Panos Markovic Explained

Panos Marković
Fullname:Panagiotis Marković
Birth Date:5 May 1925
Birth Place:Drama, Greece
Death Place:Athens, Greece
Youthyears1:–1945
Youthclubs1:PAOK
Years1:1945–1951
Caps1:?
Goals1:?
Clubs1:PAOK
Manageryears1:1952–1955
Managerclubs1:Doxa Drama
Manageryears2:1955–1957
Managerclubs2:Apollon Kalamarias
Manageryears3:1957–1959
Managerclubs3:Thermaikos
Manageryears4:1959–1960
Managerclubs4:Iraklis
Manageryears5:1960–1961
Managerclubs5:Megas Alexandros Katerini
Manageryears6:1961–1962
Managerclubs6:Iraklis
Manageryears7:1962–1963
Managerclubs7:Apollon Kalamaria
Manageryears8:1963
Managerclubs8:Doxa Drama
Manageryears9:1965–1966
Managerclubs9:Edessaikos
Manageryears10:1966–1967
Managerclubs10:Greece
Manageryears11:1967–1969
Managerclubs11:Ethnikos Piraeus
Manageryears12:1969–1970
Managerclubs12:Aias Salamina
Manageryears13:1970–1971
Managerclubs13:Olympiacos Chalkida
Manageryears14:1971–1972
Managerclubs14:Proodeftiki
Manageryears15:1972–1975
Managerclubs15:APOEL
Manageryears16:1976–1977
Managerclubs16:Panionios
Manageryears17:1977–1978
Managerclubs17:Pierikos
Manageryears18:1978–1979
Managerclubs18:Panionios
Manageryears19:1979–1980
Managerclubs19:Panachaiki
Manageryears20:1980–1981
Managerclubs20:Doxa Drama
Manageryears21:1981–1983
Managerclubs21:Panionios
Manageryears22:1983–1985
Managerclubs22:APOEL
Manageryears23:1985–1986
Managerclubs23:Panachaiki
Manageryears24:1986–1987
Managerclubs24:Doxa Drama
Manageryears25:1987–1988
Managerclubs25:Panachaiki
Manageryears26:1990
Managerclubs26:Doxa Drama (caretaker)
Manageryears27:1990–1992
Managerclubs27:Olympiakos Nicosia
Manageryears28:2004
Managerclubs28:APOEL (caretaker)

Panos Marković (alternate spelling Panos Markovits) (el|Πάνος Μάρκοβιτς; 5 May 1925  - 17 August 2012)[1] was a Greek football coach and player.

Career

He was born in Drama, Macedonia (Greece) in 1925 of Serbian descent, but grew up in Thessaloniki. He played football for PAOK from 1945 to 1951, being part of the PAOK squads that won the Macedonia Football Clubs Association in 1948 and 1950 and reached the Greek Football Cup final in 1951. He then transitioned from player to coach at the young age of 26.

Ηe was notable as the first manager in Greece to have held a diploma and calling himself a "manager", taking credit for his team's performances long before Helenio Herrera did the same thing in the 1960s and popularised it globally. He was called "Library" because of his endless knowledge about the game of football and he is credited with creating the great Doxa Drama squad of the 1950s, along with his probably most famous honour, winning the Greek Football Cup with Panionios, the oldest Greek club in the world in 1979 and ending an 89-year drought since the club's formation. He managed 16 different clubs during his 40-year long managerial career and is held in high regard by Panionios fans, in spite of some of the ultras insulting him after the famous 1979 win, which led to his acrimonious resignation. He also had many spells at APOEL in Cyprus, which translated to success, mainly his first one from 1972 to 1975 when he led the team to a Cypriot double in 1973 which meant qualification for the 1973-74 Mainland Greece First Division. That season his APOEL side became the only Cypriot club that played in the Greek First Division that didn't get relegated, but they couldn't renew their stay for 1974-75 because of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. His second stay from 1983 to 1985 was only met with a Cypriot Cup and Cypriot Super Cup win and his third stay was in a caretaker role in 2004 at the temporary absence of Ivan Jovanović, becoming the 2nd oldest Balkan manager of all time at the age of 79. Aside from "Library", his players called him the "Teacher" and he was held in high regard by most of his players in all the teams he managed.

Another important point of his career was when he managed the Greece national football team together with Lakis Petropoulos for 2 matches in 1966 and 1967. His departure came after the Regime of the Colonels was established in Greece on 21 April 1967 and he was forcibly relinquished of his duties 5 days later.

In 2010, he was given an award by the President of the Republic Demetris Christofias, for his contributions to sport in Cyprus.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Πέθανε ο Πάνος Μάρκοβιτς – Αθλητισμός . Tanea.gr . 2012-08-17 . 2012-08-27.
  2. http://www.financialmirror.com/News/Cyprus_and_World_News/19002