction of the watching crowd can be bordering on anything but wild jubilation.

But this is no ordinary football club.

This is AEK Athens.

During the moments after AEK’s equalizer and winner against Tripolis, there appeared to be a great chasm between fan and football.

Where Giorgios Donis was forced to retreat from the pitch, no doubt in part to the overwhelming emotion of the moment in which his future as manager of one of the biggest clubs in Greeks was temporarily secured (remember that Donis is only 38 years-old), sections of the OAKA were expressing their dissatisfaction in no uncertain terms – and they were not the strong contingent of Tripolis fans present.

To understand the reaction of these men and women, one must be familiar with their psychology, which I will not delve into within the confines of this literary piece.

What is clear, however, is that AEK remains a club that lacks unity.

Djebbour’s effort – which at most other clubs would have brought at least a temporary state of peace – instead served to highlight the stark divisions at the “Athletic Union of Constantinople”.

Exactly who is to blame then, for this lack of unity. Sections of the fans, with their seemingly unrealistic expectations and ideologies? The players, for their noticeable lack of discipline and direction? The manager? The president?

The reality of the situation is that blame cannot be directed towards one particular party, as that would shroud the harsh truth that AEK Athens have been without a true leader for quite some time now.

At this point, many of you would point out that Demis Nikolaidis – who resigned immediately after the Tripolis match – rescued the club from the brink of financial ruin and relegation to the depths of Greek football, with little more than his unquestionable passion and love.

Whilst it is true that the former AEK star and Euro 2004-winner was an enigmatic character who rescued the club initially, the reality of his tenure was that it was never realistically going to be long-term.

Nikolaidis had neither the financial weight or business acumen to survive in the administrative world of football.

His was a role that will forever be remembered amongst fans as one of resurrection, guidance and genuine care for the club, where he arguably stood to gain little but gave everything.

Nikolaidis’ sudden decision to resign with immediate effect after the Tripolis match only supports the theory that his feelings for the club, combined with his inexperience as a leader off the pitch, were always an obstacle to a long-term leadership role.

The decision to leave now instead of next May (when he had initially announced he would be resigning), whilst honest, is also irresponsible.

It casts into serious doubt the future of Giorgios Donis and doesn’t create a particularly stable image of the club for potential investors and/or leaders, a subject that will apparently be at the centre of much discussion by the AEK board and caretaker presidents Takis Kanellopoulos and Nikos Koulis over the next month.

While a strong leader and figurehead would be the ideal solution for a club currently lacking direction and being dictated by the whimsical notions of its supporters, it is unsurprising that Sunday’s victory – which would have brought a sense of relief and stability to most other football clubs – has provided more questions than answers:

Where to now, for AEK?