Antonis Papadopoulos

He was born on May 26, 1929, in Agios Memnon¹, Famagusta.

He passed away on August 2, 1981.

Early on, he showed his appeal to sports. He started with athletics, at the Evagoras Gymnastic Association, in Famagusta. He decided to make his love a profession after, graduating from school, he left for Athens to study at the National Academy of Physical Education. A school where he excelled and graduated with an excellent grade!

A special place in his heart was football and of course Anorthosis. While in Athens, he joined AEK. He was selected and became the captain of the team at the time, with the leaders of the Union recommending him to remain at Dikephalos. However, Antonis' love for Anorthosis was such that he rejected the very honorable offer made to him, in order to return to Cyprus and wear the blue and white of Famagusta. From 1954, he returned to the Great Lady, which he led as a leader.

On the first of April 1955, the armed national liberation struggle of EOKA broke out, with the aim of Union with mother Greece. Antonis Papadopoulos responds immediately to the historic call and swears loyalty to the Organization, actively participating in the armed guerrilla.

The changing rooms and the building of Anorthoses are a stronghold in Famagusta, where EOKA activities are organized throughout the province. There, in the building of the Association, Antonis was arrested in January 1956 and taken to the Kokkinotrimithia² detention center. He remained imprisoned until September 1956 when he escaped to become a rebel in the mountains of Cyprus.

He was recaptured on March 3, 1957, in the epic Battle of Machiras. His fraternal friend and deputy leader of EOKA, Grigoris Auxentiou, with whom he fought in the same hideout, orders Antonis Papadopoulos and the other competitors to surrender while he himself sacrifices himself for the idea of the Union, writing one of the most brilliant pages of EOKA.

With the end of the Struggle and the independence of Cyprus, Antonis' knowledge and experience were universally recognized, as a result of which he was appointed Head of Physical Education.

Anorthosis Famagusta, in turn, recognizes the valuable contribution of Antonis Papadopoulos to the Association, to sports, to the homeland and names the temporary headquarters he built in the refugee "Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium"³.

Source: https://anorthosisfc.com.cy