[fm21]From Greece to...who knows where?

[Sheriff7]

Hallo everybody and welcome to my firts save for fm21!

This time i will start as unemployed...

SETUP

I wanted to start from (very) lower Greek divisions to make it as much realistic i could but fm21 bug with the editor didn't let me.So 2 higher Greek leagues,Cypriots,some neighborghour countries and England for start.

COACH

No experience and without any licence...

JULY 2020

I will apply to 3rd division Cypriots clubs for two reasons.1)Cyprus is the little brother of Greece (actually for the most of us is the same country) we have the same language,anthem and lifestyle.2)Cyprus 3rd division are very low in league rankings(174) and i want to start from very low (the whole realistic situation we said before).

CLUBS

I applied to these two clubs because i liked their colours and are the most historical in this division (with participations in higher Cypriot leagues)

And after some days...

JOURNALISTS & INTERVIEWS

They called me for the my first interviews which end very well and after 1-2 days...

APEP (Athletic Football Union Pitsilia) will be our first club!Ethnikos Assias also offered me the job but they had much higher expectations with the same budget..

AND THE JOURNEY STARTS!

INFO:It will be a very long and slow(as for the updates) story...Cheers!

Edited December 4, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

AUGUST 2020

ΤΗΕ ΝΑΤΙΟΝ

Cyprus

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This article is about the country. For other uses, see Cyprus (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Cypress.

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Republic of Cyprus   Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία  (Greek) Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti (Turkish)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν[a] "Hymn to Liberty"   MENU       0:00
Location of Cyprus (pictured lower right), showing the Republic of Cyprus in darker green and the self-declared republic of Northern Cyprus in brighter green, with the rest of the European Union shown in faded green
Capital and largest city	Nicosia   35°10′N 33°22′E
Official languages	Greek Turkish[2]
Minority languages	Armenian Cypriot Arabic Russian
Vernaculars	Cypriot Greek Cypriot Turkish
Ethnic groups	Greek Cypriots Turkish Cypriots Armenians Maronites
Religion	Orthodox Christianity (~89.1% Church of Cyprus[3])
Demonym(s)	Cypriot
Government	Unitary presidential constitutional republic
• President	Nicos Anastasiades
• Vice-President	Vacant[b]
• President of the House of Representatives	Demetris Syllouris
Legislature	House of Representatives
Independence from the United Kingdom
• London-Zürich Agreements	19 February 1959
• Independence proclaimed	16 August 1960
• Independence Day	1 October 1960
• Joined the EU	1 May 2004
Area
• Total[c]	9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi) (162nd)
• Water (%)	9
Population
• 2018 estimate	1,189,265[c][5][6] (158th)
• 2011 census	838,897[d][7]
• Density	123.4[c][8]/km2 (319.6/sq mi) (82nd)
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$35.970 billion[9] (126th)
• Per capita	$41,572[9] (35th)
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	$24.996 billion[9] (114th)
• Per capita	$28,888[9] (33rd)
Gini (2018)	29.1[10] low
HDI (2019)	0.887[11] very high · 33rd
Currency	Euro (EUR)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+357
ISO 3166 code	CY
Internet TLD	.cy[e]

Cyprus^[f] (/ˈsaɪprəs/ (listen)), officially called the Republic of Cyprus,^[g] is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is the third largest^[12] and third most populous^[13] island in the Mediterranean, and is located north of Egypt; northwest of Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel; west of Syria; southeast of Greece; and south of Turkey.

The earliest known human activity on the island dates to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia, and Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world.^[14] Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves in the 2nd millennium BC. As a strategic location in the Eastern Mediterranean, it was subsequently occupied by several major powers, including the empires of the Assyrians, Egyptians and Persians, from whom the island was seized in 333 BC by Alexander the Great. Subsequent rule by Ptolemaic Egypt, the Classical and Eastern Roman Empire, Arab caliphates for a short period, the French Lusignan dynasty and the Venetians, was followed by over three centuries of Ottoman rule between 1571 and 1878 (de jure until 1914).^[15]

Cyprus was placed under the UK's administration based on the Cyprus Convention in 1878 and was formally annexed by the UK in 1914. While Turkish Cypriots made up 18% of the population, the partition of Cyprus and creation of a Turkish state in the north became a policy of Turkish Cypriot leaders and Turkey in the 1950s. Turkish leaders for a period advocated the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as Cyprus was considered an "extension of Anatolia" by them; while, since the 19th century,^[16][17] the majority Greek Cypriot population and its Orthodox church had been pursuing union with Greece, which became a Greek national policy in the 1950s.^[18] Following nationalist violence in the 1950s, Cyprus was granted independence in 1960.^[19] The crisis of 1963–64 brought further intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, which displaced more than 25,000 Turkish Cypriots into enclaves^[20][21] and brought the end of Turkish Cypriot representation in the republic. On 15 July 1974, a coup d'état was staged by Greek Cypriot nationalists^[22][23] and elements of the Greek military junta^[24] in an attempt at enosis, the incorporation of Cyprus into Greece. This action precipitated the Turkish invasion of Cyprus on 20 July,^[25] which led to the capture of the present-day territory of Northern Cyprus in the following month, after a ceasefire collapsed, and the displacement of over 150,000 Greek Cypriots^[26][27] and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots.^[28] A separate Turkish Cypriot state in the north was established by unilateral declaration in 1983; the move was widely condemned by the international community, with Turkey alone recognising the new state. These events and the resulting political situation are matters of a continuing dispute.

The Republic of Cyprus has de jure sovereignty over the entire island, including its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, with the exception of the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which remain under the UK's control according to the London and Zürich Agreements. However, the Republic of Cyprus is de facto partitioned into two main parts: the area under the effective control of the Republic, located in the south and west and comprising about 59% of the island's area, and the north,^[29] administered by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, covering about 36% of the island's area. Another nearly 4% of the island's area is covered by the UN buffer zone. The international community considers the northern part of the island to be territory of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by Turkish forces.^[h] The occupation is viewed as illegal under international law and amounting to illegal occupation of EU territory since Cyprus became a member of the European Union.^[35]

Cyprus is a major tourist destination in the Mediterranean.^[36][37][38] With an advanced,^[39] high-income economy and a very high Human Development Index,^[40][41] the Republic of Cyprus has been a member of the Commonwealth since 1961 and was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement until it joined the European Union on 1 May 2004.^[42] On 1 January 2008, the Republic of Cyprus joined the eurozone.^[43]

 

Etymology

 

A copper mine in Cyprus. In antiquity, Cyprus was a major source of copper.

The earliest attested reference to Cyprus is the 15th century BC Mycenaean Greek 𐀓𐀠𐀪𐀍, ku-pi-ri-jo,^[44] meaning "Cypriot" (Greek: Κύπριος), written in Linear B syllabic script.^[45] The classical Greek form of the name is Κύπρος (Kýpros).

The etymology of the name is unknown. Suggestions include:

• the Greek word for the Mediterranean cypress tree (Cupressus sempervirens), κυπάρισσος (kypárissos)
• the Greek name of the henna tree (Lawsonia alba), κύπρος (kýpros)
• an Eteocypriot word for copper. It has been suggested, for example, that it has roots in the Sumerian word for copper (zubar) or for bronze (kubar), from the large deposits of copper ore found on the island.^[46]

Through overseas trade, the island has given its name to the Classical Latin word for copper through the phrase aes Cyprium, "metal of Cyprus", later shortened to Cuprum.^[46][47]

The standard demonym relating to Cyprus or its people or culture is Cypriot. The terms Cypriote and Cyprian are also used, though less frequently.

The state's official name in Greek literally translates to "Cypriot Republic" in English, but this translation is not used officially; "Republic of Cyprus" is used instead.

History

Main articles: History of Cyprus and Timeline of Cypriot history

 

Archeologic site of Khirokitia with early remains of human habitation during Aceramic Neolithic period (reconstruction)

 

Early Greek colonisation of Cyprus

Prehistoric and Ancient Cyprus

Main articles: Prehistoric Cyprus and Ancient history of Cyprus

The earliest confirmed site of human activity on Cyprus is Aetokremnos, situated on the south coast, indicating that hunter-gatherers were active on the island from around 10,000 BC,^[48] with settled village communities dating from 8200 BC. The arrival of the first humans correlates with the extinction of the dwarf hippos and dwarf elephants.^[49] Water wells discovered by archaeologists in western Cyprus are believed to be among the oldest in the world, dated at 9,000 to 10,500 years old.^[14]

Remains of an 8-month-old cat were discovered buried with a human body at a separate Neolithic site in Cyprus.^[50] The grave is estimated to be 9,500 years old (7500 BC), predating ancient Egyptian civilisation and pushing back the earliest known feline-human association significantly.^[51] The remarkably well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating to approximately 6800 BC.^[52]

During the late Bronze Age the island experienced two waves of Greek settlement.^[53] The first wave consisted of Mycenaean Greek traders who started visiting Cyprus around 1400 BC.^[54][55][56] A major wave of Greek settlement is believed to have taken place following the Bronze Age collapse of Mycenaean Greece from 1100 to 1050 BC, with the island's predominantly Greek character dating from this period.^[56][57] The first recorded name of a Cypriote king is "Kushmeshusha" as appears on letters sent to Ugarit in the 13th c. BCE.^[58] Cyprus occupies an important role in Greek mythology being the birthplace of Aphrodite and Adonis, and home to King Cinyras, Teucer and Pygmalion.^[59] Literary evidence suggests an early Phoenician presence at Kition which was under Tyrian rule at the beginning of the 10th century BC.^[60] Some Phoenician merchants who were believed to come from Tyre colonised the area and expanded the political influence of Kition. After c. 850 BC the sanctuaries [at the Kathari site] were rebuilt and reused by the Phoenicians."

