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00:00What does Olympiakos mean to you?
00:09Olympiakos is a great love.
00:12It's something that you bring in here, for example, in Karaiskaki.
00:18It's this positive aura.
00:20You see the world's football.
00:22The stadium provides you with the chance to win, to be a winner.
00:27It's very important to feel so strong, so good, in your action.
00:34And this is conveyed to the players, to everyone who is here.
00:44The greatest moment in Olympiakos' history?
00:47The conquest of the Conference League.
00:49How was it?
00:50We lived great moments.
00:52In Greece and everywhere.
00:54With our people.
00:56It was a great moment.
01:00And a great moment was the conquest of the Youth League.
01:04I believe that both ways are equally important.
01:10We experienced it for the first time in the same year.
01:13Something that no other European team has achieved.
01:16Look, this happened after many years of effort.
01:21The organization, the academy and the Olympiakos team.
01:27We also had great victories in the past.
01:32Against very strong opponents.
01:35We had seen that Olympiakos can do it.
01:39And the players had to believe that.
01:42And not only the players, but everyone in the organization.
01:49From the guard, the janitor, the president, the coach, the players.
01:55The coaching staff, the directors, the coaches.
02:00Everyone had to believe that they can achieve it.
02:12Goal!
02:14The ball is in the net!
02:16The first goal of the day!
02:18The first goal of the day!
02:20It's Olympiakos!
02:23Do you always believe it?
02:25Or is it just a superstition that we have to say that we will win?
02:29No, we don't have to say it.
02:31We have to believe it first.
02:33But you have to believe it, not because you want to.
02:36You have to believe it because you think you can do it.
02:40You have a good coach.
02:43You have a good team.
02:45You have the conditions.
02:47And you need faith.
02:50Effort.
02:52And luck, of course.
02:54Because luck in football is important.
02:58If you think you have all these things,
03:02then you should believe it.
03:04And not only believe it, but pass it on to others.
03:11We are the champions, my friends.
03:17When I used to say that Olympiakos could win a European title,
03:24many people didn't take it seriously.
03:28I used to say it, Christian Karembe used to say it,
03:31but it doesn't matter.
03:33Sometimes it's better not to be believed by your opponents,
03:37so that they don't underestimate you.
03:39Now, of course, we have done it.
03:42And it's a fact that we have won two European titles.
03:47They underestimate us more, so it's more difficult.
03:57I think that the night we won the Conference League,
04:01in all of Greece,
04:03we saw, without exaggeration,
04:06almost two million people taking to the streets.
04:09And many of them were not even Olympiakos fans.
04:13They were Greeks, proud of their country, of Greece.
04:16We saw it again when we decided to send the cup
04:22to all the big cities of our country.
04:26And we saw how many people went to be photographed with the cup,
04:30wanting to touch it, kiss it, kiss it.
04:33And I'm sure that, especially in Eolea,
04:37many young people, maybe not Olympiakos fans,
04:40went to celebrate, to touch the cup, to be photographed.
04:44And they were proud, like Greeks.
04:46This is very good.
04:48What happens with Olympiakos,
04:50with all the teams that play a leading role in Europe,
04:54and we see in Polos, in Goliwice, in Volei,
04:58in Almepi-Kontos,
05:00you can see how well our athletes are doing.
05:02There are a lot of athletes in Stavos, in all areas.
05:05It is very good for Eolea to see these kids
05:08playing a leading role in Europe
05:10and to know that they can do the same,
05:13first through athletics,
05:15then in the university,
05:17then with their family, their profession.
05:20It is very important for them to follow athletics,
05:24and not only to follow athletics,
05:26but also to see that they can reach and conquer new heights.
05:37It was a dream to see young Greek kids
05:41in the Olympiakos decade
05:43to win medals,
05:45to win in European ways,
05:47to raise the bar very high.
05:50This is something that I had dreamed of
05:54in my childhood, I would say.
05:56In these 15 years, we have experienced it.
06:05President, what did Piraeus give to the Olympiakos?
06:08Piraeus has given a lot to the Olympiakos.
06:11The most important thing is the people of Piraeus,
06:15the DNA of the fighter.
