The General Manager of the “Blues,” Haris, spoke about Charalambos Kyriakidis’s unfortunate injury, the fact that a contract renewal offer has been submitted to Lukasen, the first friendly match on Austrian soil, as well as Paphos’s plans, the General Manager of the “Blues,” Haris Theocharous, spoke in an interview with SPOR FM 95.

In detail:

On the preseason and Kyriakides’ injury: “Unfortunately, we had the misfortune of suffering an injury during preseason. It’s the worst thing that can happen when someone gets injured during this period. Kyriakidis is being evaluated by the Paphos medical team, and we’ll know more very soon. It’s very unfortunate.”

On whether they’re considering reinforcements for that position: “The team’s scouting department is evaluating that as well. There are two young goalkeepers with the team who are very promising. It’s something we want to do in Paphos—to infuse the team with Cypriot players. It’s up to the coaches to decide whether we’ll make any moves. No decision has been made yet. We need to see how long the player will be sidelined.”

Regarding Lukasen: “An offer has been made. For us, this is a special case. Here in Paphos, we consider him one of the best defenders to have ever played on Cypriot fields. Over the past two years, he’s won the league title and the cup, played in the World Cup and scored there, even though he wasn’t named to the Cypriot league’s best XI. I believe we have a good chance. He’s happy with the team; we gave him the time he asked for, and we’re waiting for his response soon to clarify the situation.”

On today’s friendly match: “We don’t have much time at our disposal, and there are still some loose ends to tie up. That’s just how soccer is. What matters is how the players prepare through these games; the results don’t matter.”

On the latest signings from Sporting: “We’ve known Brito since last year, and I think he’s lived up to expectations. We have a lot of faith in him. Sa Pinto said after the final that it’s his heartfelt desire to stay with the team. This year he’ll be even more experienced, and I believe we’ll see great things from him. As for Biel, we know he’s a player of great quality.”

On Guga: “It was a very difficult situation. Pepe also played an important role, as they were teammates for seven years. He wanted to return to Europe and, I repeat, he came with the best references. We expect a lot from him as well.”

On the national team players: “As you’ve seen, they just finished their international duties last night. They’ll definitely be given some time to rest—about ten days.”

On whether Diaby is linked to Lukassen: “I don’t confirm anything regarding any player. However, the two cases are completely unrelated.”

On Poulou: “The player came to Cyprus for one day for an initial meeting, to see the city and the team. However, we’re talking about a player who was the top scorer in the Conference League two years ago. When a player of Poulo’s caliber has offers from many teams, it was important for us that he come to Cyprus and get a first impression, to help with his integration into the team. We’ll be waiting for his response in the coming days and hope it’s positive.”

Regarding the reports about Sunic and Dragomir: “It’s not just about them. The team’s long-standing policy is that we want to keep our players, but everyone has their price. Nevertheless, when the terms are right for all parties, Paphos will not hesitate to sell any player or team staff member, because otherwise other issues arise. I want to emphasize, however, that there are no official offers on the table for these players. These speculations and rumors started much too early. Certainly, some of them will turn out to be true in the end, while others will not.”

Mr. Dubov continues: “As he himself has said, he’s still involved with the team. Perhaps not as actively as before, but of course, as the majority shareholder, he stands by the team.”

Regarding the stadium: “We’ve been granted an extension until September. We’re waiting for some steps to be taken, and this will be clarified very soon. Season tickets will go on sale next week, on July 8, at affordable prices. Although attendance sets a new record every year, this year we want to surpass that. Last year we had about 3,200 season tickets, and this year we want even more.”

Regarding the letter to the Cyprus Football Association (CFA): “We’ve sent a letter to the Federation and are awaiting a response. It’s an issue we’re handling with discretion, but we’re waiting for their reply. We believe that some mistakes were made, especially in the Cup final, and we want to see who is responsible. We’re still keeping a low profile, but certain questions need to be answered.”