Olympiacos FC issued a statement to supporters calling for unity ahead of Wednesday's Europa League opener against Jagiellonia Białystok, after the atmosphere at Karaiskakis Stadium was not at its best during a recent Greek league match against OFI Crete.
The club, whose supporters know it as "Thrylos", or the Legend, said the Olympiacos family was setting out on its Europa League journey. It said any disagreements some fans had, as well as expressions of affection for people who had given a great deal to the club, were understood and accepted.
Call for unity
Olympiacos said that across 102 years it had learned to stay united and strong through difficult moments, and that this was what it needed to do again by turning the page. It warned that introversion, or infighting, fed rivals and those who wanted to divide the fanbase with lies and invented stories.
The club said it was confident the whole stadium would act as a twelfth player on Wednesday, and that personal bitterness or worries should be set aside when Olympiacos needed its supporters. It added that any fan who had grown so disillusioned they could no longer bear to attend games could return their season ticket immediately for reimbursement, since another Olympiacos supporter would surely want to take their place. It said it was confident, however, that everyone wanted to stand beside the club.
Investment and ambitions
Olympiacos, based in the port city of Piraeus, is the most decorated club in Greek football history. The club said that over the past month it had made corrective changes at every level, made significant investment and restructured the team, and would do whatever was necessary to win the championship and pursue a historic run in Europe again.
The statement pointed to the club's record over the past 30 years, including a European title, a European youth title, 23 league championships out of 30 seasons, domestic cups and super cups, and regular participation among Europe's elite, achievements it said rivals could not dream of even across their next hundred lifetimes. It said the club remained united and strong and would march together toward trophies, triumphs and glory.
The Europa League fixture
The match against Jagiellonia Białystok, a Polish club, marked Olympiacos's opening fixture in this season's Europa League League Phase, the competition's revamped group stage in which clubs play a single combined table before the knockout rounds begin.