06:18We see the people of Mokthos
06:20fighting every day to win their medals,
06:24to live with dignity,
06:26not to compromise,
06:28to fight,
06:30and in the end to be winners.
06:32This is something very important for a team,
06:36to learn to fight,
06:38to have the people on their side,
06:40and to do the same things
06:42that every athlete does in his everyday life.
06:46To fight without compromising
06:51and to win.
06:53He was very good with the footballers.
06:56The footballers had great trust in him.
06:59They knew that if they said one more word,
07:02he would not be able to translate it
07:04to hurt them or to make intrigue.
07:06He was strict where necessary.
07:08He had a relationship that he kept afterwards.
07:12Not only during the time
07:14that these players fought with the Olympiakos,
07:17but also later,
07:18because a family relationship was established.
07:21Because it was a team
07:23that was constantly in the first division,
07:26with great battles then with Panathinaikos,
07:28with Nike,
07:29but especially with Panathinaikos,
07:31I remember,
07:32it was difficult years,
07:34because Panathinaikos was also very strong,
07:37but in the end we were winning.
07:39We lived on the pitch,
07:41in the stands,
07:42in the daily discussions.
07:44All of this goes to the subconscious
07:47and helps you if,
07:49unfortunately,
07:50in the future,
07:51you want to get involved.
07:53What is your first memory of Olympiakos?
07:57My first memory is many years ago,
07:59with my father,
08:00when he brought me to the pitch for the first time.
08:03I remember now,
08:04I was five or six years old.
08:06I remember that we had won
08:08and it was something that we considered
08:11a given to win Olympiakos,
08:13as an obligation of Olympiakos,
08:15of the players,
08:16of the coaches,
08:17of the president,
08:18for this team to win
08:20and to give joy to its people.
08:23Were there any players
08:25at that time that you admired a lot?
08:27There were many players.
08:29Then Galakos,
08:30from Makoulas,
08:31who played very well.
08:33And your father had noticed him in Makoulas.
08:35Yes, in Makoulas,
08:36because he played in Lavrio,
08:38Lavrio,
08:39where we have a hotel in Sunia
08:41and I watched him since I was a child.
08:43My father did the scouting.
08:45Back then,
08:46Makoulas,
08:47I remember,
08:48played for Interfort.
08:49And in the end,
08:50Olympiakos was established
08:51as a left-back.
08:52But,
08:53of course,
08:54there were many players.
08:55Soulakis,
08:56a very good team,
08:57who were winners.
08:58Makoulas,
08:59in a new attempt.
09:02How did you decide
09:04to take Olympiakos?
09:06The big decisions,
09:08or the crucial ones,
09:10you don't think about them much,
09:12because if you think about them
09:14and you start thinking about them
09:16more deeply,
09:17you can't do it.
09:19For Olympiakos,
09:20I didn't think about it much.
09:22It was necessary to find
09:24a person who could do it,
09:26who would have love for Olympiakos
09:28and would be willing to do it.
09:30A president of Olympiakos
09:32would have love for Olympiakos
09:34and would be able to respond
09:36to the needs of a president
09:38of Olympiakos.
09:40In a difficult period,
09:42because in 2010,
09:44Greece was in a crisis.
09:46Mr. Skokalis was in Olympiakos
09:48for many years,
09:49and he offered a lot to Olympiakos.
09:51You know,
09:52the problem of distribution
09:54is a big one.
09:55No matter how well you have done,
09:57people consider it your obligation
09:59as soon as you leave,
10:01at least,
10:02for the team to continue
10:04to succeed and not to disintegrate.
10:06So, I saw then that
10:07there was not much willingness,
10:09not only to spend money,
10:11or invest money,
10:12but also to take this responsibility,
10:14because it is a huge responsibility.
10:16As I told you,
10:17without thinking about it much,
10:19I decided to do it.
10:21It wasn't easy.
10:22It was also a period
10:23when Parathinaikos,
10:24due to its large population,
10:26had new investors,
10:28had spent a lot of money,
10:30had taken the double,
10:32had made various moves
10:34to create a large Parathinaikos
10:37for the empire,
10:39as they said,
10:40to come back.
