AEK Larnaca

Foundation

AEK was founded on 18 July 1994. It came from the merger of two historic Larnaca clubs, EPA Larnaca and Pezoporikos.

EPA and Pezoporikos

Pezoporikos had been established in 1924. In 1926, serving retired members of Pezoporikos founded AMOL (stands for "Athletic Educational Union of Larnaca" in Greek). In 1932, the two clubs were merged, creating EPA Larnaca (EPA stands for "Union of Pezoporikos-AMOL" in Greek). However, in 1937 a group of members and players of EPA left and refounded Pezoporikos. After several decades, in 1994, the two clubs were merged and created AEK Larnaca.

EPA had 50 participations in the first division, won the championship three times (1945, 1946, 1970), the Cypriot Cup on five occasions (1945, 1946, 1950, 1953, 1955), and in one instance won the Super Cup (1955). In addition, during the season 1970–71, EPA participated in the Alpha Ethniki of Greece. They also had three appearances in European competitions.

Pezoporikos had 49 participations in the first division, won two championships (1954, 1988) and one Cypriot Cup (1970). They also had three appearances in European competitions.

Apart from football, the two clubs had other athletic departments. The decision to merge was made, in order to create a sports club in Larnaca which could star in all competitions (football, basketball, volleyball, etc.) without financial problems.

1994–1999: The early years

After the merger of Pezoporikos and EPA, AEK replaced Pezoporikos in the first division (EPA had been relegated in the last season of its existence). In its first participation in the championship, in the 1994–95 season, AEK finished in 9th place. In the 1995–96 season, they finished 4th. AEK and APOEL were tied for the best defense in the league with 21 conceded goals. In the 1995–96 Cypriot Cup, the club reached the final, where they lost to APOEL.

However, because APOEL had won the championship and participated in the 1996–97 UEFA Cup, the finalists of the Cypriot Cup, AEK represented Cyprus in the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In the preliminary round, AEK faced the Armenian club Kotayk Abovyan. The first match took place in Armenia (8 August 1996), where AEK lost 1–0. The second leg was held at the New GSZ Stadium on 22 August 1996 with AEK winning 5–0 and progressing to the first round of the tournament. In this round, AEK were drawn to face Barcelona. The first leg (12 September 1996) was held at the Barcelona Olympic Stadium, where the Spanish team won 2–0. The second leg took place at the GSZ Stadium (26 September 1996) and ended in a 0–0 draw, meaning Barcelona had qualified. They would go on to reach the final and win the competition.

Before the beginning of the 1996–97 season, AEK, as runners-up of the Cypriot Cup, played against the league winners for the Super Cup, losing 1–0. In the 1996–97 season, AEK finished in 4th place and reached the semi-finals of the domestic cup. This was followed by 5th place in 1997–98, before returning to 4th place in the 1998–99 season.

2000s

For three seasons in a row, 1999–00, 2000–01 and 2001–02, AEK finished in 7th place. In the 1999–00 season they reached the Cypriot Cup semi-finals, and in the 2002–03 season they finished in 8th place.

The 2003–04 season was very important for the history of the team, as they managed to win their first trophy. Although they finished 9th in the league, they reached the final of the Cup, where they beat AEL Limassol at the GSP stadium with a score of 2–1. Winning the cup gave AEK the opportunity to participate European football for the second time, in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, where they faced Maccabi Petah Tikva in the second qualifying round of the competition. The first match took place on 12 August 2004 at the GSP stadium where AEK won 3–0. However, in the rematch in Israel, AEK lost 4–0 and was eliminated from the tournament.

In 2004, as cup winners, AEK faced league champions APOEL for the Cypriot Super Cup. AEK lost 5–4 after extra time. In the 2004–05 season AEK finished in 9th place, just three points clear of relegation. The following season they finished 8th. In the 2005–06 Cypriot Cup, AEK reached the final against APOEL. The final took place at AEK's home ground, the GSZ Stadium, however, they failed to win the trophy, being defeated 3–2 after extra time.

In the 2006–07 season, AEK finished in 7th place and reached the semi-finals of the 2006–07 Cypriot Cup. In the 2007–08 season, AEK finished 4th in the league. AEK's worst league finish came in the 2008–09 season where they placed 13th and were relegated to the Second Division, for the first time in the club's history.

2010s

In the 2009–10 season, AEK finished 2nd in the Second Division, and were promoted back to the First Division. The following season, AEK finished in 4th place, allowing them to participate in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League.

In the 2011–12 season, the club finished 5th and reached the semi-finals of the Cypriot Cup. In the 2012–13 season, AEK finished 4th in the league and made it to the semi-finals of the cup once more. In the 2013–14 season, the team placed 8th after a mediocre campaign.