Eleven unresolved cases at Panathinaikos
Due to the uncertainty surrounding football as a whole, there are eleven pending cases at Panathinaikos that need to be examined.
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The Coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives, and it is no different in the context of football. This ‘freeze’ on the game will significantly impact all Greek clubs, and it is no different at Panathinaikos, just as things appeared to be finally heading towards an upward trajectory. At the moment, there are eleven unresolved issues at the club. Here is a summary of each with a report from gazzetta.gr.
Super League licence from the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO)
The obtaining of a Super League license to compete in next year’s championship still appears to be a non-issue for the Greens. Even though it is yet to be granted, for the first time in the past few years, the club is expected to obtain a licence to play in Greece’s top flight next season without any difficulties. Planning began earlier this year, and financial statements show the debt has been drastically lowered. UEFA will also look at this favourably should they look to overturn the ban imposed on the club in 2018 as the administration has a ‘complete’ file, and everything is in order.
The future of Giorgos Donis
The future of Giorgos Donis has been up in the air for the past six weeks after news emerged he would not be given control of off-field matters in the summer, such as new signings. He will have a meeting with Giannis Alafouzos to clear the air, and the outcome of this meeting will dictate whether he stays or leaves. The Coronavirus pandemic has delayed this meeting.
Xavi Roca is a huge fan of Donis and wants to continue working together. Donis also recently stated that he “will not throw away two years worth of hard work,” giving the biggest indication yet that he will stay and continue developing his project. However, we will not have a definitive answer until the pair meet.
Budget of the new season
Before the Coronavirus outbreak, Alafouzos stated that the budget for next season would increase by 2.5 million EUR to four million EUR. The tax was up to date, the debt had been lowered, and payments to all club staff were in a timely manner. As a result, the next step was to increase the budget in a bid to match rival clubs on the pitch. However, the loss of income due to COVID-19 (sponsorship, ticket sales, television deal) will result in the budget for next season staying the same as this season. The good news is that it will not decrease. The loss due to pandemic is estimated to be in the region of 2.2 million EUR.
Television contract
The television contract is a very sensitive and delicate topic. Panathinaikos would have left Novasports if the company was sold to Olympiacos supremo, Vangelis Marinakis. However, now that the move did not happen, the club has no reason to leave. Options are limited, though, and there is no other channel showing significant interest. The Trifylli are expected to stay with Novasports for the new season(the current deal is worth 5.5 million EUR). It is also worth noting that the idea of “League TV” is in its infancy and a project like that requires time and money.
Contact with UEFA
The first step in successfully overturning the aforementioned UEFA ban is obtaining a playing licence domestically. Even though it will be straightforward this time around, contact with UEFA cannot be made until this is granted. Alafouzos has already travelled to UEFA headquarters in Nyon and met with officials about quashing the suspension. Things appeared to be heading down the right path, but now it seems uncertain, possibly unlikely. The Greens have settled their debt, and their finances are in order, but it will also hinge on relaxing the FFP rules.
Home stadium for next season
Panathinaikos have resembled a nomad as the club regularly move between the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium (Leoforos) and the Olympic Stadium (OAKA). The cold atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium led to Donis wanting the team to return to Leoforos so the home fans can genuinely act as the ‘twelfth man.’
Alafouzos was also keen on a return to the club’s spiritual home as his relationship with Dimitris Giannakopoulos (the owner of Panathinaikos’ amateur department, who own the stadium) has been patched up, but the rent at OAKA is cheaper. Also, a return to Leoforos requires funds to be spent on certain upgrades. If not for the virus, the team looked set for a return to Leoforos, but it appears unlikely purely from a financial aspect.
Votanikos
The Votanikos project has been a revolving matter at the club for many years. Football club management has yet to be invited in discussions that have taken place between Giannakopoulos and Kyriakos Mitsotakis or Kostas Bakogiannis. Understandably, developments have stalled at this point, although the club is monitoring the situation.
Contract renewals
Almost all pending cases regarding contract renewals have been frozen at this stage, due to the uncertain nature surrounding football in general. The club has already done well to extend the contracts of several key first-team players, but several outstanding cases need to be resolved. Xavi Roca is currently in Spain, but once the situation calms down, he will return to Greece to resume negotiations with the likes of Emanuel Insua, Mattias Johansson, Christos Donis, Giorgos Vagiannidis, and Kostas Apostolakis.
Three current loans
Until recently, all three loan cases seemed to be lost. Donis wants to keep all three current loan players - Ghayas Zahid, Anuar Tuhami, and Dominik Nagy. APOEL had a clause of 1.6 million EUR for Norwegian international Zahid, but the Cypriot club could lower its asking price due to the virus, thus opening the door for the Greens to keep him beyond this season. Nagy’s contract with Legia Warsaw is 800,000 EUR per season (something that the Trifylli cannot match), however, this could be reduced given the uncertain economic times.
Possible pay cuts for players
If the playoffs are not held at all, then it is almost certain that Panathinaikos will ask their players to take a pay cut. This has not yet happened, and the players are being paid their current wages, however, all clubs will be severely impacted should the playoffs be canceled entirely. No formal discussions have taken place, but it is thought players may have to take a pay cut of up to 25% on their current contracts. It is worth noting that two of the four installments have already been paid.
Discussions with out of favour players out on Loan
Finally, the cases of players out on loan at other clubs are yet to be decided. This is a case by case basis, depending on whether they are in Donis’ future plans. For instance, Yohan Mollo is currently on loan in the French second tier and is unwanted by Panathinaikos. The club does not want him back but may have to come up with some sort of compensation deal to release him and avoid a situation akin to that of Jens Wemmer. Dimitris Emmanouilidis will definitely return from Panionios as he is highly rated, but the futures of Fausto Tienza, Fanis Mavromatis, Christo Sechou, Mark Sifneos, and Nikos Vergos are all uncertain.
