The team’s press officer, Fanourios Konstantinou, spoke to “SPOR FM 95.0” about everything related to Apollon.
He emphasized that the draw with APOEL was a fair result, then discussed the latest team news and the schedule during the break, noting that the players were given a six-day break and that a friendly match against AEK had been arranged.
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He also commented on the issue of refereeing, emphasizing that the “blue-and-whites” have been “calling for” the arrival of foreign referees for the past 15 years.
His statements
On the match against APOEL: “A fair result based on the teams’ overall performance on the field. It was an open game with a fast pace. Both they and we capitalized on a simple mistake to score the goals. We’ve now finished a stretch of tough games, and our points total could indeed have been higher, but the three-point gap from first place is small and can be closed.”
On the break: “What we’re focusing on now is giving some players who need it a chance to catch their breath. Four of the seven players who are out will be available to help in the next match. They are Ljubic, Brown, Ozbolt, and Gaspar.”
Regarding Ozbolt: “He had lost 4 kilograms due to his illness and had to be brought back very gradually to ensure everything went smoothly. He underwent additional tests, and everything is fine. He’ll follow a specific program and will be ready when play resumes.”
Regarding the schedule during the break: “There will be a break from Tuesday through Sunday. There will also be an away friendly against AEK to keep the players in rhythm. Overall, for us, this is perhaps the most constructive break in recent years.”
On the fact that some new signings haven’t helped yet: “I agree with the fans’ concerns. It’s a fact that we haven’t yet received contributions from certain players. They need time to adjust. We expect more from them going forward.”
On managing the absences: “We didn’t have 3–4 absences—one from each position—which would have made it easier to manage. We were decimated in midfield, while we also had many absences elsewhere, resulting in players having to work much harder and play in multiple positions—like Eskritse, who played a different position in every match. In all four league matches, we fielded makeshift starting lineups. You can understand that when Omonia fields Mayabela or Akintola and APOEL makes the substitutions they did, it wasn’t easy for us with our absences. We expect more from the young players who’ve joined us as well.”
On the refereeing: “For the past 15 years, we’ve been the first to call for foreign referees. We were the first to call for foreign referees on the field and in the VAR booth. But those who speak out must also speak out when they win championships. Apollon’s position has been consistent. Instead of having four championships in the last 15 years, they have one. The question is: what was the position of the others?”