 

Zeus Keraunios, 500-480 BC, Nicosia museum

Cyprus is at a strategic location in the Middle East.^[61][62][63] It was ruled by Assyria for a century starting in 708 BC, before a brief spell under Egyptian rule and eventually Persian rule in 545 BC.^[56] The Cypriots, led by Onesilus, king of Salamis, joined their fellow Greeks in the Ionian cities during the unsuccessful Ionian Revolt in 499 BC against the Achaemenid Empire. The revolt was suppressed, but Cyprus managed to maintain a high degree of autonomy and remained inclined towards the Greek world.^[56]

The island was conquered by Alexander the Great in 333 BC. Following his death and the subsequent division of his empire and wars among his successors, Cyprus became part of the Hellenistic empire of Ptolemaic Egypt. It was during this period that the island was fully Hellenized. In 58 BC Cyprus was acquired by the Roman Republic.^[56]

Middle Ages

Main articles: Cyprus in the Middle Ages and Kingdom of Cyprus

 

The Walls of Nicosia were built by the Venetians to defend the city in case of an Ottoman attack

 

Kyrenia Castle was originally built by the Byzantines and enlarged by the Venetians

When the Roman Empire was divided into Eastern and Western parts in 395, Cyprus became part of the East Roman, or Byzantine Empire, and would remain so until the Crusades some 800 years later. Under Byzantine rule, the Greek orientation that had been prominent since antiquity developed the strong Hellenistic-Christian character that continues to be a hallmark of the Greek Cypriot community.^[64]

Beginning in 649, Cyprus endured several attacks launched by raiders from the Levant, which continued for the next 300 years. Many were quick piratical raids, but others were large-scale attacks in which many Cypriots were slaughtered and great wealth carried off or destroyed.^[64]

There are no Byzantine churches which survive from this period; thousands of people were killed, and many cities – such as Salamis – were destroyed and never rebuilt.^[56] Byzantine rule was restored in 965, when Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas scored decisive victories on land and sea.^[56]

In 1191, during the Third Crusade, Richard I of England captured the island from Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus^[65] He used it as a major supply base that was relatively safe from the Saracens. A year later Richard sold the island to the Knights Templar, who, following a bloody revolt, in turn sold it to Guy of Lusignan. His brother and successor Aimery was recognised as King of Cyprus by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor.^[56]

Following the death in 1473 of James II, the last Lusignan king, the Republic of Venice assumed control of the island, while the late king's Venetian widow, Queen Catherine Cornaro, reigned as figurehead. Venice formally annexed the Kingdom of Cyprus in 1489, following the abdication of Catherine.^[56] The Venetians fortified Nicosia by building the Walls of Nicosia, and used it as an important commercial hub. Throughout Venetian rule, the Ottoman Empire frequently raided Cyprus. In 1539 the Ottomans destroyed Limassol and so fearing the worst, the Venetians also fortified Famagusta and Kyrenia.^[56]

Although the Lusignan French aristocracy remained the dominant social class in Cyprus throughout the medieval period, the former assumption that Greeks were treated only as serfs on the island^[56] is no longer considered by academics to be accurate. It is now accepted that the medieval period saw increasing numbers of Greek Cypriots elevated to the upper classes, a growing Greek middle ranks,^[66] and the Lusignan royal household even marrying Greeks. This included King John II of Cyprus who married Helena Palaiologina.^[67]

Cyprus under the Ottoman Empire

Main article: Ottoman Cyprus

In 1570, a full-scale Ottoman assault with 60,000 troops brought the island under Ottoman control, despite stiff resistance by the inhabitants of Nicosia and Famagusta. Ottoman forces capturing Cyprus massacred many Greek and Armenian Christian inhabitants.^[68] The previous Latin elite were destroyed and the first significant demographic change since antiquity took place with the formation of a Muslim community.^[69] Soldiers who fought in the conquest settled on the island and Turkish peasants and craftsmen were brought to the island from Anatolia.^[70] This new community also included banished Anatolian tribes, "undesirable" persons and members of various "troublesome" Muslim sects, as well as a number of new converts on the island.^[71]

 

Historical map of Cyprus by Piri Reis

The Ottomans abolished the feudal system previously in place and applied the millet system to Cyprus, under which non-Muslim peoples were governed by their own religious authorities. In a reversal from the days of Latin rule, the head of the Church of Cyprus was invested as leader of the Greek Cypriot population and acted as mediator between Christian Greek Cypriots and the Ottoman authorities. This status ensured that the Church of Cyprus was in a position to end the constant encroachments of the Roman Catholic Church.^[72] Ottoman rule of Cyprus was at times indifferent, at times oppressive, depending on the temperaments of the sultans and local officials, and the island began over 250 years of economic decline.^[73]

The ratio of Muslims to Christians fluctuated throughout the period of Ottoman domination. In 1777–78, 47,000 Muslims constituted a majority over the island's 37,000 Christians.^[74] By 1872, the population of the island had risen to 144,000, comprising 44,000 Muslims and 100,000 Christians.^[75] The Muslim population included numerous crypto-Christians,^[76] including the Linobambaki, a crypto-Catholic community that arose due to religious persecution of the Catholic community by the Ottoman authorities;^[76][77] this community would assimilate into the Turkish Cypriot community during British rule.^[78]

As soon as the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, several Greek Cypriots left for Greece to join the Greek forces. In response, the Ottoman governor of Cyprus arrested and executed 486 prominent Greek Cypriots, including the Archbishop of Cyprus, Kyprianos, and four other bishops.^[79] In 1828, modern Greece's first president Ioannis Kapodistrias called for union of Cyprus with Greece, and numerous minor uprisings took place.^[80] Reaction to Ottoman misrule led to uprisings by both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, although none were successful. After centuries of neglect by the Turks, the unrelenting poverty of most of the people, and the ever-present tax collectors fuelled Greek nationalism, and by the 20th century idea of enosis, or union, with newly independent Greece was firmly rooted among Greek Cypriots.^[73]

Under the Ottoman rule, numeracy, school enrolment and literacy rates were all low. They persisted sometime after Ottoman rule ended and then increased rapidly during the twentieth century.^[81]

Cyprus under the British Empire

Main articles: British Cyprus, Modern history of Cyprus, and Cyprus Emergency

 

Hoisting the British flag at Nicosia

In the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and the Congress of Berlin, Cyprus was leased to the British Empire which de facto took over its administration in 1878 (though, in terms of sovereignty, Cyprus remained a de jure Ottoman territory until 5 November 1914, together with Egypt and Sudan)^[15] in exchange for guarantees that Britain would use the island as a base to protect the Ottoman Empire against possible Russian aggression.^[56]

 

Greek Cypriot demonstrations for Enosis (union with Greece) in 1930

The island would serve Britain as a key military base for its colonial routes. By 1906, when the Famagusta harbour was completed, Cyprus was a strategic naval outpost overlooking the Suez Canal, the crucial main route to India which was then Britain's most important overseas possession. Following the outbreak of the First World War and the decision of the Ottoman Empire to join the war on the side of the Central Powers, on 5 November 1914 the British Empire formally annexed Cyprus and declared the Ottoman Khedivate of Egypt and Sudan a Sultanate and British protectorate.^[15][56]

In 1915, Britain offered Cyprus to Greece, ruled by King Constantine I of Greece, on condition that Greece join the war on the side of the British. The offer was declined. In 1923, under the Treaty of Lausanne, the nascent Turkish republic relinquished any claim to Cyprus,^[82] and in 1925 it was declared a British crown colony.^[56] Many Greek and Turkish Cypriots fought in the British Army during both world wars.^{[83][failed verification]} During the Second World War, many enlisted in the Cyprus Regiment.

The Greek Cypriot population, meanwhile, had become hopeful that the British administration would lead to enosis. The idea of enosis was historically part of the Megali Idea, a greater political ambition of a Greek state encompassing the territories with Greek inhabitants in the former Ottoman Empire, including Cyprus and Asia Minor with a capital in Constantinople, and was actively pursued by the Cypriot Orthodox Church, which had its members educated in Greece. These religious officials, together with Greek military officers and professionals, some of whom still pursued the Megali Idea, would later found the guerrilla organisation Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston or National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA).^[84][85] The Greek Cypriots viewed the island as historically Greek and believed that union with Greece was a natural right.^[86] In the 1950s, the pursuit of enosis became a part of the Greek national policy.^[87]

 

Βritish soldier taking aim at Greek Cypriot demonstrators in Nicosia, 1956

Initially, the Turkish Cypriots favoured the continuation of the British rule.^[88] However, they were alarmed by the Greek Cypriot calls for enosis as they saw the union of Crete with Greece, which led to the exodus of Cretan Turks, as a precedent to be avoided,^[89][90] and they took a pro-partition stance in response to the militant activity of EOKA.^[91] The Turkish Cypriots also viewed themselves as a distinct ethnic group of the island and believed in their having a separate right to self-determination from Greek Cypriots.^[86] Meanwhile, in the 1950s, Turkish leader Menderes considered Cyprus an "extension of Anatolia", rejected the partition of Cyprus along ethnic lines and favoured the annexation of the whole island to Turkey. Nationalistic slogans centred on the idea that "Cyprus is Turkish" and the ruling party declared Cyprus to be a part of the Turkish homeland that was vital to its security. Upon realising the fact that the Turkish Cypriot population was only 20% of the islanders made annexation unfeasible, the national policy was changed to favour partition. The slogan "Partition or Death" was frequently used in Turkish Cypriot and Turkish protests starting in the late 1950s and continuing throughout the 1960s. Although after the Zürich and London conferences Turkey seemed to accept the existence of the Cypriot state and to distance itself from its policy of favouring the partition of the island, the goal of the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders remained that of creating an independent Turkish state in the northern part of the island.^[92][93]

In January 1950, the Church of Cyprus organised a referendum under the supervision of clerics and with no Turkish Cypriot participation,^[94] where 96% of the participating Greek Cypriots voted in favour of enosis,^[95][96][97] The Greeks were 80.2% of the total island' s population at the time (census 1946). Restricted autonomy under a constitution was proposed by the British administration but eventually rejected. In 1955 the EOKA organisation was founded, seeking union with Greece through armed struggle. At the same time the Turkish Resistance Organisation (TMT), calling for Taksim, or partition, was established by the Turkish Cypriots as a counterweight.^[98] British officials also tolerated the creation of the Turkish underground organisation T.M.T. The Secretary of State for the Colonies in a letter dated 15 July 1958 had advised the Governor of Cyprus not to act against T.M.T despite its illegal actions so as not to harm British relations with the Turkish government.^[93]

Independence and inter-communal violence

Main article: Cyprus crisis of 1963–64

 

The first president of Cyprus, Makarios III

 

Ethnic map of Cyprus according to the 1960 census.

On 16 August 1960, Cyprus attained independence after the Zürich and London Agreement between the United Kingdom, Greece and Turkey. Cyprus had a total population of 573,566; of whom 442,138 (77.1%) were Greeks, 104,320 (18.2%) Turks, and 27,108 (4.7%) others.^[99] The UK retained the two Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, while government posts and public offices were allocated by ethnic quotas, giving the minority Turkish Cypriots a permanent veto, 30% in parliament and administration, and granting the three mother-states guarantor rights.

