The bricklayer who won the Golden Boot

While collecting the trophy that designated him as the top European scorer for the 1975-76 season, Sotiris Kaiafas (12/17/1949) inevitably recalls the stressful days he lived with his family in August 1974 when he had to leave his home in Mia Milia, Cypruswhen the Turkish army occupied the north of the island (operation ‘Attila’) in response to the coup, supported by Greek generals, to overthrow Makarios III. If destiny forces you to twist things, there is always a reward in the end for the effort made.

‘A Club Man’

Kaiafas start playing football at the club Mia Miliaang Proodos and at 16 he entered the AC Omonia in the lower categories. Two years later, in 1967, he jumped on the senior team. His irruption in Cypriot football is amazing. Before he climbed into the first team, the Omonia he has won only two national championships. From the 1971-72 season the club will experience a golden decade with goals Kaiafas along with other talented local players such as leonidou, Efthymiades and Stylianou.

He played a total of 405 games in 17 seasons wearing a white and green shirt and scored 263 goals. He has won the Cypriot league nine times and has become a club legend. The most radical group of fans Omonia it was called ‘Gate 9’ in honor of the number it wore on its back.

In addition, the semi-amateur nature of the competition means that players have to combine the sport into one trade: he is a bricklayer and although he has enjoyed the status of a professional player since he won the Golden Bootin his early years as a footballer he was not exempted from construction work for a living.

The ‘Attila’ operation

On July 15, 1974, an armed group called National Guard of Cyprussupported by Greek generals, staged a coup and expelled Makarios III. Turkey he goes on alert and sends several detachments of his army the next day to defend the Turkish Cypriot community. Furthermore, the government of AnkaraI was scared there Greece end the merger with the island. The Turkish conquest reached 38% of the island, it was concentrated in the north of Nicosia and in the population of Kyrenia. The raid lasted until August 20 and they ended up establishing Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus recognized only by Turkey but for all intents and purposes it belongs to Cyprus and divided by the ‘Green Line’ advocated by UN.

Up to 140,000 Greek Cypriots fled from the north of the island, including Sotiriswhile approximately 50,000 Turkish Cypriots migrated from the south.

football effects

The transfer of all this geopolitical framework to football, the AC Omonia was founded in 1948 as a split of APOEL FC (Athletics Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias) of some football players who did not see well the club’s adverse position against the communists during Greece’s civil war. Since then, the APOEL add fans to the right and the Omonia to the left.

The atrocities affected everyone: the Turkish army persecuted the Greeks and the far right EOKA-B who staged a coup, against the Turks. This political explosion has naturally reached out to sports. After the coup, the direction of APOEL sent a greeting message to Nikos Samsonpuppet of the Greek generals who ruled the country while Archbishop Michail Christodulu Muskos, Makarios IIIwas exiled to London. For followers of OmoniaAll of APOEL they are traitors and coups. For fans of APOELthe Omonia are the communists worship Soviet Union.

exile

To return to Greece would have been normal for a Greek Cypriot citizen but his past on Omonia, a club considered communist, could cause him problems. He traveled around the country for several months until he was inexplicably stranded South Africa. He stayed there for a year at the expense of the events that were happening Cyprus. He never forgot to stay in shape always with the idea of ​​coming back and it is known that he continued to play football even without the record of which novice team he played.

Golden Boot

Ang AC Omonia the champion was crowned in 1974-75, and when Kaiafas he returned the following season, he returned with great enthusiasm after his journey into exile. He made up for lost time: he scored 39 goals that season, winning the league and the Golden Boot European. The title winning streak of Omonia it will not be destroyed until 1980.

Ang Golden Boot not even changed Kaiafas or the titles of ‘Sportsman of the Year’ in 1976 and 1978 and recognized that it was “one of the worst days of my life”. Despite himself, next season Sotiris he was not included on the podium of honor even though he scored 44 goals in the league. What has changed is the standard for French Football years later, the assessment will be re -arranged according to the league in which it was played in 1991 the Cypriot federation protested that a player from their league had scored 40 goals and was not given a Golden Bootsix over darko pancev ng red star.

From 1991 to 1996, Adidas, event sponsor, continues to be awarded Boot the highest scorer regardless of the league in which he played. Beginning in 1996, the European Sports Media makes assessments and delivers trophies.

Between 1971 and 1979, the Omonia lifted seven consecutive league titles and Sotiris he was the top scorer in the competition in the seasons 1971-72 (12), 1973-74 (20), 1975-76 (39), 1976-77 (44), 1978-79 (28). On the Cypriot national team, he played 17 games and scored 2 goals.

Kaiafas he retired from football in May 1984 and his end to the sport coincided with the decline of Omonia in the league of Cyprus.