Cyprus champions AEL Limassol announced Monday that coach Pambos Christodoulou is to leave the club by mutual consent just days before a crunch Europa League clash with Turkish side Fenerbahce.
Cypriot Christodoulou, 45, lead the team to a slender 2-1 league win against Salamina at the weekend, ahead of Thursday’s home game against Fenerbahce – billed as one of the biggest in the club’s history.
A brief statement on AEL’s website said the board had “ended its cooperation by mutual consent with the team’s coach and his technical staff”.
Although it did not elaborate on the reasons for his departure, the club “warmly thanked” Christodoulou for his contribution in winning the title and “bringing joy” to the fans.
Christodoulou took AEL to their first league title for 44 years last season but failed to make it to the Champions League group stage after losing to Anderlecht at the last hurdle.
According to press reports former Porto player and Braga coach Jorge Paulo Costa Almeida is being lined up as a swift replacement.
AEL are fourth in the table following a string of below-par performances.
In their last Europa League outing AEL were hammered 5-1 away to French club Marseille that followed a credible 0-0 home draw with German side Moenchengladbach.
Due to the political situation in Cyprus – Turkish troops occupy the island’s northern third since 1974 following a failed coup engineered by Greece to unify Athens with Nicosia – the match takes on wider significance for Cypriots.
Turkey are the only state which does not recognize the Greek Cypriot government of divided Cyprus which means sporting contact between the two countries at any level is rare.
There will be over 300 police on duty for Thursday’s tie to ensure the game passes without incident while 1,400 Turkish Cypriot football fans are expected to cross the island’s divide to watch the spectacle at Nicosia’s GSP stadium.
All fans have been warned to be on their best behaviour and avoid political slogans or antagonistic attitudes that could inflame an already sensitive situation.