However, the division of power as foreseen by the constitution soon resulted in legal impasses and discontent on both sides, and nationalist militants started training again, with the military support of Greece and Turkey respectively. The Greek Cypriot leadership believed that the rights given to Turkish Cypriots under the 1960 constitution were too extensive and designed the Akritas plan, which was aimed at reforming the constitution in favour of Greek Cypriots, persuading the international community about the correctness of the changes and violently subjugating Turkish Cypriots in a few days should they not accept the plan.^[100] Tensions were heightened when Cypriot President Archbishop Makarios III called for constitutional changes, which were rejected by Turkey^[20] and opposed by Turkish Cypriots.^[100]

Intercommunal violence erupted on 21 December 1963, when two Turkish Cypriots were killed at an incident involving the Greek Cypriot police. The violence resulted in the death of 364 Turkish and 174 Greek Cypriots,^[101] destruction of 109 Turkish Cypriot or mixed villages and displacement of 25,000–30,000 Turkish Cypriots. The crisis resulted in the end of the Turkish Cypriot involvement in the administration and their claiming that it had lost its legitimacy;^[20] the nature of this event is still controversial. In some areas, Greek Cypriots prevented Turkish Cypriots from travelling and entering government buildings, while some Turkish Cypriots willingly withdrew due to the calls of the Turkish Cypriot administration.^[102] Turkish Cypriots started living in enclaves. The republic's structure was changed, unilaterally, by Makarios when Nicosia was divided by the Green Line, with the deployment of UNFICYP troops.^[20]

In 1964, Turkey threatened to invade Cyprus^[103] in response to the continuing Cypriot intercommunal violence, but this was stopped by a strongly worded telegram from the US President Lyndon B. Johnson on 5 June, warning that the US would not stand beside Turkey in case of a consequential Soviet invasion of Turkish territory.^[104] Meanwhile, by 1964, enosis was a Greek policy that could not be abandoned; Makarios and the Greek prime minister Georgios Papandreou agreed that enosis should be the ultimate aim and King Constantine wished Cyprus "a speedy union with the mother country". Greece dispatched 10,000 troops to Cyprus to counter a possible Turkish invasion.^[105]

1974 coup, Turkish invasion, and division

Main articles: 1974 Cypriot coup d'état and Turkish invasion of Cyprus

 

Varosha (Maraş), a suburb of Famagusta, was abandoned when its inhabitants fled in 1974 and remains under Turkish military control

On 15 July 1974, the Greek military junta under Dimitrios Ioannides carried out a coup d'état in Cyprus, to unite the island with Greece.^{[106][107][108]} The coup ousted president Makarios III and replaced him with pro-enosis nationalist Nikos Sampson.^[109] In response to the coup,^[i] five days later, on 20 July 1974, the Turkish army invaded the island, citing a right to intervene to restore the constitutional order from the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee. This justification has been rejected by the United Nations and the international community.^[115]

The Turkish air force began bombing Greek positions in Cyprus, and hundreds of paratroopers were dropped in the area between Nicosia and Kyrenia, where well-armed Turkish Cypriot enclaves had been long-established; while off the Kyrenia coast, Turkish troop ships landed 6,000 men as well as tanks, trucks and armoured vehicles.^[116][117]

Three days later, when a ceasefire had been agreed,^[118] Turkey had landed 30,000 troops on the island and captured Kyrenia, the corridor linking Kyrenia to Nicosia, and the Turkish Cypriot quarter of Nicosia itself.^[118] The junta in Athens, and then the Sampson regime in Cyprus fell from power. In Nicosia, Glafkos Clerides assumed the presidency and constitutional order was restored, removing the pretext for the Turkish invasion.^[118] But after the peace negotiations in Geneva, the Turkish government reinforced their Kyrenia bridgehead and started a second invasion on 14 August.^[119] The invasion resulted in the seizure of Morphou, Karpass, Famagusta and the Mesaoria.

International pressure led to a ceasefire, and by then 36% of the island had been taken over by the Turks and 180,000 Greek Cypriots had been evicted from their homes in the north.^[120] At the same time, around 50,000 Turkish Cypriots were displaced to the north and settled in the properties of the displaced Greek Cypriots. Among a variety of sanctions against Turkey, in mid-1975 the US Congress imposed an arms embargo on Turkey for using US-supplied equipment during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.^[121] There were 1,534 Greek Cypriots^[122] and 502 Turkish Cypriots^[123] missing as a result of the fighting.

Post-division

 

A map showing the division of Cyprus

After the restoration of constitutional order and the return of Archbishop Makarios III to Cyprus in December 1974, Turkish troops remained, occupying the northeastern portion of the island. In 1983, the Turkish Cypriot leader proclaimed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognised only by Turkey.^[4]

The events of the summer of 1974 dominate the politics on the island, as well as Greco-Turkish relations. Around 150,000 settlers from Turkey are believed to be living in the north—many of whom were forced from Turkey by the Turkish government—in violation of the Geneva Convention and various UN resolutions.^[124][125]

 

Foreign Ministers of the European Union countries in Limassol during Cyprus Presidency of the EU in 2012

The Turkish invasion, the ensuing occupation and the declaration of independence by the TRNC have been condemned by United Nations resolutions, which are reaffirmed by the Security Council every year.^[126] The last major effort to settle the Cyprus dispute was the Annan Plan in 2004, drafted by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan. The plan was put to a referendum in both Northern Cyprus and the Cypriot Republic. 65% of Turkish Cypriots voted in support of the plan and 74% Greek Cypriots voted against the plan, claiming that it disproportionately favoured the Turkish side.^[127] In total, 66.7% of the voters rejected the Annan Plan.

On 1 May 2004 Cyprus joined the European Union, together with nine other countries.^[128] Cyprus was accepted into the EU as a whole, although the EU legislation is suspended in Northern Cyprus until a final settlement of the Cyprus problem. In July 2006, the island served as a haven for people fleeing Lebanon, due to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah (also called "The July War").^[129]

Efforts have been made to enhance freedom of movement between the two sides. In April 2003, Northern Cyprus unilaterally eased border restrictions, permitting Cypriots to cross between the two sides for the first time in 30 years.^[130] In March 2008, a wall that had stood for decades at the boundary between the Republic of Cyprus and the UN buffer zone was demolished.^[131] The wall had cut across Ledra Street in the heart of Nicosia and was seen as a strong symbol of the island's 32-year division. On 3 April 2008, Ledra Street was reopened in the presence of Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials.^[132] North and South relaunched reunification talks on 15 May 2015.^[133]

The European Union issued a warning in February 2019 that Cyprus, an EU member, was selling EU passports to Russian oligarchs, saying it would allow organised crime syndicates to infiltrate the EU.^[134] In 2020 leaked documents revealed a wider range of former and current officials from Afghanistan, China, Dubai, Lebanon, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Vietnam who bought a Cypriot citizenship prior to a change of the law in July 2019.^[135][136] Cyprus and Turkey have been engaged in a dispute over the extent of their exclusive economic zones, ostensibly sparked by oil and gas exploration in the area.^[137]

Geography

Main article: Geography of Cyprus

 

Sea caves at Cape Greco.

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia^[4] (both in terms of area and population). It is also the world's 80th largest by area and world's 51st largest by population. It measures 240 kilometres (149 mi) long from end to end and 100 kilometres (62 mi) wide at its widest point, with Turkey 75 kilometres (47 mi) to the north. It lies between latitudes 34° and 36° N, and longitudes 32° and 35° E.

Other neighbouring territories include Syria and Lebanon to the east (105 and 108 kilometres (65 and 67 mi), respectively), Israel 200 kilometres (124 mi) to the southeast, Egypt 380 kilometres (236 mi) to the south, and Greece to the northwest: 280 kilometres (174 mi) to the small Dodecanesian island of Kastellorizo (Megisti), 400 kilometres (249 mi) to Rhodes and 800 kilometres (497 mi) to the Greek mainland. Sources alternatively place Cyprus in Europe,^{[138][139][140]} or Western Asia and the Middle East.^[141][142]

The physical relief of the island is dominated by two mountain ranges, the Troodos Mountains and the smaller Kyrenia Range, and the central plain they encompass, the Mesaoria. The Mesaoria plain is drained by the Pedieos River, the longest on the island. The Troodos Mountains cover most of the southern and western portions of the island and account for roughly half its area. The highest point on Cyprus is Mount Olympus at 1,952 m (6,404 ft), located in the centre of the Troodos range. The narrow Kyrenia Range, extending along the northern coastline, occupies substantially less area, and elevations are lower, reaching a maximum of 1,024 m (3,360 ft). The island lies within the Anatolian Plate.^[143]

Cyprus contains the Cyprus Mediterranean forests ecoregion.^[144] It had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.06/10, ranking it 59^th globally out of 172 countries.^[145]

 

Petra tou Romiou ("Rock of the Greek").

Geopolitically, the island is subdivided into four main segments. The Republic of Cyprus occupies the southern two-thirds of the island (59.74%). The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus occupies the northern third (34.85%), and the United Nations-controlled Green Line provides a buffer zone that separates the two and covers 2.67% of the island. Lastly, two bases under British sovereignty are located on the island: Akrotiri and Dhekelia, covering the remaining 2.74%.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Cyprus

 

The Troodos Mountains experience heavy snowfall in winter

Cyprus has a subtropical climate – Mediterranean and semi-arid type (in the north-eastern part of the island) – Köppen climate classifications Csa and BSh,^[146][147] with very mild winters (on the coast) and warm to hot summers. Snow is possible only in the Troodos Mountains in the central part of island. Rain occurs mainly in winter, with summer being generally dry.

Cyprus has one of the warmest climates in the Mediterranean part of the European Union.^{[citation needed]} The average annual temperature on the coast is around 24 °C (75 °F) during the day and 14 °C (57 °F) at night. Generally, summers last about eight months, beginning in April with average temperatures of 21–23 °C (70–73 °F) during the day and 11–13 °C (52–55 °F) at night, and ending in November with average temperatures of 22–23 °C (72–73 °F) during the day and 12–14 °C (54–57 °F) at night, although in the remaining four months temperatures sometimes exceed 20 °C (68 °F).^[148]

Among all cities in the Mediterranean part of the European Union, Limassol has one of the warmest winters, in the period January – February average temperature is 17–18 °C (63–64 °F) during the day and 7–8 °C (45–46 °F) at night, in other coastal locations in Cyprus is generally 16–17 °C (61–63 °F) during the day and 6–8 °C (43–46 °F) at night. During March, Limassol has average temperatures of 19–20 °C (66–68 °F) during the day and 9–11 °C (48–52 °F) at night, in other coastal locations in Cyprus is generally 17–19 °C (63–66 °F) during the day and 8–10 °C (46–50 °F) at night.^[148]

The middle of summer is hot – in July and August on the coast the average temperature is usually around 33 °C (91 °F) during the day and around 22 °C (72 °F) at night (inland, in the highlands average temperature exceeds 35 °C (95 °F)) while in the June and September on the coast the average temperature is usually around 30 °C (86 °F) during the day and around 20 °C (68 °F) at night in Limassol, while is usually around 28 °C (82 °F) during the day and around 18 °C (64 °F) at night in Paphos. Large fluctuations in temperature are rare. Inland temperatures are more extreme, with colder winters and hotter summers compared with the coast of the island.^[148]

Average annual temperature of sea is 21–22 °C (70–72 °F), from 17 °C (63 °F) in February to 27–28 °C (81–82 °F) in August (depending on the location). In total 7 months – from May to November – the average sea temperature exceeds 20 °C (68 °F).^[149]

Sunshine hours on the coast are around 3,200 per year, from an average of 5–6 hours of sunshine per day in December to an average of 12–13 hours in July.^[149] This is about double that of cities in the northern half of Europe; for comparison, London receives about 1,540 per year.^[150] In December, London receives about 50 hours of sunshine^[150] while coastal locations in Cyprus about 180 hours (almost as much as in May in London).

