Nea Salamis Famagusta FC

History

{{anchor|The Early Years}}Early years

When Nea Salamina Famagusta was founded, Greece was entering a period of civil war between leftists and rightists. The situation in Greece affected Cyprus, both politically and socially; most athletes were also involved in politics. At this time, Famagusta had two sports clubs: the Evagoras Gymnastic Association, or GSE () and the Anorthosis Famagusta F.C. The GSE had many talented leftist athletes on its rosters. At Anorthosis, many players were also leftists. Under the influence of the contemporary right-wing political climate, the GSE and Anorthosis began to restrict leftist athletes. Additionally, Anorthosis was hosting at their clubhouse the right-wing Cypriot National Party. In early 1947 a group from Famagusta (including leftists, members and non-members of GSE and Anorthosis) concluded there was room for another sports club in the city. Due to the existing restrictions, they envisioned a club which would appeal to everyone in Famagusta regardless of political affiliation.

On 14 February 1948 After the club's founding, many citizens expressed a desire to join; however, the football side was weak.

{{anchor|Persecution from the GSE Stadium and the establishment of CAFF}}GSE Stadium banning and the CAFF

Before the Pancyprian Games in May 1948, the Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association (SEGAS) asked all gymnastics associations in Cyprus, their members and athletes, to sign a public declaration that would express their support to the rightists in Greek Civil War, to declare that they espoused "nationalist beliefs" and to repudiate the leftists. The right-wing athletic clubs and athletes signed the statements; the only club refusing to sign the statement was the Kinyras Paphos gymnastic association, which was excluded from the games. The left-wing athletes were opposed to the declaration, and refused to sign the statement. Among the first athletes who refused were GSE champions Antonis Totsis () and Nikis Georgiou (). The GSE invited both athletes to apologize, but they insisted on their position that sports should be separate from politics. The left-wing athletes decided to support the Kinyras Paphos association if the decision to exclude it from the Pancyprian Games stood. The GSE was favored to win the competition, but finished third. As a reaction to the fact that athletes of Nea Salamina were not involved in the Pancyprian Games, the GSE president informed the club it was not welcome at the GSE Stadium. Persecution of GSE and Anorthosis athletes who supported their teammates followed. The stadium-use prohibition meant that Nea Salamina had nowhere to play.

Negative attitudes toward left-wing athletes prevailed in other Cypriot cities. In Larnaca, the Alki Larnaca F.C. was founded in April 1948. A month later, the Gymnastics Club Zeno (GSZ) banned Alki from using its GSZ Stadium; a similar proposal to exclude Turks and Catholics was rejected. The GSZ amended its constitution, prohibiting enrollment of new members unless they signed a declaration that "they espouse the Hellenic nationalistic ideals". This excluded left-wing athletes from becoming members or using its stadium. In May, Orfeas Nicosia was founded in Nicosia; that month, APOEL F.C. sent a greeting by telegram to SEGAS ("cordial brotherly greetings to the entire Greek youth athletes"), on the occasion of national games, and wished for the cessation of inner-nation mutiny. APOEL asked all members and athletes of the club to sign a declaration, supporting the content of the telegram. Leftist members and athletes of APOEL considered "inner-nation mutiny" as a challenge and political statement of the club, thus they distanced themselves from that statement. The Cypriot press encouraged a hostile climate with articles and commentary. This was followed by the indefinite suspension of five APOEL athletes (Lympouris, Tsialis, Gogakis, Xatzivasileiou and Christodoulou), who founded AC Omonia in June 1948 with former members of the APOEL. AS Kyrenia was later founded.

Due to their left-wing political beliefs, members of the new clubs were not accepted into the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) and they established a new football federation (the Cyprus Amateur Football Federation, or CAFF) in December 1948. The new federation organized leagues and cups, which attracted thousands of fans. The CAFF matches became more popular than those of the CFA. Six teams belonged to the CAFF: Nea Salamina in Famagusta, Omonia and Orfeas in Nicosia, Alki at Larnaca, AMOL at Limassol (renamed Antaeus in 1951) and Neos Asteras in Morphou.

