Alefantos passes away at 81
Nikos Alefantos, who enjoyed a lengthy coaching career with likes of APOEL, Panionios and Olympiacos, has sadly passed away at the age of 81.
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The world of Greek football has entered a state of mourning. At approximately 12:00 local time on Tuesday, Alefantos was pronounced dead in Greece, with the cause subsequently being named as a heart attack. The 81-year-old had been battling against health problems for quite some time before his death.
Alefantos was known in Greece for his emotional approach to the game and fiery character. Following the end of his career as a professional footballer in 1969, Alefantos turned his hand to coaching, going on to manage clubs such as PAS Giannina, Pierikos, Proodeftiki, Ionikos, OFI, Doxa Drama, AE Larissa, Anorthosis, Panionios, APOEL, AEK, PAOK and Olympiacos. Alefantos managed Olympiacos on three occasions between 1983-1984, January 1994-September 1994 and March 2004-May 2004. He didn’t coach again after leaving Olympiacos for the third time.
He won the Cypriot Cup with APOEL in the 1996/1997 campaign.
Several clubs have since issued tributes to Alefantos.