Water supply

 

Kouris Dam overflow in April 2012

Cyprus suffers from a chronic shortage of water. The country relies heavily on rain to provide household water, but in the past 30 years average yearly precipitation has decreased.^[151] Between 2001 and 2004, exceptionally heavy annual rainfall pushed water reserves up, with supply exceeding demand, allowing total storage in the island's reservoirs to rise to an all-time high by the start of 2005. However, since then demand has increased annually – a result of local population growth, foreigners moving to Cyprus and the number of visiting tourists – while supply has fallen as a result of more frequent droughts.^[151]

Dams remain the principal source of water both for domestic and agricultural use; Cyprus has a total of 107 dams (plus one currently under construction) and reservoirs, with a total water storage capacity of about 330,000,000 m³ (1.2×10¹⁰ cu ft).^[152] Water desalination plants are gradually being constructed to deal with recent years of prolonged drought. The Government has invested heavily in the creation of water desalination plants which have supplied almost 50 per cent of domestic water since 2001. Efforts have also been made to raise public awareness of the situation and to encourage domestic water users to take more responsibility for the conservation of this increasingly scarce commodity.

Turkey has built a water pipeline under the Mediterranean Sea from Anamur on its southern coast to the northern coast of Cyprus, to supply Northern Cyprus with potable and irrigation water (see Northern Cyprus Water Supply Project).

Politics

Main articles: Politics of Cyprus and House of Representatives (Cyprus)

 

Presidential Palace, Nicosia

Cyprus is a presidential republic. The head of state and of the government is elected by a process of universal suffrage for a five-year term. Executive power is exercised by the government with legislative power vested in the House of Representatives whilst the Judiciary is independent of both the executive and the legislature.

The 1960 Constitution provided for a presidential system of government with independent executive, legislative and judicial branches as well as a complex system of checks and balances including a weighted power-sharing ratio designed to protect the interests of the Turkish Cypriots. The executive was led by a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice-president elected by their respective communities for five-year terms and each possessing a right of veto over certain types of legislation and executive decisions. Legislative power rested on the House of Representatives who were also elected on the basis of separate voters' rolls.

Since 1965, following clashes between the two communities, the Turkish Cypriot seats in the House remain vacant. In 1974 Cyprus was divided de facto when the Turkish army occupied the northern third of the island. The Turkish Cypriots subsequently declared independence in 1983 as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus but were recognised only by Turkey. In 1985 the TRNC adopted a constitution and held its first elections. The United Nations recognises the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over the entire island of Cyprus.

 

Nicos Anastasiades, President of Cyprus since 2013.

The House of Representatives currently has 59 members elected for a five-year term, 56 members by proportional representation and 3 observer members representing the Armenian, Latin and Maronite minorities. 24 seats are allocated to the Turkish community but remain vacant since 1964. The political environment is dominated by the communist AKEL, the liberal conservative Democratic Rally, the centrist^[153] Democratic Party, the social-democratic EDEK and the centrist EURO.KO. In 2008, Dimitris Christofias became the country's first Communist head of state. Due to his involvement in the 2012–13 Cypriot financial crisis, Christofias did not run for re-election in 2013. The Presidential election in 2013 resulted in Democratic Rally candidate Nicos Anastasiades winning 57.48% of the vote. As a result, Anastasiades was sworn in on and has been president since 28 February 2013. Anastasiades was re-elected with 56% of the vote in the 2018 presidential election.^[154]

Administrative divisions

Main articles: Districts of Cyprus and List of cities, towns and villages in Cyprus

The Republic of Cyprus is divided into six districts: Nicosia, Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos.^[155]

SOME INFO FOR THE CITY AND THE CLUB

CITY(VILLAGE)

Kyperounta (Greek: Κυπερούντα) is a village in Cyprus. It lies at an altitude of 1130–1300 meters and it is the third highest village in Cyprus. With a population in approximately 1,500 it can be called the head-village of Pitsilia. The village took its name from the plant Cyperus rotundus (kyperos). Kyperounda was established during the Byzantine period. At historical documents was called "Chiperonda."

CLUB

APEP (Greek: ΑΠΕΠ; Aθλητική Ποδοσφαιρική Ένωση Πιτσιλιάς, Athlitiki Podosfairiki Enosi Pitsilia, Athletic Football Union Pitsilia) is a Cypriot football club, based in Kyperounta, a village in Pitsilia, which is a region in Limassol District.

 

HistoryEdit

Founded in 1979, the team has played in First, Second and Third Divisions of Cyprus. The team were second division champions in 1987 and they were promoted to the first division for their first time in their history. They were relegated after their debut season only to return in 1990, 1993 and 1996, each time spending only one season in the first division. After 8 years in lower divisions, APEP were promoted to the Cypriot First Division for the 2005–06 season. However, the team remained second last team in ranking (13th) with 8 points and relegated again in Second Division. The team was promoted to the first division again for the 2008/09 season when it managed to avoid relegation for the first time in its history. It was relegated to the Cypriot Second Division at the end of the 2009/10 season.

AchievementsEdit

• Cypriot Second Division
  • Winners (1): 1986-87
• Cypriot Third Division
  • Winners (1): 1985-86

STADIUM

Kyperounda Stadium is a football stadium in Kyperounta, Cyprus. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of APEP Pitsilia of the Cypriot First Division. The stadium has a capacity of 6,000 spectators.

GENERAL INFO AND HISTORY

CURRENT ROSTER

STAFF

SEASON 2020/2021

SEASON EXPECTATIONS

DEALS

PRE SEASON

TRANSFERS

IN

3 signs for the first summer.

SQUAD 

     

Many players promoted from our U21s and U19s squad.So we have a quite good for this category mixed of youngsters and experienced players roster.

TACTICS

Only one tactic for now.

FRIENDLY GAMES

A quite good pre season before our first official game for Cypriot cup.We lost only from Onisilos who plays one division higher from us and in a friendly game against our U21s in which many players of senior team was with our U21s squad.

CYPRIOT CUP

FIRST ROUND DRAW

ASI LYSIS who plays in second divison is our first opponent.Of course they are the favourites.

FIRST ROUND

GAME

APEP VS ASI LYSIS

We lost but we played very well and were competitive until the last minute,also one of our key players (Ilias Vattis)was  out from this game due  an injury.

Edited December 29, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2020/2021

SEPTEMBER 2020

FRIENDLY GAMES

Some more friendly games before the start of third division.A water-polo score in our last game...

A GENEREAL VIEW OF TRANFSER ACTIVITY

CYPRIOT THIRD DIVISION

SEASON ODDS

Books give as for a mid-table finish.

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2020/2021

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

CYPRIOT THIRD DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

Excellent start in league!

STATS

As you can see from our league stats we perform very well in every area of the field.

Edited December 7, 2020 by Sheriff7

[SixPointer]

Great start in the league my friend!

[Sheriff7]

39 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Great start in the league my friend!

Thanks mate!I've just show your thread too and of course i followed it.

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2020/2021

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

CYPRIOT THIRD DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

Two more good months and it seems that we are going to be promotion contenders.

INFO

We lost easily from this team and i took a look at their roster.As you can see they have a very strong roster for this division with many foreign players.Of course they are in 1st place..

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2020/2021

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

TRANSFERS

Νo moves from us at this transfer window.

CYPRIOT THIRD DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

We fell in third place but stil in promotion places.7 games left..

INFO

FORM

RECORDS

OTHER NEWS

YOUTH INTAKE PREVIEW

I hope for something good..

AROUND THE WORLD

UNITED KINGDOM

AWARDS

 

Edited December 10, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2020/2021

MARCH/APRIL/MAY 2021

CYPRIOT THIRD DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

We won promotion!An amazing and unexpected result in my first season here! (Also we played some friendly games between officials to keep our players in good fit)

INFO

CHAMPIONS

APEA fc  crowned champions in between us game.They fully deserved it,they were the best team in this category.

CELEBRATIONS

And our celebrations for the promotion.

STATUS CHANGE

We turn pro.

NEW DEAL

Also a new contract for me with 13.000 raise in my salary.

INJURY

And some bad news...

OTHER CHANGES

OTHER NEWS

YOUTH INTAKE

Some very good newcomers..

BEST REGENS

Edited December 14, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2020/2021 REVIEW

CYPRIOT THIRD DIVISION

An amazing season for the league.We predicted 10th but we finished second and won promotion.APEA and Assia also promoted.

CYPRIOT CUP

An early exit from the cup.Apoel won it.

U21s and U19s

Great season for our youth teams too.

OTHER INFO

RECORDS

OTHER CYPRIOTS LEAGUES

CYPRIOT FIRST DIVISION

APOEL made the double.

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISON

CYPRIOTS CLUBS IN EUROPE

AS OMONOIA NICOSIA

AE ANOTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA

APOEL NICOSIA

AMO APOLLON LIMASSOL

A bad season for Cypriots clubs in Europe.

CYPRUS NATIONAL TEAM

 

Some good results for Cyprus and a stun 2-1 win against England!

OTHER LEAGUES

GREECE

Olympiakos in Greece.

ENGLAND

SPAIN

ITALY

GERMANY

FRANCE

No surprizes in the other leagues.

IMPORTANT COMPETITIONS

CL

EL

What a great final in EL!

VACATIONS

ENJOY!

Edited December 11, 2020 by Sheriff7

[SixPointer]

Nice promotion 

[Sheriff7]

On 12/12/2020 at 16:45, SixPointer said:

Nice promotion 

Thanks  buddy.

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2021/2022

JUNE/JULY/AUGUST 2021

EURO 2021(2020)-12 HOSTS NATIONS(LAST WINNERS-PORTUGAL IN 2016)

GROUP STAGE ROUND

KNOCKOUT ROUNDS

Congrats CROATIA!

BRAKE NEWS!!!

Somehow we build new stadium.Our president wants to relocate us back home(Limassol).

SEASON EXPECTATIONS

DEALS

PRE SEASON

TRANSFERS

Many changes of course,our opponents will be much more competitive this season.

IN

KYRIAKOS THEODOROU

A young  Cypriot who came on loan from AE Limassol,he can improved a lot.

NIKOS MYLONOPOULOS

An experienced Keeper who came from lower Greek divisions.

LEONIDAS GOROGIAS

Leonidas will be our warrior in the right side of defense.

GIORGOS MANTZIOS

Mantzios experience will help our youngster defenders.

KOSTAS MICHAIL

He attract much interest from other second division clubs too.He is a big bet for us.

PHILIP GILLINGWATER PEDERSEN

And an.... Gribraltarian!He has very good stats and he is in a very good age.

CAVAN BURNS

Another guy who played in Gibraltar and start his career from Kilmarnock!

DANIEL OBI

Maybe our biggest transfer this summer.Obi began his career from Leicester and can evolved in a key player for us.

JOSE ADOLFO HIRSCH

Last but not least  JOSE ADOLFO HIRSCH from SAN MARINO!He has very good set pieces.