Unification of Cypriot football

CAFF members favored the unification of football in Cyprus. They tried for three years to persuade the CFA to accept them as members, without success. The existence of two football federations (with two separate championships) in a country such as Cyprus was unprecedented. The situation created economic hardship, and hampered the development and improvement of Cypriot football. The clubs felt that sports should reflect fraternity and friendship rather than discrimination. In December 1952, the first issue of the sports newspaper Athlitiki supported the unification of Cypriot football. Foreign coaches of CFA clubs also supported unification, leading the CFA to respond that "their statements opposed the spirit of the Federation". Coaches of CFA's teams were initially hostile towards consolidation supporters. In summer 1953, the majority of Cypriot sportspeople expressed support for football unification. In August of that year Nea Salamina, Omonia, Alki and Antaeus submitted a joint application to the CFA to join the Cypriot First Division. On 19 September, the CFA accepted Nea Salamina and Omonia for membership. However, the organization's negative attitude towards those clubs continued. First, the league rejected applications from Alki, Orfeas Nicosia and Neos Asteras (although the first two joined a year later), and second, arguing that according to its constitution, only one team must participate in the Cypriot First Division and two teams in the second division. The CAFF clubs accepted these conditions in the interest of unification. In an ad hoc meeting of CAFF, members agreed that Omonia would join the first division and Nea Salamina and Antaeus the second division. Following these decisions, CAFF disbanded. The first game between teams from the two federations (a friendly) was played by Nea Salamina and Anorthosis at GSE Stadium on 27 September 1953. 5,200 fans were present at the game between the two Famagustian clubs. The final result was 3–1 in favor of Anorthosis, and the match was described as an evidence of superior sportsmanship and brotherhood of fans by Athlitiki.

Famagusta municipal stadium

After being denied access to the GSE stadium, the club did not have a venue for training. They initially practiced at the Saint Lukas pitch (Proodou) in Famagusta and began efforts to build a privately owned stadium. In December 1948 Israel made a CYP£3,000 donation to the city of Famagusta, in gratitude for aid by its inhabitants to Jewish refugees, for a community-service project. Gabriel Makris, a Famagusta alderman and Nea Salamina footballer, supported the association's recommendation to build the stadium. The city council recognized the "financial assistance granted to the Jews to create Municipal Sports Stadium, which is available to Famagustans for the promotion and spread of mass popular sport". The stadium was available to Nea Salamina and other sports clubs.

In early 1949, volunteer construction work began on a municipal stadium in Saint John Famagusta parish. The stadium—the first in Cyprus with a roof over the stands—was built by supporters of the club and footballers and completed in 1952. It served as Nea Salamina's headquarters from 1952 to 1953.

In 1953, after the unification of football federations, Nea Salamina used GSE Stadium. The city's Municipal Stadium was used by the team for training. This period lasted until 1974, when Famagusta was occupied by the Turkish Army after the Turkish invasion in Cyprus and the club was forced to move its headquarters.

Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium

Main article: Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium

From 1974 to 1991 Nea Salamina used GSZ Stadium in Larnaca, Dasaki Stadium in Dasaki Achnas, Municipal Stadium in Deryneia and Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca. In 1991 the team built its own stadium, Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium.

Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium, owned by Nea Salamina in Larnaca, has a 5,000-seat capacity and is primarily used for football. The club offices are in the same area. The stadium is named for the town of Famagusta (; Ammochostos), the original home of Nea Salamina before the Turkish occupation, and was built in 1991 near the refugee camps. The decision to build the stadium was made in 1989; construction began in December of that year, and thanks to club supporters in Cyprus and abroad, the Cyprus Sports Organisation and volunteer labor, the stadium was completed on schedule. The first Nea Salamina Famagusta game in the new stadium was played on Saturday, 12 October 1991, against Evagoras Paphos. Nea Salamina won, 4–1. The stadium hosted the 1992 UEFA European Under-16 Championship final on 17 May 1992 between Germany and Spain, which Germany won 2–1.

Emblem and colors

Nea Salamina's emblem incorporates the Olympic flame, the color red and the five rings of the Olympic Games. The club's colors during its first two years were yellow and crimson, when it was part of the Cyprus Amateur Football Federation. After 1950, the governing council changed its colors to red and white: red symbolizing power, and white symbolizing peace. Red-and-white striped jerseys were chosen because they resembled those worn by Olympiacos Piraeus.

Competitions

{{anchor|Leagues and cups of CAFF}}CAFF

In five leagues of the Cyprus Amateur Football Federation, Nea Salamina failed to win a title; during its last two years, it finished second. The 1952–53 season saw the cup finalists losing 2–0 to AC Omonia at Gkooul stadium (Omonia's home pitch).

For 1948–49, no statistics are available. Nea Salamina played ten games, winning three (two at Neos Asteras and one against Alki), losing six and drawing once (against Alki).

