The year is 1948, a period of athletic reformation in the island of Cyprus; The civil war and the political situations evolving in Greece at the time, rapidly begin to influence Cyprus, while the political situations in Nicosia between the board of the hated rival apoel, seems like a volcano ready to erupt. The start of the tension amongst our present day arch rivals was a telegram which was sent from the official board of the team addressing S.Ε.G.Α.S in May 23rd 1948. Within the telegram the presidency and board of apoel addressed the athletic youth of Greece, stating their wish for the termination of the ‘Nation-Killing Mutiny’ as they described the Communist struggle against the British monarchy-fascists in Greece at the time. The board of the athletic club had in mind the consequences of the telegram’s content but did not hesitate to send and publish it anyway.
This action was immediately abandoned by a group of athletes, specifically football players within the team, since the content of the telegram was a direct and brutal violation of the team’s official statute. The statute was forbidding the involvement of the club to political issues. The result of the players’ opposition to this action was their permanent banishment from the club with the following message: ‘Get out of our stadiums, build your own, and enrol in the Russian Federation of Football. Only athletes who think and act as Greeks will be allowed within our grounds, and not Communists who hymn the traitors’. But every action has a reaction and the one that was about to take place, would shake the foundations of Cypriot football and society, once and for all. These heroic athletes who denied sacrificing their beliefs decided to bring to life a new athletic club named Α.Σ.Ο.Λ ( athletic club OMONOIA Nicosia, pronouced Omonia ), with one and only goal, to limit the fascist and nationalistic influences in football and in extent the Cypriot society. 4th June 1948, was the date which marked the creation of the club soon to become the most dominant and powerful within the island. From then and on, a wave of opposition begins and the nationalistic society of Cyprus clashes with the ultimate and powerful to become, communists.
At the beginning, the amount of hatred between the two rivals is successfully covered by the conservative society of Cyprus, and its media. With the passage of years, OMONOIA gets more and more powerful and is rapidly established as the dominant team of the island. All these elements together along with the political tensions and situations evolving within the island take the hatred between the rivals to disturbing levels for the society of Cyprus. In the mid-sixties, OMONOIA was labelled as the communist team of Cyprus, both in club level and within its fans, who were originated from the lower layers of society, workers and oppressed. The separation of fans within the island continued throughout the seventies and the rivalry between OMONOIA and the fascists was increasing day by day. Throughout the years, OMONOIA stands were always a form of gathering of the oppressed of the island, and fans would and still do, carry their flags and symbols of the left. Stands would be decorated with the red flags along with hammer and sickle symbols, the banners and pictures of Ernesto (Che) Guevara, and the fans would chant leftist and communist songs.
The most important landmark on a team’s history is its first championship which OMONOIA won for the first time in 1961. Some titles followed in that decade but the seventies and eighties were about to become the golden era of OMONOIA football club. In twenty years OMONOIA conquered everything, and left the rest of Cypriot teams simple spectators while the club was becoming a legend within the island. Those twenty years established OMONOIA as the queen of football in the island since the club succeeded fourteen championships, seven cups, and eight super cups, an unreachable record which can never be broken. Throughout the years OMONOIA became the first power of Cypriot football and until today has conquered nineteen championships, twelve cups and fourteen super cups, while the club also succeeded five doubles within what is described as the ‘Golden Era’ of the team.
The name and emblem chosen for the club were not decided randomly. OMONOIA is the Greek word for unity & soldarity, an element absent at the time from the Cypriot society, and a name which empowered its people with strength and ideals. The colors of the team were once again chosen based on elements which Cypriot society had left behind; Green the color of hope, and white the color of joy. OMONOIA was a society on its own, different from any kind the island had ever seen; united, strong, idealistic, and revolutionary. The emblem of the team was decided based on the same elements but a slight yet significant difference. The Shamrock was chosen for its green color of hope, yet it was also chosen to reveal an emblem of power, prevailing of any other the island had ever seen. All these elements together revealed one powerful message, that everything that Cypriot society lacked would only be accomplished within struggle from its people and OMONOIA was the leading force of this social struggle.
Analytical Display of all Titles
Championships (20)
1960-61, 1965-66, 1971-72, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1988-89, 1992-93, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2009-2010
Cups (14)
1966-67, 1971-72, 1973-74, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1987-88, 1990-91, 1993-94, 1999-2000, 2004-2005, 2010-2011, 2011-2012
SUPER CUPS (15)
1968, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2012
DOUBLES (5)
1971-72, 1973-74, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83
Interesting Facts
• OMONOIA has the most titles in Cypriot football
• OMONOIA holds all records of fans attendance in Cypriot football with first and unreachable the season of 2003-2004 where our fans managed 143,033 tickets.
• Gate 9 was established in 1992 and has since been the pride of the club
Some called it opposition…Some called it revolution…We simply call it OMONOIA !
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