Costas Aslanidis

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Lieutenant Colonel Costas (Constantinos) Aslanidis, was the appointed - by Greek military junta - Secretary General of Athletics.

Aslanidis was a controversial figure throughout his tenure as Secretary General. On January 30, 1968, in a speech at the Alexandrion Melathron of Thessaloniki, he alleged that corruption was rife in Greek sports. He mentioned that Panathinaikos had paid off referees and linesmen, that Aegaleo FC defender, Tzekos Balarinis, had accepted a 7,000 drachmas bribe to throw his team's game and that Ethnikos' star goalkeeper, Kostas Vallianos, had also accepted bribes to throw his team's games. Aslanidis went further and blasted PAOK forward, Giorgos Koudas, for wanting to leave his team for Olympiakos.

Aslanidis imposed complex rules for transfers in the Greek League: No player could transfer within his own division and no player could transfer to a higher division. However, Aslanidis made exceptions to his own rules, most noteworthy of which was the transfer of Aspida Xanthi forward, Antonis Antoniadis, to Panathinaikos.

Aslanidis was instrumental in having the Champions of Cyprus play in the Greek Alpha Ethniki between the years 1968 and 1974. Olympiakos Lefkosia FC were the first champions to participate and APOEL the last. The latter club was the only Cypriot team not to be relegated.

Throughout his tenure Aslanidis insisted that athletes be well-groomed and clean-shaven (this in the late 1960s - early 1970s!)

Aslanidis fled to Italy following the collapse of the Junta in 1974 and died there.

See also