{{anchor|Cypriot Championship and Cup}}Cypriot championships

{{anchor|Period 1953–1959}}1953–1959

After the 1953 unification of Cypriot football, Nea Salamina played in the Cypriot Second Division; its goal during the first season was winning promotion to the first division. Games were played in GSE Stadium, and the Famagusta Municipal Stadium was used for training. The second division had two groups; Nea Salamina was in the Nicosia-Larnaca-Famagusta group. The group winner faced the winner of the Limassol-Paphos group for promotion to first division. Nea Salamina finished second in its group, losing the chance at promotion. In the 1953–54 Cypriot Cup, the team reached the semi-finals. Nea Salamina was the first team, although struggling in the second division, qualified to the semi-finals of the Cypriot Cup

The next season the team led the second division, ensured its promotion. The league now had three groups, with Nea Salamina playing in the Larnaca-Famagusta group. With the conquest of the first position in the group, fought for the promotion with the first teams of the other two groups: the champion of the Limassol-Paphos group, Antaeus Lemesos, and the champion of the Nicosia group, Orfeas, in a new three teams championships. Nea Salamina finished in first place. During the same period, in the 1954–55 Cypriot Cup, excluded from subsequent phases one of the strongest teams of the season, APOEL with 3–2 win in GSE stadium. After 57 years, in the 2001–02 Cypriot Cup the team repeated this success; after struggling in the second division, it defeated future champion APOEL F.C. 1–0, winning away at GSP Stadium.

The 1955–56 Cypriot First Division saw the team participating for the first time as a newly promoted side. It finished third, four points behind champion AEL Limassol. Third position has been the team's highest finish, a position it has reached four times. Nea Salamina's first first-division game was against rival Anorthosis at their common ground, GSE Stadium. Nea Salamina won 3–2, its first victory against Anorthosis.

{{anchor|Decade 1960–1969}}1960s

During the early years of the decade, Nea Salamina was strong in home games but weak away. Noteworthy is the conquest of the amateur championship from farm team the period 1960–61, In December 1963, the league disbanded; at that time, Nea Salamina was in a tight three-way race with Omonia and APOEL. With the creation of Cypriot National Guard, many Nea Salamina's players joined the army; players would often come straight from camps throughout Cyprus to play league games with no training.

The 1965–66 season was one of the best (but painful) periods for Nea Salamina; the team arguably played the best football in Cyprus. The team contended for the championship until the last game of the season and lose its first cup final. In a game against APOEL at the old GSP stadium, Nea Salamina was leading 3–0. In the 62nd minute, an APOEL player hit a Nea Salamina's player; an APOEL grabbed and hid a linesman's flag. The game was halted, and the CFA ordered a rematch. The dispute lasted more than three weeks; in the meantime Nea Salamina was defeated by the bottommost team, Aris Limassol F.C. In the penultimate match of the tournament Omonia and Salamina were tied for first place on points, and Olympiacos was one point behind. In the game against Olympiakos Nicosia Nea Salamina was leading 2–1, but Olympiakos tied the game in allegedly excessive extra time. After clashes in the last few seconds, the game was halted and ordered replayed. Omonia was in first place with 50 points; Nea Salamina was second with 47 and Olympiakos third with 46. With a victory over Olympiakos Nea Salamina would win the championship, since it had more goals than Omonia. On 31 May 1966 many buses and cars drove from Famagusta to Nicosia, where Nea Salamina was defeated 6–3. During this period Salamina had the best defense in the league, with 21 goals in 20 games (a team record).

Near the end of the 1966–67 season the board of Olympiakos reported rumors of future match-fixing between Nea Salamina and Anorthosis to the team, which its president denied. Nea Salamina defeated Anorthosis; Olympiacos won the league championship, despite its defeat by Omonia. The Olympiakos board apologized, congratulating Nea Salamina on its victory. By the end of the decade Nea Salamina was finishing mid-table, despite an outflow of players to other teams or the army.

{{anchor|Decade 1970–1979}}1970s

During the first two seasons of the 1970s, Nea Salamina finished in the middle of the table; the next two seasons threatened relegation, which was avoided. The club's low point was 14 August 1974, when the occupation of Famagusta by Turkish troops led to Nea Salamina becoming a refugee club. Fans and players scattered to unoccupied areas of Cyprus and abroad. In October, board members met at the offices of Aris Limassol, deciding to revive the club. Since most players were in Larnaca, it was decided to make Larnaca the club's temporary home. Its offices were housed temporarily at the offices of Alki Larnaca F.C. and in January 1975 acquired a rented building. Expenses were paid with contributions from members and friends of the club. Two youth academies were founded, in Larnaca and Limassol.