10:42And somewhere there,
10:43I ruined their plans
10:45in a very short period of time.
10:51What I always wanted,
10:53from the moment I decided
10:55to get involved with Olympiakos,
10:58was for Olympiakos
11:00to be a protagonist in Europe,
11:02as a large European team.
11:04Because I had also watched
11:06many European games,
11:08both in Greece and abroad,
11:10and we had tasted
11:12many disappointments.
11:14At the last moment,
11:15the last minute,
11:16huge mistakes,
11:17especially,
11:18or some mistakes of our players
11:20at the last moment,
11:22every time we left disappointed.
11:26And I saw many children
11:28who had travelled
11:30from all over the world
11:31to come and see Olympiakos,
11:33this disappointment,
11:34that this, at some point,
11:35had to change.
11:36And it did.
11:37And it did, yes.
11:43What moves you more
11:45than when you took over Olympiakos?
11:48If you look at what is happening
11:50in Karaiskakis,
11:51you see the psychology of the winner.
11:54Or the psychology of the losers
11:56in Karaiskakis.
11:59And it is something unique.
12:01You see people with
12:03incomprehensible differences
12:05in their performances.
12:07And they are all together,
12:08hugging,
12:09and saying,
12:10let's go to Olympiakos,
12:11100 years is not enough.
12:25And they are all together,
12:27hugging,
12:28and you see that this gives you
12:30great strength.
12:31I mean,
12:32it is not a coincidence
12:34that the 12th great player
12:36of Olympiakos
12:38is this world.
12:40And it is something moving,
12:42and it is something
12:44that gives us a lot of strength.
12:55Who do you consider
12:56to be the best coaches
12:57during your period?
12:59I think that Valverde
13:01was a very good coach
13:04who helped us
13:06to win the championship,
13:08to come back,
13:10to win the first big
13:12European championships.
13:14Then,
13:15Mitchell.
13:16When it comes to Europe,
13:18we had very nice nights
13:22with huge victories
13:24in big teams.
13:25It made the players feel
13:27that they can win
13:29big European teams,
13:31such as Atletico Madrid,
13:33Benfica, Juventus,
13:35Manchester United.
13:40It was very important,
13:42because the DNA
13:44of the first player
13:45from Greece
13:46went to Europe now.
13:48And that helped us a lot.
13:50Then,
13:51Marcos Silva,
13:52who helped Olympiakos
13:54in European events,
13:57apart from winning the championship.
13:59Martins,
14:01and Tilly Bar,
14:03who you have seen
14:05what happened recently.
14:07The passion,
14:08the zeal,
14:09the courage
14:10that he gives
14:11to our players,
14:13I believe
14:14that it has worked.
14:18That night
14:19everything worked
14:20in the opposite way
14:22for Olympiakos.
14:23And also,
14:24the other team
14:25was not better
14:26than Olympiakos.
14:27And in no case
14:28they should have won
14:294-1 against Karaiskakis.
14:30This had to pass
14:31to the players,
14:32to make them understand
14:34and to make them feel
14:36that they can.
14:37And not only
14:38to tell them
14:39to do the miracle,
14:40because they really could
14:41and they proved it.
14:42So, that night,
14:43when,
14:44with a psychology,
14:45you know,
14:46in Karaiskakis
14:47we are not used
14:48to big cities,
14:50he said
14:51that he wanted
14:52to renew.
14:53Anyway,
14:54he didn't give us
14:55much time.
14:56We had to discuss
14:57a lot.
14:58But unfortunately,
14:59on Sunday,
15:00we had another game
15:01with Panathinaikos
15:02and again we lost
15:03a big score.
15:04So,
15:05his agent
15:06calls me,
15:07Niaki.
15:08Niaki is my friend
15:09and he is also
15:10Valverde's agent.
15:11Anyway,
15:12on Sunday,
15:13he calls
15:14one of my colleagues
15:15and he says,
15:16you know,
15:17that there is
15:18no problem.
15:19After that,
15:20the second result
15:21is that
15:22if you want,
15:23we can cancel the contract.
15:24That is,
15:25there is no problem.
15:26And I say,
15:27no.