STAFF

INFO

MART POOM

Welcome Mart!One of the best Estonian players ever.

ARMAND GARRIDO

And an amazing sign for us this summer!Garrido will "run" many things in our club(transfers,contracts ++) 

ROSTER

FIRST TEAM

GOALKEEPERS

DEFENCE

RIGHT SIDE

LEFT SIDE

CENTER

MIDFIELD

RIGHT SIDE

LEFT SIDE

CENTER

ATTACKING MIDFIELD

ATTACK

U21s

U19s

TACTICTS

1ST

2ND

SHEDULLE

Our pre season didn't start well (especially defensively) but finished great,even against AEL who is a big name in Cyprus we played very good.

OTHER NEWS

BANK BALLANCE

Bad news financially...

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

LEAGUE DRAW

Also league draw have been made.We were drawn in group B.

CYPRIOT CUP

FIRST ROUND DRAW

An old "friend" from third division will be our first opponent in cup.

[TheRobert]

Good luck in the next season!

[anagain]

Congrats on the great first season and good luck higher up. I love that there's a draw for the league. Never seen that before.

Lovely images of Cyprus and yay for the Poomster.

[Sheriff7]

17 hours ago, TheRobert said:

Good luck in the next season!

Thanks mate.

[Sheriff7]

16 hours ago, anagain said:

Congrats on the great first season and good luck higher up. I love that there's a draw for the league. Never seen that before.

Lovely images of Cyprus and yay for the Poomster.

Thank you!Yeah for the draw it was first time for me too,Cypriot B division split into 2 sub-groups and probably thats why they have to make a draw for each of them.Glad you enjoy it,more beautiful pics will follow.

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2021/2022

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021

END OF TRANSFER WINDOW

CYPRIOT CUP

1ST ROUND

APEP VS ASSIA

For first time we quilified in 2nd round.

SECOND ROUND DRAW

A much more difficult task against a first division club.

FRIENDLY GAMES

Some more friendly games..

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

LEAGUE ODDS

We predicted  dead last...

OTHER NEWS

SEASON TICKETS SALES

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2021/2022

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

A quite good start in league,but as you can see the gap between promotion and relegation places is very small.

CYPRIOT CUP

2ND ROUND

APEP FC VS ALKI FC

A disaster in cup.We aren't ready for this level.

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2021/2022

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

A very good December and we could avoid even relegation play offs(also we played some friendly games between official to keep our players fit).

OTHER NEWS

OFFERS

Also i had 2 offers!(for first time) from third division clubs.Of course i said no.

 

TRANSFERS

IN

NATHAN ODOKONYERO

A much needed striker came.Nathan is very foung,talented and Jamaican!We can regist him in the end of the month.

YOUTH INTAKE PREVIEW

AROUND THE WORLD

AWARDS

Edited December 17, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2021/2022

JANUARY 2022

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

In last game we lost huge chance to quilify for promotion play offs(we took the lead 2 times).Anyway we avoid relegation play offs and also we didn't quilify for promotion play offs so.....We are out of games from mid January which i'm pretty sure it isn't correct but no editor no party.I have to arrange friendly games until the end of the season...

Edited December 17, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2021/2022

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

END OF TRANSFER WINDOW

OUT

Obi decide to sign to Omonoia Aradippou 6 months before his contract run out and i decide to leave him from now.

IN

RAZVAN ILAN

Razvan came to become our new right back.

JULIUS VON KYMMEL

A young and talented Luxembourgian came to give more depth in our defense.

JOSH OKPOLOKPO

And Josh came to replace Obi.

A GENERAL VIEW

FRIENDLY GAMES

As i said before we had to arrange some friendly games..

INFO

Promotion(and relagation) play off finished.

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2021/2022

MARCH/APRIL 2022

SHEDULLE

Some more friendlies...

OTHER NEWS

YOUTH INTAKE

Interesting..

BEST REGENS

Very good.

And a French guy..

BANK BALLANCE

Our finances get worst..

NEW STADIUM

And it has impact in our Board plans...

JOB CENTER

I really like this historical club and it woulb be a huge step in my career.I don't have much hopes though...

Edited December 18, 2020 by Sheriff7

[SixPointer]

Good solid season to build on. What are you using tactically this year?

[Sheriff7]

3 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Good solid season to build on. What are you using tactically this year?

Thanks mate!These two i use,the first against most opponents and the second agaist much stronger opponents.

1

2

Edited December 18, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2021/2022

MAY/JUNE 2022

SEASON REVIEW

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

A good and solid season.We predicted dead last but we avoid even relegation play off.Doxa Kakotopias and Agia  Napa won promotion.

CYPRIOT CUP

In cup we quilified for first time in second round,Alki was too much for us there.Anorthosi lift it.

U21s

U19s

A good season for our U19s.

BEST XI,AWARDS AND STATS

NEW VISION

OTHER CLUBS NEWS

PLAYERS ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Pedersen is our first ever player who took a call from his national team.Good luck Gibraltar!

COACH

First Ethnikos Achnas didn't gave me an interview and then..

I renewed my contract with APEP fc.

OTHER CYPRIOT COMPETITIONS

CYPRIOT FIRST DIVISION

APOEL crowned champions.

CYPRIOT THIRD DIVISION

CYPRIOT CLUBS IN EUROPE

APOEL NICOSIA

AE ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA

AMO APOLLON LIMASSOL

AS NEA SALAMIS FAMAGUSTA

A very good season for APOEL.Not much from the others.

CYPRUS NATIONAL TEAM

After their win against England nothing great.Now they have nations league games.

GREEK SUPERLEAGUE

Another league title for Olympiakos.

OTHER IMPORTANT LEAGUES

ENGLAND

SPAIN

ITALY

GERMANY

FRANCE

OTHER IMPORTANT COMPETITIONS

CL

ARSENAL!!

EL

ECL

SUPER CUP

VACATIONS

Edited December 18, 2020 by Sheriff7

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, Sheriff7 said:

Thanks mate!These two i use,the first against most opponents and the second agaist much stronger opponents.

1

2

Like it. Finding great joy with the target man myself this year 

[Sheriff7]

11 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Like it. Finding great joy with the target man myself this year 

Yeah i made-use it in last fm and it works quite good.I always use a Target man,most times in support duty.

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2022/2023

JULY/AUGUST 2022

GAME SET UPS CHANGES

Some changes in leagues.

CYPRIOT EUROPEAN COEFFICIENTS

SEASON EXPECTATIONS

DEALS

CLUB STATUS

PRE SEASON

TRANSFERS

RETIREMENTS

ILLIAS VATTIS

JOSE ADOLFO HIRSCH

Both of them are huge loses for next season..

IN

HEIDI NGEUMBEU

A huge transfer for this level.Heidi will replace Hirsch.

SIMEN BECK

Another amazing sign for us.Olsen will replace Vattis and will be one of our best players.

GIANNIS SAVVA

A loan from Ermis Aradippou.

SIMONE BENEDETTINI

Viva San Marino!

ROSTER

FIRST TEAM

GOALKEEPERS

DEFENCE

RIGHT SIDE

LEFT SIDE

CENTER

MIDFIELD

RIGHT SIDE

LEFT SIDE

CENTER

ATTACKING MIDFIELDER

ATTACK

U21s

U19s

TACTICS

1ST

2ND

SHEDULLE

A mixed pre season.

INFO

A very bad injury...

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

GROUPS DRAW

The draw for the league send us in group B.

CYPRIOT CUP

FIRST ROUND DRAW

And Digenis wil be our first opponent in cup.

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2022/2023

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

END OF TRANSFER WINDOW

CYPRIOT CUP

FIRST ROUND

APEP FC VS DIGENIS AKRITAS MORFOU

We are in next round.

SECOND ROUND DRAW

A quite good draw for this round.

FRIENDLY GAMES

Some more friendlies before the start of the league(20/09).

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

LEAGUE ODDS

For another season books don't give us hopes for something good..

OTHER NEWS

SEASON TICKETS SALES

3 more from last season...

PLAYERS ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Good luck San Marino!

Edited December 22, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2022/2023

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

A good start in league.

INFO

We have "lines" in our tactic very early this season and our players are capable to make some beautifull combinations.

CYPRIOT CUP

SECOND ROUND

ANAGENNISI DERYNEIAS VS APEP FC

We fight it more this season but again we are out from second round...

OTHER NEWS

PLAYERS ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2022/2023

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

WORLD CUP 2022 (HOSTS-QATAR/HOLDERS-FRANCE)

 

GROUP STAGE ROUND

KNOCKOUT ROUNDS

WELL DONE ITALY!

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

We are in play off spots and with 1 point more from our last season general point collection!

Next two games are very crucial.

OTHER NEWS

YOUTH INTAKE PREVIEW

COACH

I applied for some jobs but i didn't took an interview even from a Maltese club...

PLAYERS ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY

WORLD

CLUB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

AWARD WINNERS

Edited December 27, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2022/2023

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

TRANSFERS

OUT

For another year we had to sell some of our best players because they didn't wanted to renew their contracts.So we sold them for 0 money and now we have more space in our wage budget.

IN

PETER NIJLAND

Peter came to replace Ngeumbeu who is a big loss for us.At least we put a 15en games renewal clause in his contract for next season.

SAMUELLE UCCELLINI

Samuelle came from Inter and will replace Okpolopko.He also has a renew clause in his contract.

LUCA MUNARETTI

Another young Italian.He will replace Pedersen who leaves us this summer(end of contract).

END OF TRANSFER WINDOW INFO

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

Two very good results but we couldn't make it for they promotion play off.So for another season no games from January...

INFO

Promotion play of finished,Paralimni and Deryneia won promotion.

FRIENDLY GAMES

Some friendly games for us at the time...

OTHER NEWS

COACH

And another rejection  for me,from a national team this time

Edited December 27, 2020 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2022/2023

MARCH/APRIL 2023

SHEDULLE

Some more firendlies.Our season closed with a great win against Cypriot giants Anothosi.

OTHER NEWS

YOUTH INTAKE

BEST REGENS

Some quite good youngsters for our level.

COACH

PLAYERS ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2022/2023

MAY/JUNE 2023

SEASON REVIEW

CYPRIOT SECOND DIVISION

Another quite good season in league.We didn't reached promotion play of for 3 points(we predicted 2nd from the end).Paralimini and Deryneia won promotion.

CYPRIOT CUP

Out from second round again.Apoel won it.

U21s

U19s

BEST XI,AWARDS & STATS

NEW VISION

BANK BALLANCE

Bad...

NEW STADIUM

Well i can't see it finish for another time.

OTHER CYPRIOT COMPETITIONS

FIRST DIVISION

Another league title for APOEL.

THIRD DIVISION

CYPRIOT CLUBS IN EUROPE

APOEL NICOSIA

AE ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA

AS NEA SALAMIS FAMAGUSTA

AMO APOLLON LIMASSOL

A very good season for Cypriots clubs.

CYPRUS NATIONAL TEAM

Not so good for national team.

GREECE

Olympiakos again.