In late 1974, the CFA decided to schedule a special championship. Although board members were uncertain whether Nea Salamina should play (due to the refugee problem), they decided to participate so the team could remain in the Cypriot First Division and stay alive. Since there was no permanent stadium, the team used GSZ Stadium in 1974–75, the GSZ Stadium again in 1976–77, Dasaki Stadium in Dasaki Achnas in 1977–78 and GSZ Stadium from 1978 to 1980.

By 1979, Nea Salamina was established in the first division. Despite a good start to the 1978–79 season, the team was demoted in the decisive last game to the second division after a quarter-century in the first division. The team's hopes rested both on defeating Enosis Neon Paralimni FC and Evagoras Paphos not to beat AC Omonia or Olympiakos Nicosia FC to lose by Alki Larnaca F.C. Nea Salamina won over Enosis Neon Paralimni FC (3–2), but none of the others happened as Evagoras won and Olympiakos tied with Alki.

In the summer of 1974, before the Turkish occupation, Nea Salamina signed Bulgarian coach Iancho Arsov, who went on to win titles with Omonia decades later. The agreement was canceled when financial problems caused by the team's refugee status made it impossible to pay for a foreign coach.

{{anchor|Decade 1980–1989}}1980s

During the 1979–80 season, Nea Salamina played in the second division. Many times fans at its matches outnumbered those of teams competing in the first division. The team easily won the league and returned to the first division for the 1980–81 season. At the first game they beat the later champion Omonia, 2–1, in an away game at Makario Stadium in Nicosia. This defeat was the first Omonia suffered at the stadium since they began competing in it. Nea Salamina finished seventh for the season.

For the 1981–82 season, Nea Salamina acquired foreign footballers for the first time, Bulgarians Nazca Michailiof and Stefan Pavlov. An unprecedented incident occurred during the 1982–83 season when, in a game against Enosis Neon Paralimni FC in GSZ Stadium, three Nea Salamina's players were expelled and the remaining players surrounded the linesman to protest. The linesman, claiming to have received blows, was transported to the hospital where radiographs failed to show injuries caused by the players. After the linesman made a formal complaint, a court imposed a sentence of 45 days. This was unprecedented for Cypriot football. The players remained in jail for five days and were released after public outcry, but then CFA authorities imposed crippling sanctions on them, ordering them to stay off the court for several months.

The next football seasons was not accompanied by discrimination. Until 1985, the team played at GSZ Stadium. In the 1985–86 season, they played seven games at Municipal Stadium in Deryneia and six in GSZ Stadium. They used GSZ Stadium exclusively for the 1986–87 season. From 1987 to 1988, the team used Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca for home games. The team finished fourth in the 1988–89 season, denied participation in the final by the subsequent winners AEL Limassol. During this period, Nea Salamina's player Nigel Maknil was named the league's top scorer, with 19 goals.

{{anchor|Decade 1990–1999}}1990s

;Cup winner The 1989–90 season was the most successful in the history of the team when Nea Salamina won its first football title, the Cypriot Cup. The week before the final, many fans traveled to Cyprus from abroad to attend the game. Nea Salamina was the second refugee team to win a title since the 1974 occupation. In the final, on 8 June 1990, Nea Salamina defeated Omonia 3–2 at Tsirion Stadium in Limassol. Players competing in the final included Christakis Christofi, Artemis Andreou, Kipros Tsigkelis, Elissaios Psaras, Floros Nicholaou (captain), Kenny Dyer, Vangelis Adamou, Takis David, Christakis Mavros, Elias Elia, Charalambos Andreou (Pambis Andreou) and S. Anastasiou. Elias Elia, Christakis Mavros and Pambis Andreou scored the goals, and the coach was former Nea Salamina's player Andreas Mouskallis.

;Shield winner Salamina went on to take its second title in only a few months, the LTV Super Cup Shield, That year, the shield was dedicated to 30 years of Cypriot independence.

