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OFI HISTORY


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OFI, Omilos Filathlon Irakleiou, is a Greek 1st Division soccer club located in Heraklion, Crete.

In the Autumn of 1925 on the beautiful island of Crete, in a corner of the capital, Iraklio, some musicians sat playing their lyres. Someone at the meeting had the idea of starting a society so that others would come and listen to their music. The founding members were impressed to learn of similar societies across the rest of Greece that combined cultural activities with sporting ones, with a particular emphasis on football.

And so OFI was born, the acronym stands for the Society Friends of Sport in Iraklio. The next item on the agenda was a club emblem. On an island with such a glorious and savage history as Crete, it was always bound to be a warlike symbol. A warrior's shield was chosen by the founder and chief inspiration for the club, Vasillis Sfakianakis. Unsurprisingly the choice is steeped in mythology. The shield on the OFI badge is shaped like that of ancient Achilles who fought in the Trojan wars. Achilles is famed for rescuing Helen from the Trojans with the help of a well-known wooden horse.

With the crest complete, the colours remained to be chosen. Black and white were the inevitable choices: white standing for justice and black for courage in local folklore. The club, once founded, was an expression of Iraklio's athleticism, culture and taste. All the talent of Crete was invested and showcased by OFI.

Over time OFI came under the influence of the Vardinoyiannis family, the wealthy Greek shipping dynasty who also own Athens aristocrats Panathinaikos (PAO). The relationship between the two clubs has been heavily criticised by many observers in Greece, while the practice of acquiring feeder clubs has now become standard among the European elite as they look to secure access to young talent for less money.

OFI has not always played the role of doormat though, inflicting a number of crucial defeats on their supposed masters during run-ins to championships or European qualification campaigns. However, the feeder club status at OFI has been underlined in the past by unsubtle mid-season transfers of Cretan talent to PAO.

The traffic has not always been one way though, with many young and talented players being loaned to OFI to get experience and first team action. The relationship has not always worked in favour of the wealthier PAO as was demonstrated in the summer of 1999 when Panathinaikos' chief scout Kazanakis was sent to Latin America. The scout returned with the Argentinian makeweight Fernando Galeto for PAO and the sensational Costa Rican striker Roland Gomez for OFI.

OFI also takes credit as the breeding ground for 1998 European top scorer Nikos Machlas (34 goals for Vitessse Arnhem). Machlas, son of talented former OFI player Giorgos Machlas, later played for Dutch legends Ajax Amsterdam being their most expensive transfer to date.

Other known players to have emerged from O.F.I. Crete are Georgios Samaras of Herenveen rumored to have already been signed by Arsenal. Mahamadu Diarra of the French Monacco, recent qualifiers of the Champion League Crown. Also Yannis Anastasiou who played for years in Holland with Roda before finally ending up in Ajax.

OFI has earned itself a rightful place among the very few clubs wise enough to put their faith in continuity at the helm. Dutch coach Eugene - known by the Greek name Evgenios - has been coaching the team for 15 years. Gerard has openly stated his ambition to be the "Bill Shankley of Crete," and has been a breath of fresh air on the Greek football scene, openly and candidly discussing his opinions on domestic football and refereeing standards. Under Gerard, OFI managed to qualify for the UEFA Cup in the 86-87 season but made it no further than the first round.

The 1999-2000 seasons has witnessed a new dimension to OFI as they have carried their legendary home form to away venues going on a run that has seen them consolidate third place in the table and even threaten, around the turn of the century, to break up the big two of Panathinaikos and Olympiakos. OFI's finely balanced squad of veterans such as Petros Marinakis and youth internationals like defender Manolis Dermitzakis have been afforded a cutting edge by the goal-scoring exploits of summer import Gomez.

Unfortunately in recent years starting period 2000-01 (the first without Eugene Gerards as their coach) and on to now , the cretan team seams to have lost their momentum going from one failure to another and facing a remarakable risk of relegation . The countless changes of presidents and coaches further weakened the team and the glory of the not so far past seems now very distant.

The most remarkable thing in the clubs history in the OO's has been the resurface of a massive fan movement that tries to revive the club and hopes for new feats. Their most famous club is called the Snakes ,a reference to the clubs acronym O.F.I. (means "snake" in greek).

The now president of the club Fanouris Vatsinas faces various allegations of being nothing more than another pawn of the clubs anathema , the Vardinoyannis Family.

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