New AEK Athens owner Marios Iliopoulos' press conference ends with bizarre Spanish outburst

Jacque Talbot

• 11 Jun 2024 14:06 BST
• 2 min read

Thursday marked a significant day for AEK Athens as Marios Iliopoulos, the new owner of the Greek football club, held his inaugural press conference.

The highly anticipated event was meant to shed light on Iliopoulos' vision and plans for "Union." However, it ended in an unexpected and somewhat farcical manner.

In what was likely intended to be a motivational and unifying gesture, Iliopoulos decided to address the team's coach, Matias Almeida, in Spanish. Rising from his seat and turning his gaze towards the experienced 50-year-old coach, Iliopoulos delivered an awkward and jumbled message: "Stand up, Matias. We continue to progress. We go for battles, we go for big moments. Let's go for the big idea of ​​AEK. Force! Come come."

The attempted rallying cry, while perhaps well-intentioned, was marred by its clumsy execution. It is no secret that Almeida, an Argentine, speaks Spanish fluently, but the delivery from Iliopoulos, who does not share this linguistic proficiency, was met with a mix of confusion and amusement by those present. The scene quickly became a topic of conversation across social media, where fans and pundits alike were quick to mock Iliopoulos.

Adding to the awkwardness of the situation was Iliopoulos' revelation about his family's football allegiances. He openly acknowledged that his brother, Antonis Iliopoulos, is a staunch supporter of Olympiacos, AEK's fierce rivals. This disclosure did little to endear him to the AEK faithful, many of whom view Olympiacos with intense rivalry and suspicion.

Iliopoulos, who was reported by the Wall Street Journal to be behind an elaborate fraud scheme in 2011, allegedly setting fire to his own tanker off the coast of Yemen to collect $77 million in insurance, will be hoping for contrasting fortunes next season after a trophyless campaign under former owner Dimitris Melissanidis.