OTHER IMPORTANT LEAGUES

ENGLAND

ManU in England

SPAIN

ITALY

Milan!

GERMANY

FRANCE

OTHER IMPORTANT COMPETITIONS

CL

EL

ECL

Greek club PAOK FC won ECL!

SUPER CUP

VACATIONS

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2022/2023

JUNE 2023

COACH

APEP fc offered me new contract but i felt it was time to go.Our finances get worsed and next year our budget will be reduced (for another season) + i couldn't stand another season with only 16 games(if we couldn't quilify for promotion play of).Also i wanted a new challenge.I renew the contracts of our best players and sign some very good for next season + i left to our director of football the renewals of our staff contracts so next manager will take control of a quite good team for this level.

These are my achievements here.Thanks for the oportunity to manage you APEP fc!Always i will be a fan of you.

Pantelis Tavrou took the job.

As for me...

I had some interviews...

Edited January 3, 2021 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2023/2024

JUNE 2023

THE NEXT STEP...

The next job came very soon and what a job!From the one of the most succesfull clubs in Latvia!I am going to replace Moldovan Fiorel Frunza.Hallo FK Ventspils !

THE NATION

Latvia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

 

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"Lettonia" redirects here. For Latvian student corporation, see Lettonia (corporation).

Coordinates: 57°N 25°E

Republic of Latvia   Latvijas Republika  (Latvian)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:  Dievs, svētī Latviju! God Bless Latvia!   MENU       0:00
Location of Latvia (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the European Union (green)  –  [Legend]
Capital and largest city	Riga 56°57′N 24°6′E
Official languages	Latviana
Ethnic groups  (2019[1])	62.5% Latvians 24.7% Russians 3.2% Belarusians 2.2% Ukrainians 1.9% Poles 1.1% Lithuanians 0.2% Roma 0.2% Jews 3.6% Others / Unspecified
Religion	80.0% Christianity —34.3% Lutheranism —25.1% Catholicism —16.9% Eastern Orthodox —3.7% Other Christian 18.3% No religion 1.7% Others[2]
Demonym(s)	Latvian
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic
• President	Egils Levits
• Prime Minister	Krišjānis Kariņš
• Speaker of the Saeima	Ināra Mūrniece
Legislature	Saeima
Independence  from Russia
• Declared[3]	18 November 1918
• Recognised	26 January 1921
• Constitution adopted	7 November 1922
• Restored[4]	21 August 1991
• Joined the EU	1 May 2004
Area
• Total	64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi) (122nd)
• Water (%)	2.09 (as of 2015)[5]
Population
• 2020 estimate	1,907,675[6] (147th)
• 2011 census	2,070,371[7]
• Density	29.6/km2 (76.7/sq mi) (147th)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$63.490 billion[8]
• Per capita	$30,579[8] (43rd)
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$36.771 billion[8]
• Per capita	$17,230[8] (42nd)
Gini (2019)	35.2[9] medium
HDI (2019)	0.866[10] very high · 37th
Currency	Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+371
ISO 3166 code	LV
Internet TLD	.lvc
Latvian is the sole official language.[11][12] Livonian is considered an indigenous language and has special legal status.[13] Latgalian written language and Latvian Sign Language also have special legal status.[14] Latvia is de jure continuous with its declaration of 18 November 1918. The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

Latvia (/ˈlɑːtviə/ or /ˈlætviə/ (listen); Latvian: Latvija [ˈlatvija]), officially known as the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe.^[15][16][17] Since Latvia's independence in 1918, it has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants^[18] and a territory of 64,589 km² (24,938 sq mi).^[19] Its capital and largest city is Riga; other notable major cities in Latvia are Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava and Jūrmala. The country has a temperate seasonal climate.^[20] The Baltic Sea moderates the climate, although the country has four distinct seasons and snowy winters.

After centuries of Swedish, Polish-Lithuanian and Russian rule, a rule mainly executed by the Baltic German aristocracy, the Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 when it broke away from the Russian Empire and declared independence in the aftermath of World War I.^[3] However, by the 1930s the country became increasingly autocratic after the coup in 1934 establishing an authoritarian regime under Kārlis Ulmanis. The country's de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II, beginning with Latvia's forcible incorporation into the Soviet Union, followed by the invasion and occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941, and the re-occupation by the Soviets in 1944 (Courland Pocket in 1945) to form the Latvian SSR for the next 45 years.

The peaceful Singing Revolution, starting in 1987, called for Baltic emancipation from Soviet rule and condemning the Communist regime's illegal takeover.^[21] It ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990 and restoring de facto independence on 21 August 1991.^[22] Latvia is a democratic sovereign state, parliamentary republic. Capital city Riga served as the European Capital of Culture in 2014. Latvian is the official language. Latvia is a unitary state, divided into 119 administrative divisions, of which 110 are municipalities and nine are cities.^[23] Latvians and Livonians are the indigenous people of Latvia.^[19] Latvian and Lithuanian are the only two surviving Baltic languages.

Despite foreign rule from the 13th to 20th centuries, the Latvian nation maintained its identity throughout the generations via the language and musical traditions. However, as a consequence of centuries of Russian rule (1710–1918) and later Soviet occupation, 26.9% of the population of Latvia are ethnic Russians,^[24] some of whom (10.7% of Latvian residents^[25]) have not gained citizenship, leaving them with no citizenship at all. Until World War II, Latvia also had significant minorities of ethnic Germans and Jews. Latvia is historically predominantly Lutheran Protestant, except for the Latgale region in the southeast, which has historically been predominantly Roman Catholic.^[26] The Russian population is largely Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Latvia is a developed country with an advanced, high-income economy ^[27][28] and ranks 39th in the Human Development Index.^[29] It performs favorably in measurements of civil liberties, press freedom, internet freedom, democratic governance, living standards, and peacefulness. Latvia is a member of the European Union, Eurozone, NATO, the Council of Europe, the United Nations, CBSS, the IMF, NB8, NIB, OECD, OSCE, and WTO. A full member of the Eurozone, it began using the euro as its currency on 1 January 2014, replacing the Latvian lats.^[30]

 

History[edit]

Main article: History of Latvia

Around 3000 BC, the proto-Baltic ancestors of the Latvian people settled on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.^[33] The Balts established trade routes to Rome and Byzantium, trading local amber for precious metals.^[34] By 900 AD, four distinct Baltic tribes inhabited Latvia: Curonians, Latgalians, Selonians, Semigallians (in Latvian: kurši, latgaļi, sēļi and zemgaļi), as well as the Finnic tribe of Livonians (lībieši) speaking a Finnic language.^{[citation needed]}

In the 12th century in the territory of Latvia, there were lands with their rulers: Vanema, Ventava, Bandava, Piemare, Duvzare, Upmale, Sēlija, Koknese, Jersika, Tālava and Adzele.^[35]

Medieval period[edit]

Main articles: Terra Mariana, Livonian Crusade, and Northern Crusades

 

Terra Mariana, medieval Livonia

Although the local people had contact with the outside world for centuries, they became more fully integrated into the European socio-political system in the 12th century.^[36] The first missionaries, sent by the Pope, sailed up the Daugava River in the late 12th century, seeking converts.^[37] The local people, however, did not convert to Christianity as readily as the Church had hoped.^[37]

German crusaders were sent, or more likely decided to go on their own accord as they were known to do. Saint Meinhard of Segeberg arrived in Ikšķile, in 1184, traveling with merchants to Livonia, on a Catholic mission to convert the population from their original pagan beliefs. Pope Celestine III had called for a crusade against pagans in Northern Europe in 1193. When peaceful means of conversion failed to produce results, Meinhard plotted to convert Livonians by force of arms.^[38]

 

Turaida Castle near Sigulda, built in 1214 under Albert of Riga

At the beginning of the 13th century, Germans ruled large parts of what is currently Latvia.^[37] Together with southern Estonia, these conquered areas formed the crusader state that became known as Terra Mariana or Livonia. In 1282, Riga, and later the cities of Cēsis, Limbaži, Koknese and Valmiera, became part of the Hanseatic League.^[37] Riga became an important point of east–west trading^[37] and formed close cultural links with Western Europe.^[39] The first German settlers were knights from northern Germany and citizens of northern German towns who brought their Low German language to the region, which shaped many loanwords in the Latvian language.^[40]

Reformation period and Polish–Lithuanian rule[edit]

Main articles: Swedish Livonia, Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, Duchy of Livonia, and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

 

The Swedish Empire (1560–1815).
Riga became the capital of Swedish Livonia and the largest city in the Swedish Empire.

After the Livonian War (1558–1583), Livonia (Northern Latvia & Southern Estonia) fell under Polish and Lithuanian rule.^[37] The southern part of Estonia and the northern part of Latvia were ceded to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and formed into the Duchy of Livonia (Ducatus Livoniae Ultradunensis). Gotthard Kettler, the last Master of the Order of Livonia, formed the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia.^[41] Though the duchy was a vassal state to Poland, it retained a considerable degree of autonomy and experienced a golden age in the 16th century. Latgalia, the easternmost region of Latvia, became a part of the Inflanty Voivodeship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.^[42]

In the 17th and early 18th centuries, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden, and Russia struggled for supremacy in the eastern Baltic. After the Polish–Swedish War, northern Livonia (including Vidzeme) came under Swedish rule. Riga became the capital of Swedish Livonia and the largest city in the entire Swedish Empire.^[43] Fighting continued sporadically between Sweden and Poland until the Truce of Altmark in 1629.^{[citation needed]} In Latvia, the Swedish period is generally remembered as positive; serfdom was eased, a network of schools was established for the peasantry, and the power of the regional barons was diminished.^[44][45]

Several important cultural changes occurred during this time. Under Swedish and largely German rule, western Latvia adopted Lutheranism as its main religion. The ancient tribes of the Couronians, Semigallians, Selonians, Livs, and northern Latgallians assimilated to form the Latvian people, speaking one Latvian language. Throughout all the centuries, however, an actual Latvian state had not been established, so the borders and definitions of who exactly fell within that group are largely subjective. Meanwhile, largely isolated from the rest of Latvia, southern Latgallians adopted Catholicism under Polish/Jesuit influence. The native dialect remained distinct, although it acquired many Polish and Russian loanwords.^[46]

THE CITY

Ventspils (Latvian: [ˈvæntspils] (listen); see other names) is a city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2019, Ventspils had a population of 34,377. It is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port. The city's name literally means "castle on the Venta", referring to the Livonian Order's castle built alongside the Venta River. Ventspils holds the national record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Latvia with 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) on 4 August 2014.^[2]

Other names[edit]

Ventspils was historically known as Windau in German.

A Russian name from the time of the Russian Empire was Виндава (Vindava) or Виндау (Vindau) although Вентспилс (Ventspils) has been used since World War II.

Some other names for the city include Livonian: Vǟnta and Polish: Windawa.

History[edit]

Ventspils developed around the Livonian Order Ventspils Castle, built along the Venta River. It was chartered in 1314 and became an important mercantile city of the Hanseatic League.

