Cyprus

Cyprus played her largest ever league – 16 teams. There were 15 the previous season and one more was added, as planned, bringing the league to the most common format. The motivation behind the reform was clear – big league meant more players playing more competitive matches. Thus, eventually the quality of the players should rise… never fully convincing argument, countered by exactly opposite proposition: small league concentrates the best players into few clubs, making each stronger and the best playing against the best must boost quality. At the end, neither argument is really convincing – in part because they leave lower levels of football pyramid inadequate. In Cyprus, the situation was very much alike in Finland, Iceland, other small and not populous countries: tiny town and villages often had more than one club, which dispersed talent widely without making most clubs stronger. Paphos had two first division clubs – APOP and Evagoras – for instance. Larnaca had three. So Limassol. Plus the derby of the exiles – Famagusta, in the Turkish part of the island since the civil war partitioning the country in the 1960s, had two clubs in the league, Anorthosis and Nea Salamina, both homeless and temporary borrowing location in the Greek part. Their situation is still the same in the 21st century. Such league was obviously depending on momentary form of any club, here the picture differed than the one in the Scandinavian states: Cyprus traditionally had two dominant ‘super-clubs’ – Omonia and APOEL. Nicosia ruled and the enlargement of the league became immediately counter-productive: more championship games simply meant more easy wins for the top two, making the gulf between them and the rest of the league bigger, not smaller. Lastly, the enlargement of top flight decreased the number of relatively good teams bellow – the fact that only one club was relegated and only one was promoted from the second league pretty much recognized the desperate situation. It also decreased even temporary ambitions for most clubs: small enough, now they were satisfied just with staying in the league – and now it was easier: only one spot was dangerous and with many games between relatively equal teams, it was not very difficult to achieve mediocre security. The relative parity was represented well in the final table: there was no clear outsider, every club was able to get many points, but the more familiar names still got more… the last in the league ended with exactly half the points of the 4th. But they also lost the battle for survival by a single points and two more clubs barely escaped (APOP and Evagoras – the teams from Paphos finished 13th and 14th). Digenis Akritas Morphou were lucky – 15th with 19 points.

Halkanoras Dhali got the short stick – 18 points placed them last and relegated. An young club, founded in 1948, Halkanoras were absolutely unknown – Dali or Dhali is the name of their home, either a village near Nicosia, or outskirts of the capital. There presence among the best was brief and due entirely to the enlargement of the league – they played a grand total of 2 seasons there, coming in in 1976, when the league was enlarged from the traditional 14-club format to 15, and relegated the next year. Never to return…

Poor Halkanoras was to be replaced by the Second Division winners:

Omonia (Aradippou). Slightly better than Halkanoras, but not much… a typical ‘in between’ club, which meandered between first and second division, never lasting long in top flight, but still too good for the lower level. Not exactly a club adding quality to the top league.

Above Halkanoras the teams were spread gradually, climbing up a point or two, and reaching the ‘climax’ with Pezoporikos (Larnaca) at 3rd place.

Bronze medals were a success, no doubt about it, but it was strictly domestic success – Pezoporikos prevailed over clubs more likely to finish on the podium – Paralimni and Anorthosis – and triumphed over city rivals Alki and EPA, but was not for a second threatening the real favourites – with 37 points, they were 4 points behind the silver medalists.

Which were familiar, usual, predictable, expected… APOEL (Nicosia). The bulk of the league did not bother APOEL for a second, but… they had a weak season, unable to challenge their arch-enemy. APOEL ended 10 points behind the champions.

It was not even two-horse race – Omonia was overwhelming.

22 wins, 7 ties, and a single loss. 77-15 goal difference. Omonia had no rivals.

It was even pointless to count their titles anymore… the team was full of Cypriot national team players, led by the great goal-scorer Kaiafas – but the names meant nothing outside Cyprus. It was just the best team on local scale.

As good as Omonia were, they were unable to win a double – Omonia did not reach the Cup final. APOEL did and also AEL (Limassol), otherwise having a dismal season (12th in the league).

There was no doubt about the desire of AEL to win and they fought bravely, but the opposition was not only classier – APOEL had their own ambitions, especially when they were not able even to challenge Omonia in the championship. AEL distinguished themselves by losing minimally – only 0-1. A final, but not a cup…

As for the winners – they were not overwhelming winners, but still got the cup. True, the final was dragged into overtime and it was very difficult to score, but eventually they scored the golden goal.

APOEL saved the season – cups still counted back then. Not just a small compensation for not even running for the title. Difficult victory, but a victory, bringing them back to relative parity with Omonia. The old status quo remained unchanged – the big clubs from Nicosia dominated the Cypriot football. Of course, APOEL had a good number of national team players, but they had no player like Kaiafas – that is, no player known outside the island. Perhaps that was the whole difference between the two enemies and it was huge difference… at home.