15:28We made our decision,
15:29we believe in you,
15:30we move on.
15:31So,
15:32as you say,
15:33we had
15:34something similar
15:35in Norway.
15:38Have you ever
15:39been a member
15:40of the Olympiacos team?
15:42I was,
15:43when I was
15:4410-12 years old,
15:45in the basketball team
15:46here,
15:47a bit further down
15:48from Pae,
15:49in the old
15:50basketball court.
15:52I used to swim
15:53when I was
15:54even younger.
15:56Basketball
15:57and a lot more.
16:00When we
16:01took over
16:02the Olympiacos team
16:03in 2010,
16:04we took over
16:05all the
16:06parts of
16:07the Erasi Art
16:08team.
16:09The only
16:10part
16:11that we
16:12haven't taken
16:13care of
16:14is the basketball
16:15court.
16:17And you
16:18used to
16:19take care
16:20of the volleyball
16:21court,
16:22right?
16:23Yes,
16:24we used to
16:25take care
16:26of the
16:27polo
16:28court.
16:29There are
16:30a lot of
16:31Olympiacos teams
16:32that are
16:33pioneers
16:34in Greece
16:35and in
16:36Europe.
16:37How do you feel
16:38now,
16:39after 100 years
16:40of the
16:41Olympiacos
16:42foundation?
16:43You first
16:44of all
16:45thank your
16:46son,
16:47who also
16:48came
16:49when he
16:50was young
16:51and he
16:52has loved
16:53the team
16:54a lot and
16:55he speaks
16:56with pride
16:57about what
16:58you have
16:59accomplished.
17:00My son
17:01came to
17:02Karaisikaki
17:03at the
17:04same age
17:05because he
17:06came much
17:07earlier
17:08when I
17:09took over
17:10the team.
17:11It's good
17:12that there
17:13is someone
17:14who can
17:15do it
17:16because
17:17that's why
17:18you can
17:19play
17:20well
17:21and do
17:22what you
17:23need to
17:24do.
17:25I think
17:26Giaves
17:27has already
17:28had an
17:29experience
17:30in England
17:31because it
17:32was very
17:33difficult
17:34starting
17:35with the
17:36second
17:37category
17:38which was
17:39the
17:40Championship
17:41back then.
17:42And of course
17:43he has made
17:44a lot of
17:45acquaintances,
17:46he has
17:47collaborated
17:48with many
17:49footballers
17:50because they
17:51are footballers,
17:52coaches,
17:53agents,
17:54producers,
17:55which helps
17:56a lot.
17:57So I
17:58think
17:59he will
18:00have no
18:01problem
18:02doing it
18:03and doing
18:04it even
18:05better.
18:06Nottingham
18:07Olympiacos,
18:08Olympiacos
18:09Nottingham.
18:10We will
18:11hear
18:12a lot.
18:13What I have
18:14to say
18:15is that
18:16as soon as
18:17two teams
18:18will play in
18:19the Champions
18:20League,
18:21one of
18:22the two
18:23will win it.
18:24Olympiacos
18:25wishes to
18:26continue
18:27to be a
18:28great winner
18:29in Greece
18:30but also
18:31in Europe
18:32to continue
18:33to have
18:34courses
18:35and in
18:36the end
18:37trophies.
18:38And the
18:39next goal
18:40after this
18:41peak?
18:42The next
18:43goal is
18:44to stay
18:45at the top.
18:46This is
18:47even more
18:48difficult.
18:49But on
18:50the other
18:51hand
18:52the good thing
18:53is that we
18:54have seen
18:55that it
18:56can happen.
18:57That it is
18:58not a dream
18:59or crazy
19:00or unreal.
19:01It is
19:02a reality.
19:03And this
19:04helps,
19:05as I have
19:06said,
19:07other teams
19:08not only
19:09in Greece
19:10but also
19:11abroad
19:12and that
19:13we are
19:14winners.
19:15Because
19:16in the end
19:17despite the
19:18difficult
19:19conditions,
19:20adversities
19:21or problems
19:22that can
19:23happen,
19:24you have
19:25faith and
19:26you get up,
19:27you fight
19:28and in the
19:29end you
19:30win.