;European participation

As cup winner, Nea Salamina played for the first time in a European cup (1990–91 European Cup Winners' Cup) and was eliminated in the first round by Aberdeen F.C. Aberdeen, who had won the 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup by defeating Real Madrid in the final, was a strong team. The first game was at Tsirion Stadium on 19 September 1990 before 8,000 fans. Nea Salamina was defeated, 2–0, after a scoreless tie at halftime. A rematch, played at Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen on 3 October, resulted in a 3–0 loss. Lineups for the two games were Christakis Christofi, Artemis Andreou, Kipros Tsigkelis, Elissaios Psaras, Floros Nikolaou, Kenny Dyer, Pambis Andreou, Takis David (replaced by Stavros Efthymiou in the 68th minute), Nigel Maknil (replaced by Christakis Mavros in the 85th minute), Elias Elias and Vangelis Adamou (home), and Yiannakis Ioannou, Andreas Artemis, Kipros Tsigkelis, Elissaios Psaras, Floros Nicholaou, Kenny Dyer, Vangelis Adamou, Mavros Christakis, Nigel Maknil (replaced by Pambis Andreou in the 47th minute), Elias Elias and Vassos Mavros (away).

The 1990s were the most successful decade for Nea Salamina. Apart from winning the cup, shield, and the right to play in the Cup Winners Cup, the team claimed the championship. In addition, the team acquired Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium in Larnaca, built by volunteer supporters.

Nea Salamina claimed the 1992–93 Cypriot First Division championship. At the end of the first round they were in first place, ultimately finishing third. During the 1994–95 season, they were the first Cypriot team to participate in the Intertoto Cup. The team also played in the 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup.

{{anchor|Decade 2000–2009}}2000s

During the first decade of the 21st century, Nea Salamina was relegated four times. The 1999–2000 season saw the team finish in fourth place, winning a spot in the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup. During the 2000–01 season, Nea Salamina finished twelfth and was relegated to the second division for the second time in its history. By the season's last game, the team's hopes rested both on defeating Digenis Akritas Morphou and Doxa Katokopias FC not to beat Apollo Limassol or Enosis Neon Paralimni FC to beat Ethnikos Achna FC. Nea Salamina easily won over Digenis, but Doxa also defeated Apollo and Ethnikos Achna's match with Enosis Neon Paralimni FC resulted in a draw. After defeating APOEL in the semi-finals, the team lost the 2000–01 Cypriot Cup final on 12 May 2012 to Apollo, 1–0, at GSP Stadium, becoming the first Cypriot football team to play in a cup final despite being relegated.

Nea Salamina became 2001–02-second-division champions, winning promotion to first division. The team eliminated future champion APOEL away in the 2001–02 Cypriot Cup, its second defeat of APOEL in several months, and made the quarterfinals.

In the 2002–03 season, the team was relegated again to second division, winning the championship of that division the following year and promoted again to first division. The 2004–05 season saw the squad finish sixth. With its stadium closed for repairs, the team played at Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium (except for two games at Makario Stadium). Nea Salamina returned to Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium for the 2005–06 season, again finishing sixth. It finished 10th in the 2006–07 season and 13th in 2007–08, again relegated to the second division. After a difficult season in 2008–09, the team returned to first division, winning in the final game and leaving opponents Olympiacos, who only needed a draw to win the promotion, in the second division.

{{anchor|Decade 2010-2019}}2010s

Nea Salamina was again relegated to the second division during the 2009–10 season but was promoted to first division the following year. In the 2011–12 season, the team finished in seventh place. Due to finishing eleventh in the 2012–13 season, the team faced the 2012–13 Cypriot Second Division side Anagennisi Deryneia in a single-legged playoff for one spot in the 2013–14 Cypriot First Division. Nea Salamina won by 3–0, retaining its first division spot for the 2013–14 season. The next season, the team finished in seventh place. Nea Salamina won 54 points, but because on 17 May 2013 the team were deducted three points by CFA because they failed to meet the financial criteria of UEFA, they finished the season with 51 points.

{{anchor|Decade 2020-}}Since 2020

During the 2019–20 season, the league and cup were disbanded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nea Salamis, after the pandemic during the 2020–21 season, ended up being relegated to the second division. During 2021–22, Nea Salamis managed to get promoted back to the first division immediately and stayed until the 2024–25 season.

European participation

Playing in European competition for the first time in 1990, Nea Salamina was defeated in the first round by Aberdeen FC with an aggregate of 0-5. The team participated during the group stage in 1995 and 1997, playing in the Intertoto Cup, achieving 3rd and 4th place, respectively. In the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup, the team reached the second round, with two victories against the Albanian KS Vllaznia Shkodër during the first round with an aggregate of 6-2, but were eliminated during the second round by Austria Wien, with 1-3 in aggregate.

Domestic history

|Season to season of Nea Salamis