Olympiacos is Greece’s most loved and most hated club. They’ve won trophy after trophy, especially in this century. They play their home games in the Georgios Karaiskákis Stadium, which is a historical ground in Piraeus surrounded by tourist hotspots.
If you ask the ultras of Olympiacos, they would put the club before their family. Since the turn of the century, Olympiacos has won 18 championship titles and has dominated Greek football. The club is owned by a controversial multimillionaire, Evangelos Marinakis (also the owner of Nottingham Forest), who has been accused of match-fixing twice and of involvement in drug trafficking. Luckily for him and the club, he’s been cleared of all charges. But it has not made the reputation of the already much-hated Olympiacos any better.
The Georgios Karaiskákis Stadium is a modern stadium, but one that is made for football. It’s been Olympiacos’ home ground since 1895, but the stadium has been completely refurbished multiple times. The last time it was rebuilt was in 2004 for the Olympic Games.
From the outside, it’s not a particularly special stadium, but the red steel fits the surrounding harbour very well. It’s, however, more special from the inside. The fans are notorious for the fiery and intimidating atmosphere they create with fireworks, pyros, tifosi and loud noise. For many players, the Georgios Karaiskákis Stadium is the most intimidating ground they’ve ever played in. Even Zlatan Ibrahimovic was impressed when he played against them with Paris Saint-Germain in 2013.
Inside the stadium, you’ll also find the Olympiacos Museum, filled with trophies from not only the football club but from all the sports associations of Olympiacos. Besides that, there’s also a shopping mall with restaurants, cafés, retail stores and a gym.
The 8th of February 1981, it was the darkest day in Greek football. 21 people died after fans rushed out of the stadium to celebrate Olympiacos’ 6-0 win against local rivals AEK Athens. Fans fell from the stairs after they lost their balance and were stepped on by a sea of unsuspecting fans. The main cause is said to have been a door that was partially closed.
Every year there’s a memorial service held on the 8th of February. On the stand of Gate 7, where the tragedy occurred, some seats have been painted black instead of red, which forms the letter ‘7’. On the east side of the stadium, you will find a monument with the names of the 21 fans who died.
The Rockin Bulldog is the most famous Olympiacos bar. Before and after home matches, the bar will be filled with Olympiacos fans. The walls are filled with memorabilia of the club. And the best thing: It’s right next to the Georgios Karaiskákis Stadium.
In the surrounding area, you will find a lot of stadiums that were used during the Olympic Games of 2004, including the Peace and Friendship Stadium, which is only a couple of hundred metres from the stadium of Olympiacos. The arena, located next to a marina, is also the home ground of Olympiacos’ successful basketball team. A bit further along the coastline (in the eastern direction) you will find more stadiums of the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex, including an abandoned beach volleyball stadium, a football pitch and the Faliro Sports Pavilion Arena.
If you follow the opposite direction of the coast, you will end up in Mikrolimano, a popular tourist area filled with nice restaurants and bars. It’s a perfect place to have a drink or eat a bite before or after a match of Olympiacos. On the adjacent Votsolokia beach, you will find a swimming pool, outdoor cinema, basketball court, tennis courts and two football pitches. A bit further, on the Alexandras Square, lies Olympiacos’ headquarters.
In the nearby suburb of Nikaia, you will find the Neapolis Nikaia Municipal Stadium, simply known as the Neapoli Stadium. From the inside, it’s a beautiful stadium with its white stands, massive floodlights and surrounding apartment blocks that peek above the stands. You can’t see much on the outside of the stadium, except for one graffiti-covered wall. So it’s recommended to watch a match of the home team Ionikos FC, who currently plays in Greece’s top flight.
Because only one team can qualify for the UEFA Champions League playoffs, there is a massive rivalry between all the top clubs in Greece. Not only do the fans expect a championship each year, but so does the board given the financial benefit of playing Champions League football.
Olympiacos has been winning the Champions League spot almost every season but does have big rivalries with Panathinaikos (also known as the derby between eternal enemies), AEK Athens and PAOK: Greece’s four biggest clubs. Traditionally, Olympiacos also has a local derby Ethinikos Piraeus, but they have been absent from Greek’s top flight for many years.
The Greeks have a lot of passion, hate and love for football. Unfortunately, this has also occasionally resulted in fan violence. The league is no foreigner to being temporarily halted due to the violence. In efforts to decrease the risk, away fans are not able to enter the stadiums of the top clubs of PAOK, AEK Athens, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos. The fans of the big clubs in Athens also don’t tend to leave their neighbourhood for their safety. That’s why it is advised not to wear any football shirts in Greece.
You need an AMKA, basically a Greek social security number, to buy football tickets in Greece. However, it is possible to order tickets through Olympiacos’ website as a foreigner. The club redirects you to Ticketmaster, where you can order your ticket and get information on what to fill in on the AMKA.
Since the economic crisis, it has become a rarity for stadiums in Greece to sell out, which means that even on match days you can usually still buy a ticket at the ticket office of the Georgios Karaiskákis Stadium. Especially for the smaller games. Be aware that you do need your passport.
The stadium of Olympiacos is easily accessible by public transport. Next to the stadium, you will find the metro station Neo Faliro, which can be reached by M1 (the green line), and the tram station from the Peace and Friendship Stadium which has many stations along the coastline.