As part of the Duchy of Courland, Ventspils blossomed as a shipbuilding centre. 44 warships and 79 trading ships were built in the town, and it was from Ventspils that the Duke's fleet set out to colonize Gambia and Tobago. Metal, amber, and wood-working shops also became important to the city's development.

 

Latvian civilians fleeing Red Army 1944

During the Polish-Swedish War and the Great Northern War, Ventspils was destroyed, and in 1711 a plague wiped out most of the remaining inhabitants. After the Third Partition of Poland in 1795 Ventspils fell under the control of Russian Empire.

It was not until about 1850 that shipbuilding and trade became important again. The port was modernized in the 1890s and connected to Moscow by rail. It became one of Imperial Russia's most profitable ports, by 1913 turning a yearly profit of 130 million rubles. The population soared as well, growing from 7,000 in 1897, to 29,000 in 1913.

During the German occupation from 1915 to 1919, the population decreased almost by half, though some returned home during the First Republic of Latvia (1918–1940).

In 1939,^{[citation needed]} the Red Army established a base in Ventspils. Under Soviet rule, an oil pipeline was built to Ventspils, and became the USSR's leading port in crude oil export. Thirty kilometres (19 miles) north of Ventspils is the ex-Soviet radioastronomy installation VIRAC (Ventspils Starptautiskais radioastronomijas centrs or Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre). The existence of the Centrs was unknown to most Latvians until 1994. After independence, the Latvian government began a city-beautification process to make the city more attractive to tourists.

In 2004, Ventspils was a host city for a multi-national (United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Sweden, Russia, Latvia, Denmark, Finland, Norway) naval exercise called Baltic Operations XXXIII (BALTOPS). The force was led by the guided missile cruiser USS Anzio and the destroyer USS Cole. The US vessels were the first American warships to visit the port of Ventspils since Latvian independence was

THE CLUB

FK Ventspils

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Ventspils

Full name	Futbola Klubs Ventspils
Nickname(s)	Yellow-Blues
Founded	1997; 23 years ago
Ground	Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadions
Capacity	3,200
Manager	Viorel Frunză
League	Virsliga
2020	4th
Website	Club website
Home colours   Away colours
Current season

FK Ventspils is a Latvian football club, based at Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadions in Ventspils city and is one of the most popular football clubs in the country. The club plays in the Latvian Virsliga.

In total, FK Ventspils has won six league titles and seven Latvian Cups. They became Latvian Higher League champions in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014.^{[1][failed verification]} In 2009 FK Ventspils became the first Latvian club to participate in the group stages of a UEFA competition after beating BATE Borisov from Belarus.^{[citation needed]} 

History[edit]

FK Ventspils was founded in 1997 with the merger of two former Ventspils clubs – FK Venta and FK Nafta. Its predecessor, Venta, was one of the leading clubs in the Latvian league in the 1960s.

FK Venta[edit]

The next notable success for “Venta” was in 1967, when they won the Latvian Cup. By that time they had quite a fighting fit line-up, and 1969 already was their golden year when Venta became champions. During the tournament they gained 43 points; 20 matches won, 3 matches ended with a draw and only 3 matches lost. Additionally, they lost only in the away matches. They scored 45 goals and 16 conceded. At that time Venta's leader was a player manager, who is well known not only to the admirers of Ventspils, but the whole of Latvian football, Vladimir Chikinov.

This was the golden line-up: Leonid Virko, Konstantin Zhurkevich, Aleksandr Busarov, Valery Yashenko, Aleksandr Tronev, Ariy Shmerling, Vladimir Samohvalov, Aleksandr Novash, Nikolay Chaevky, Nikolay Pozdnyakov, Vladimir Chikinov, Viktor Yurinov, Viktor Litvinenko, Aleksandr Rakicky, Valentin Ipolitov, Vladimir Kutuzov, Valentin Vetrenko, Genady Hrustalov.

Of course, the victories did not come easy. There was a huge effort put into both – the matches and training. However, at that time they had quite a modest material and technical basis. They trained in the sport hall of Ventspils port, had training camps in Piltene and went to Moldova several times. They had close contacts with a children’s sport school from which talented youth players often came into the team. Whereas these days there are limits on foreign born players, at that time it was an obligation for the team to have two players younger than 18 years of age in the line-up. Thus, V. Kutuzov, V. Ivankovich, N. Dishlov and later Y. Romanenko, V. Fedotov and others appeared in the team.

In 1963 Ventspils gained a place and the rights to play in the Latvian championship (Virsliga). The next major achievement for "Venta" came in 1967, when it won the Latvian Cup. In 1969 "Venta" were champions of Latvia, in that season "Venta" got 43 points, 20 matches won, three drawn and three lost. In the 1970s the team lost its position, in the 1980s it lost its financial support and became defunct for some years. In 1994 Venta returned to 1. līga but after that season many players left the club as FK Nafta was formed. Until the merger Venta played in 1. liga.

FK Nafta[edit]

FK Nafta was formed in 1995, in the first season the club won its 2nd league division and earned a promotion to the 1st league. In its only season there the club finished higher than FK Venta. After the season the teams merged to form FK Ventspils.

FK Ventspils[edit]

The recent history of “Ventspils” began in 1997, the year of the team’s foundation. In February 2007, the club that represents the town on the bank of the river Venta with a population of 45 thousand people, celebrated its 10th anniversary. In a relatively short period of time FK “Ventspils” has become one of the strongest clubs in Latvia. FK “Ventspils” has rapidly developed and gained a reputation of a serious Latvian club, winning various trophies.

In 2003 FK "Ventspils” won the Latvian Cup for the first time in the club's history. The team won this trophy the next two years in a row. And only the main trophy – golden medal of the Latvian championship – hadn't been achieved for a long time. The team won silver and bronze medals of the Latvian championship several times, and, finally, in 2006 FK "Ventspils" became the champions of Latvia.

The Ukrainian specialist Roman Hryhorchuk led FK Ventspils to the main trophy. Prior to that, in 2003, FK Ventspils had won the Latvian Cup for the first time. Also, in 2004 and in 2005, FK Ventspils won the trophy, but only finished second and third in the Latvian championship. Before Hryhorchuk the team was managed by Russian coach Boris Sinicin, English coach Paul Anthony Ashworth, Lithuanian specialist Saulius Širmelis and the Latvian local Sergejs Semjonovs.

Despite being a relatively new club, FK Ventspils has also had a quite rich and interesting history in the Eurocups. In 1999 FK Ventspils had its debut in the Intertoto Cup and beat Norwegian team Vålerenga on aggregate. Later the club took part in the UEFA Cup, thus allowing fans to see matches against such famous European clubs as Stuttgart, Rosenborg, Brøndby and Newcastle United. The 0–0 draw in the away match against Newcastle United might have been called the greatest achievement of FK Ventspils until 2009. However, even more memorable were the matches against Brøndby in 2004, when FK Ventspils eliminated the Danish club from the UEFA Cup.

On 17 July 2007 FK Ventspils made its debut in the UEFA Champions League. The yellow-and-blue started their historical trip of the most prestigious club tournament in Europe in Wales, where they played against TNS. The author of the first FK Ventspils goal in the Champions League was forward Vits Rimkus. One week later, on 25 July, FK Ventspils achieved their first victory in the Champions league, beating TNS 2–1 at home. Goals were scored by defenders Jean-Paul Ndeki and Deniss Kačanovs. In the second qualifying round the Roman Hryhorchuk's team played against Red Bull Salzburg, led by the legendary Italian specialist Giovanni Trapattoni and lost. In 2008 FK Ventspils participated in the Champions league for the second time. The first opponents of the team were again the champions of Wales, Llanelli.

In the 2009–10 season FK Ventspils became the first Latvian club to participate in the group stages of UEFA club competitions after beating BATE Borisov from Belarus in the last UEFA Europa League qualification round. FK Ventspils opponents in the group stages were Sporting CP from Portugal, Hertha BSC from Germany and Heerenveen from the Netherlands. Adding several experienced players to the squad, FK Ventspils showed a remarkable performance, playing 1–1 draws away in the Olympiastadion in Berlin and Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. They also kept a 0–0 draw against Heerenveen at home. With three points in six matches, FK Ventspils finished last in Group D, failing to qualify for the UEFA Europa League group stages.

In 2010 FK Ventspils won the 2009–10 Baltic League. They finished second in the national championship, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League first qualification stage. The club was knocked out of the tournament in the third qualification stage by Red Star Belgrade. In 2011, they won the national championship, securing their fourth league title. In 2013 FK Ventspils won the league for the fifth time and lifted the Latvian Cup for the sixth time in the club's history. In the middle of 2013 the club participated in the UEFA Europa League qualification stages, reaching the third qualification stage. They knocked out the Welsh champions Airbus UK Broughton and Luxembourg National Division club Jeunesse Esch, but lost to the Israeli club Maccabi Haifa.

Participation in Latvian Championships[edit]

Year	Division	Position
1997	Virsliga	4th
1998	Virsliga	3rd
1999	Virsliga	3rd
2000	Virsliga	2nd
2001	Virsliga	2nd
2002	Virsliga	2nd
2003	Virsliga	3rd
2004	Virsliga	3rd
2005	Virsliga	3rd
2006	Virsliga	1st
2007	Virsliga	1st
2008	Virsliga	1st
2009	Virsliga	2nd
2010	Virsliga	2nd
2011	Virsliga	1st
2012	Virsliga	3rd
2013	Virsliga	1st
2014	Virsliga	1st
2015	Virsliga	3rd
2016	Virsliga	3rd
2017	Virsliga	4th
2018	Virsliga	2nd
2019	Virsliga	3rd

European record[edit]

