The season 2003-04, Panachaiki f.c. was relegated due to economical debts. After a year without participating into the championship, the team came back in Division B’
The same year (2005), members of former club “Santa Sofia”, among others autonomous fans too, created a new club, whose name was “Navajo Antifa”.
The name of this club came from the homonymous Indian tribal, which is known for its autonomy, independence and self-preservation… The basic characteristics of the club are to support Panachaiki, to be autonomous, to be antifascists…
The members of the club are fans of Patra’s team, they have a political character, they are against fascism and modern football and they fight for a better life inside and outside the sports fields.
During the match of our team, banners with antifascism logos, redblack flags, antinazi symbols and social messages come to state a different point of view in Patra’s grandstands.
2005-2006 was an excellent year for “Navajo”, with wide participation in home matches and many trips away from home… In the middle of football season, Panachaiki changed its home stadium and moved in Pampeloponnisiako Stadium, a very big and “inhospitable” field. “Navajo” at first, expressed their differences and after that they announced their withdrawal until the team returns to its home stadium.
The worst time for the team came in May 2006, when the team was relegated in C’ Division for the first time in its115 years of history (!!!), but “Navajo” continued to supported strongly the team with many fights against the team board, with reactions about the Pampeloponnisiako Stadium, while the team was financially sinking.
The following year with the advent of Grigoris Georgatos (a famous ex-player who was born in Patras), the team returned to Agyia Stadium and the club’s strength inside and outside the field raised again. In football matches, the first banners made their appearance with purely political content now, such us: “Those who burn people and mountains, build casinos and ski resorts” on the occasion of the fires that had burned half of Peloponnese. The political nature of the club grew, but unfortunately somewhere in the middle of November, Panachaiki was meant to live again “black administrative” moments. Georgatos left and instability returned to the team. “Navajo” extended their activities, with a strong presence in the at basket and volley teams of the club, which had never had strong fans.
In 2008, the club became… history, after the conflict with the team board, whose president then was Mr. Makris (a new president of the football team). The reactions evolved to with the … “revolution” in the stadium which increased even more after the assassination of Alexis Grigoropoulos and the entry of the counsel of the cop – killer Korkonea, Alexis Kougias, to the team board. In 2009, Patras and Pampeloponnisiako Stadium became battlegrounds, with lawsuits in founding club members not to slow the president of the team?
”Navajo” became a targeted, but they did not bend. The actions in the streets and the stadiums became huge and the response of fans from different teams from all Greece was incredible .
Nevertheless, the upward trend of the team brought 13,000 of fans for the match with Rhodes, then it was revealed that this match was the beginning of the decline of the team in the mire. Kougias took “for a piece of bread” the presidency of Panachaiki and the… game had started. Another action of the club, is the presence in the “1st R.F.U. Festival», which will “build” a strong relationship between «Navajo» and «Radical team» …
The advent of 2009-10 season, looks great, with a strong team capable to accomplish what they had left half in the match against Rhodes. However, all these would reveal that we were just dreaming . The rigged game would show all Kougias’ intentions, culminating match in Zakynthos and what really happened there. The episodes on the island, returning and continuing dirt PAE (threats – attacks by Kougia ) would stand off many of people. In contrast, in the stadium of Panachaiki, created something unique with coreo, like few in the Greek area , but in the summer of 2010, a large part of the club, with the encouragement of some of the members left and incorporated in new clubs, “Nortenos Patras”.
The core of the association started to weakened, finally we continued the effort and started creating something new and more healthy. At the same time, terrorism prevailed in Patras ,the presence of Kougias’henchmen of Kougias in the field, and not only, will mean even more greater and greater war reactions.
The arrival of 2011, would be the beginning of this effort (the purpose is to make Kougias leave the team) , the grand march of 3,500 fans in the city , and the housing of the club for the first time in history. With the opening, many were, an attack with Molotov not daunt ‘ Indians ‘, which opened … longer horizons , the «Antifa» officially in the name of the link. The pitch will become a place for antifascists visitors from Patras and other cities , for people with political action. It was expanded in Athens , by participating in marches and calls of «Fentagin» (Atromitos fans) in various demonstrations .
The absence of football certainly influenced the club, but did not bend it, like the war of “friends” and “enemies”. Participation in other teams of Panachaiki (basketball-volleyball) especially volleyball, held the club strong. The presence and the “informal” twinning with fans of Gate-9 Omonia Nicosia is true, as well as participations in antifascist marches in other cities of Western Greece .
In 2012 apart from other, would “fall” and the idea of creating a football team. In 2012, the idea of creating a football team came upand after a lot of effort after much trouble and running, “Navajo” created the “Independent Football Team” (a.k.a. AYTONOMH PODOSFAIRIKI OMADA”, which would participate in local leagues of Football Union of Achaia, including people from Panachaiki , children from the city of Patras and outside it, with the characteristics of the club an anti-fascism, anti-racism club, and with a common ideology and thoughts. Of course, nothing was easy. After the State’s decision by the State, the club forced to leave the area and the accommodations.
In 2013-14, the big success of the volleyball team came. We won the championship in Division A2’ and the promotion to “Volley League”. This achievement showed the possibilities of the club, not only in local dimension, but all over Greece as well also by the view of “TV”. In As far as the football team is concerned the club stays steadily in its opinion about changing the leadership. The team stays in Division B’ with the fans making abstention for 3 years now (!!!)
The Club make is making its 2nd effort to be roofed and this now it will be in cooperation with Independent Football Team
With a different character and the political element more intense, new faces with pure Panachaiki’s characteristics, «Navajo-Antifa» struggling against the rottenness of the system, the junta near the football section and the framework for action and the football area of Achaia. Their route? Only the time will tell the truth…