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1999	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1R	Vålerenga	2–0	0–1	2–1
		2R	Kocaelispor	1–1	0–2	1–3
2000–01	UEFA Cup	QR	Vasas	2–1	1–3 (aet)	3–4
2001–02	UEFA Cup	QR	HJK Helsinki	0–1	1–2	1–3
2002–03	UEFA Cup	QR	Lugano	3–0	0–1	3–1
		1R	Stuttgart	1–4	1–4	2–8
2003–04	UEFA Cup	QR	Wisła Płock	1–1	2–2	3–3 (a)
		1R	Rosenborg	1–4	0–6	1–10
2004–05	UEFA Cup	1QR	B68 Toftir	8–0	3–0	11–0
		2QR	Brøndby	0–0	1–1	1–1 (a)
		1R	Amica Wronki	1–1	0–1	1–2
2005–06	UEFA Cup	1QR	Linfield	1–2	1–0	2–2 (a)
2006–07	UEFA Cup	1QR	Knattspyrnufélagið Víkingur	2–1	2–0	4–1
		2QR	Newcastle United	0–1	0–0	0–1
2007–08	UEFA Champions League	1QR	The New Saints	2–1	2–3	4–4 (a)
		2QR	Red Bull Salzburg	0–3	0–4	0–7
2008–09	UEFA Champions League	1QR	Llanelli	4–0	0–1	4–1
		2QR	Brann	2–1	0–1	2–2 (a)
2009–10	UEFA Champions League	2QR	F91 Dudelange	3–0	3–1	6–1
		3QR	BATE Borisov	1–0	1–2	2–2 (a)
		PO	Zürich	0–3	1–2	1–5
	UEFA Europa League	Group D	Hertha BSC	0–1	1–1	4th
			Heerenveen	0–0	0–5
			Sporting CP	1–2	1–1
2010–11	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Teteks	0–0	1–3	1–3
2011–12	UEFA Europa League	2QR	Shakhtyor Soligorsk	3–2	1–0	4–2
		3QR	Red Star Belgrade	1–2	0–7	1–9
2012–13	UEFA Champions League	2QR	Molde	1–1	0–3	1–4
2013–14	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Airbus UK Broughton	0–0	1–1	1–1 (a)
		2QR	Jeunesse Esch	1–0	4–1	5–1
		3QR	Maccabi Haifa	0–0	0–3	0–3
2014–15	UEFA Champions League	2QR	Malmö FF	0–1	0–0	0–1
2015–16	UEFA Champions League	2QR	HJK Helsinki	1–3	0–1	1–4
2016–17	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Víkingur Gøta	2–0	2–0	4–0
		2QR	Aberdeen	0–1	0–3	0–4
2017–18	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Valur	0–0	0–1	0–1
2018–19	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Luftëtari	5−0	3–3	8–3
		2QR	Bordeaux	0–1	1–2	1–3
2019–20	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Teuta	3–0	0–1	3–1
		2QR	Gżira United	4–0	2–2	6–2
		3QR	Vitória de Guimarães	0–3	0–6	0–9
2020–21	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Dinamo-Auto	2–1	N/A	N/A
		2QR	Rosenborg	1–5

IN GAME

STAFF

SQUAD

GOALKEEPERS

DEFENCE

RIGHT SIDE

LEFT SIDE

CENTER

MIDFIELD

RIGHT SIDE

LEFT SIDE

CENTER

ATTACKING MIDFIELD

ATTACK

VENTSPILS 2

U19s

INFO

TRANSFERS

IN

Those two had already sign before me.

KONSTANTIN SHIROKOV

VLADISLAV USOVS

 

TACTICS

The classic my first tactic for now..

BOARD EXPECTATIONS

LATVIAN HIGHER LEAGUE

LEAGUE TABLE

They had an awful start in league...

NEXT GAMES

We have work to do here!

LATVIAN CUP

In cup we are already in qrt final.

EUROPE

And we are in ECL too!We wait for our draw in first quilifier.

 

 

Let's go North!

 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Sheriff7

[anagain]

Best of luck in Latvia. 

[Sheriff7]

On 30/12/2020 at 00:43, anagain said:

Best of luck in Latvia. 

Thank you!

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2023/2024

JUNE/JULY 2023

SET UP CHANGES

A QUICK REVIEW OF OUR BOARD EXPECTS

INTRODUCTION WITH THE PLAYERS

TRANSFERS

OUT

IN

MICKAEL NADE

KRISTAPS ZOMMERS

Except the two which i said you in my last post i decide to sign  two more players in positions we had the most problems.Nade is a very strong yound center back and Zommer a very good keeper with international experience.

STAFF

GENERAL VIEW

LATVIAN HIGHER LEAGUE

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

We start superb with 4/4 wins but then the too many games in small space(european,cup games) and some injuries we had cost us.Anyway we have a very good team and we don't deserve this place in league.

LATVIAN CUP

QRT FINAL

FK VENTSPILS VS FK SPARTAKS-3 JURMALA

We are in semis.

SEMI FINAL DRAW

UEFA EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

SECOND QUILIFIER (LEAGUE PATH)

DRAW

FIRST LEG

COLERAINE (N.IRELAND) VS FK VENTSPILS (LTV)

SECOND LEG

FK VENTSPILS VS COLERAINE

Easy enough against Coleraine.

THIRD QUILIFIER (LEAGUE PATH)

DRAW

A more difficult opponent but we can make it.

FIRST LEG

FK VENTSPILS(LAT) VS KF FERONIKELI(KOS)

We didn't deserved this defeat.

SECOND LEG

KF FERONIKELI (KOS) VS FK VENTSPILS (LAT)

And we are out...We reached our board goal but we should had beat them.This elimination is my fault.

OTHER NEWS

INJURIES

THE COACH

Finally!My first lesson!

NEW AFFILIATES

NEW YOUTH INTAKE PREVIEW

Edited January 13, 2021 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2023/2024

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023

LATVIAN HIGHER LEAGUE

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

An excellent and unbeaten month.I don't think we can reach european places but we are going to fight for it,thats for sure.Also we played a friendly game in international brake.

LATVIAN CUP

SEMI-FINAL

FK LIEPAJA VS FK VENTSPILS

FINAL DRAW

We are in final.

OTHER NEWS

INJURIES

Injuries keep coming....

OVERTAKE

Also i survived from a takeover...

PLAYERS ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Edited January 3, 2021 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2023/2024

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023

LATVIAN HIGHER LEAGUE

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

Can't complain here.We finished with two more good months our league campain,the only defeate came in our game against Spartaks but it was just 3 days before Cup final and i made huge rotation.We finished 6th with 53 points,the damage before me was huge(they had 16 points when i took the job!) and we couldn't reach european places,really i don't know what went wrong with their last manager(Frunza) we speak for a very talented team.

LATVIAN CUP

The big day is here!

FINAL

FK VENTSPILS VS FK JELGAVA

With a penalty in the end of first half we took a very deserved lead.

And we are the winners!!!!!My first trophy in this save was very very important!They hit the cross in the last minute of the game but except this we were the best team in field.We quilified for Europa Conference league.

 

OTHER NEWS

INJURIES

Of course...

NEW YOUTH INTAKE

BEST REGENS

Not great but let's see their progress.

UPGRADES

Some upgrades from our new boss.

PLAYERS ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Much more calls for our players this time.

Edited January 3, 2021 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2023/2024

NOVEMBER 2023

SEASON REVIEW

LATVIAN HIGHER DIVISION

When i came we had only 16 points.We had a stable and very good campain and we finished 6th with 53 points.Of course next season we must reach a much better place,Riga fc won the title.Riga,Valmiera,Spartaks and Ventspils will play in Europe.Lokomotiv (D) relegated.

LATVIAN CUP

And as you allready know cup saved our season.

EUROPE

We had to beat Kosovars in Europe..

U19s

4th place for our U19s.

OTHER LATVIANS COMPETITIONS

FIRST DIVISION

2.LIGA

OTHER LATVIAN CLUBS IN EUROPE

RIGA FC

VALMIERA FC

FK JELGAVA

Very good season for Riga fc.

LATVIA NATIONAL TEAM

Bad results for national team.

GREECE (2022/2023)

OTHER IMPORTANT LEAGUES (2022/2023)

ENGLAND

SPAIN

ITALY

GERMANY

FRANCE

OTHER IMPORTANT COMPETITIONS (2022/2023)

CL

EL

ECL

SUPER CUP

VACATIONS

Edited January 3, 2021 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2023/2024

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2023-2024

HIGHER LEAGUE REVIEW

RECORDS

Some records for the club in last season,most of them are bad...

OTHER NEWS

UPGRADES

BOARD

Again?

NATIONAL TEAM

Also i watched Latvia vs Kosovo game (2-0 defeat) in a full of snow field..

APEP FC

A very bad campain for my last club...

WORLD

AWARDS

Edited January 6, 2021 by Sheriff7

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2024/2025

FEBRUARY 2024

SEASON EXPECTATIONS

CLUB STATUS

DEALS

LEAGUE RULES CHANGES

PRE SEASON

TRANSFERS

INFO

I declined the offer of the last champions (Riga fc) for one of our best players.

But i accepted their offer for our best Striker for two reasons.First one is that it was a very good  deal for latvian levels (think that our whole budget is 1.3 millions) and secondly he wanted to leave(from last season) for a "bigger" team,we will see if he made the wright choice...

RELEASED

IN

ROBERT VEIPS

He was free agent and i would be crazy if i didn't want a young and talented Latvian with experience from campionato(Sampdoria).

KRISTENS TOBERS

Same transfer here,a young and very talented Latvian with experience in Polish first division.

JORDY GASPAR

Gaspar is a player who can change our defense level.He can play in both sides of defense.

BRUNO SILVA

Bruno Silva is very technique player with very good set pieces.

JAKUP THOMSEN

And Jakup Thomsen came from Faroe islands(!) in the last day of transfer window to fullfill Krolins space.

INFO

Bayern accept our loan offer but the most famous (propably) talented young player in Latvia (right know) didn't wanted to come.

LOANS OUT

I believe in Smetanovs and Sliede(came from last youth intake) talent but they need more playing time in a level lower from us.

STAFF

SQUAD

FIRST TEAM

GOALKEEPERS

DEFENSE

RIGHT SIDE

LEFT SIDE

CENTER

MIDFIELD

RIGHT SIDE

LEFT SIDE

CENTER

ATTACKING MIDFIELD

ATTACK

I am very happy for my squad.We have talent and depth in every position.

B TEAM

Our B team partitipates in second division league this season,so i am going to help them with some players from first team.

U19s

TACTICS

1ST

2ND

SHEDULLE

Except 1-2 injuries (like the one below) who weren't serious we had a very good pre season.

LATVIAN HIGHER DIVISION

SEASON ODDS

3rd favourite for the title...

OTHER NEWS

COACH

Also i took my first licence..

Edited January 7, 2021 by Sheriff7

[rodesire]

cracking job so far, good luck in europe!

[Sheriff7]

On 07/01/2021 at 17:24, rodesire said:

cracking job so far, good luck in europe!

Τhank you mate.

[Sheriff7]

SEASON 2024/2025

MARCH/APRIL 2024

LATVIAN HIGHER DIVISION

LEAGUE TABLE

SHEDULLE

An incredible start for the league.4 points before last champions and with 2 games less.

INFO

LATVIAN CUP

SECOND ROUND DRAW

An easy draw.

OTHER NEWS

SEASON TICKETS SALES

PLAYERS ON INTERNATIONA DUTY

[thelemonizer]

Hi this save is very interesting ive been checking it from the beginning. I enjoy hearing how different people do in Cyprus as i am an Apollon Lemesos fan. Also Riga might be hard to overtake because they have investors and its the same ones who own Pafos fc

[Sheriff7]

13 hours ago, thelemonizer said:

Hi this save is very interesting ive been checking it from the beginning. I enjoy hearing how different people do in Cyprus as i am an Apollon Lemesos fan. Also Riga might be hard to overtake because they have investors and its the same ones who own Pafos fc

Hi mate,thanks.I know quite well Cypriot football because i am Greek.I didn't knew about the investor,tha'ts why the spend so many money for Latvian level.Also now that you said it (about Riga-Pafos situation) i remembered the Valerianos situation in summer of 2019...