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Levadiakos Football Club (officially romanized: Levadeiakos Greek : ΠΑΕ Λεβαδειακός ) is a Greek professional football club that plays in the Super League Greece . Based in Livadeia , Greece, the club was promoted to the Alpha Ethniki , forerunner of the Super League, after ten seasons in minor divisions in the 2005–06 season, as runner-up of the Football League in 2004–05. It was then relegated to the Beta Ethniki again in 2006–07 and returned to the top tier in 2007–08. The club finished one level above relegation that year but was relegated back to the second division by finishing 14th in 2009–10 . The club most recently won promotion back into the Super League Greece after winning the Super League Greece 2 in 2023–24 .

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109-665: Levadiakos started in 1961, when local clubs Trofonios and Pallevadiaki merged into a greater club. Straight after, Levadiakos played in the second division being close to relegation in almost every season. In the 1980s, the team was upgraded and in May 1987, players and supporters of the club celebrated the team's first ever promotion to Alpha Ethniki following a career great season by Konstantinos "Prince" Litinas. Levadiakos stayed there only for four seasons, returning again only in 1994 and 1995. After their second relegation, Levadiakos declined and went very lower, even struggling to clinch promotion to

218-562: A free city of the Roman Republic under Mark Antony in 41 BC. It grew to be an important trade hub located on the Via Egnatia , the road connecting Dyrrhachium with Byzantium , which facilitated trade between Thessaloniki and great centres of commerce such as Rome and Byzantium . Thessaloniki also lies at the southern end of the main north–south route through the Balkans along

327-472: A lengthy siege in 1383–1387 , along with most of eastern and central Macedonia, to the forces of Sultan Murad I . Initially, the surrendered cities were allowed complete autonomy in exchange for payment of the kharaj poll-tax . Following the death of Emperor John V Palaiologos in 1391, however, Manuel II escaped Ottoman custody and went to Constantinople, where he was crowned emperor, succeeding his father. This angered Sultan Bayezid I , who laid waste to

436-436: A Christian whom Galerius is said to have put to death. Most scholars agree with Hippolyte Delehaye 's theory that Demetrius was not a Thessaloniki native, but his veneration was transferred to Thessaloniki when it replaced Sirmium as the main military base in the Balkans. A basilical church dedicated to St. Demetrius, Hagios Demetrios , was first built in the fifth century AD and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site . When

545-748: A European trophy and the first team in Europe to win both men and youth European titles in the same season, after winning the UEFA Conference League and the UEFA Youth League (unbeaten) in 2024. All-time contribution of points for the UEFA country ranking. As of 30 May 2024, the Greek Super League ranks 15th in the UEFA coefficient database, with 31.525 points. Nova Sports (premium channel) have taken

654-685: A Panhellenic Champion was determined by a play-off game between the Athens-Piraeus and the Thessaloniki champions. Peiraikos Syndesmos won 3–1 against Aris . This panhellenic final was not repeated the following year as the EPSAP was split into the Athens FCA (EPSA) and Piraeus FCA (EPSP) following a dispute. On 14 November 1926, the Hellenic Football Federation is founded and organizes

763-554: A bill was passed in the Hellenic Parliament under which football clubs became Football Incorporated Companies (PAE or ΠΑΕ in Greek). The Association of Football Incorporated Companies (EPAE, ΕΠΑΕ in Greek), under the supervision of the HFF, has since held the responsibility to hold the championship, with Makis Ithakisios being elected its first president. Initially the shares were owned by

872-611: A half-sister of Alexander the Great and princess of Macedonia as daughter of Philip II . Under the kingdom of Macedonia the city retained its own autonomy and parliament and evolved to become the most important city in Macedonia. Twenty years after the fall of the Kingdom of Macedonia in 168 BC, in 148 BC, Thessalonica was made the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia . Thessalonica became

981-599: A major imperial city and trading hub. Thessaloniki and Smyrna , although smaller in size than Constantinople , were the Ottoman Empire's most important trading hubs. Thessaloniki's importance was mostly in the field of shipping , but also in manufacturing, while most of the city's tradespeople were Jewish . During the Ottoman period, the city's population of Ottoman Muslims (including those of Turkish origin, as well as Albanian Muslim , Bulgarian Muslim , especially

1090-487: A political reform movement, which goal was to replace the Ottoman Empire's absolute monarchy with a constitutional government. The Young Turks started out as an underground movement, until finally in 1908, they started the Young Turk Revolution from the city of Thessaloniki, which lead to of them gaining control over the Ottoman Empire and put an end to the Ottoman sultans power. Eleftherias (Liberty) Square , where

1199-607: A puppet state such as the Hellenic State or an ally of Germany (Thessaloniki had been promised to Yugoslavia as a reward for joining the Axis on 25 March 1941). As it was the first major city in Greece to fall to the occupying forces, the first Greek resistance group formed in Thessaloniki (under the name Ελευθερία , Elefthería , "Freedom") as well as the first anti-Nazi newspaper in an occupied territory anywhere in Europe, also by

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1308-504: A republic, contrary to the rest of Greece. After the war, Thessaloniki was rebuilt with large-scale development of new infrastructure and industry throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Many of its architectural treasures still remain, adding value to the city as a tourist destination, while several early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1988. In 1997, Thessaloniki

1417-428: Is established) Source: epo.gr , rsssf.org . Source: rsssf.org The six clubs that have won the championship are from a total of four cities: The six clubs that have won the championship are from a total of three regions: The number of seasons that each team (in alphabetical order) has played in the national top division from 1959–60 until 2024–25 . A total of 70 teams had competed at least once in

1526-1070: Is first attested in Greek in the Chronicle of the Morea (14th century), and is common in folk songs , but it must have originated earlier, as al-Idrisi called it Salunik already in the 12th century. It is the basis for the city's name in other languages: Солѹнъ ( Solunŭ ) in Old Church Slavonic , סאלוניקו ( Saloniko ) in Judeo-Spanish (שאלוניקי prior to the 19th century ) סלוניקי ( Saloniki ) in Hebrew , Selenik in Albanian language , سلانیك ( Selânik ) in Ottoman Turkish and Selanik in modern Turkish , Salonicco in Italian , Solun or Солун in

1635-536: Is located 502 kilometres (312 mi) north of Athens . Thessaloniki's urban area spreads over 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Oraiokastro in the north to Thermi in the south in the direction of Chalkidiki . Thessaloniki lies on the northern fringe of the Thermaic Gulf on its eastern coast and is bound by Mount Chortiatis on its southeast. Its proximity to imposing mountain ranges, hills and fault lines, especially towards its southeast have historically made

1744-586: Is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system . The members of the cooperative are the Football Limited Companies (P.A.E.) that have the right to participate in the Super League 1 championship. The president of Super League 1 is Vangelis Marinakis , who has been re-elected for

1853-551: Is the second-largest city in Greece , with slightly over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area , and the capital of the geographic region of Macedonia , the administrative region of Central Macedonia and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace . It is also known in Greek as " η Συμπρωτεύουσα " ( i Symprotévousa ), literally "the co-capital", a reference to its historical status as

1962-483: The Alpha Ethniki – the precursor of the current Super League – was set up as a national round-robin tournament. After several months of talks, the 1959–60 championship was the first nationwide league competition. It started on Sunday 25 October 1959 with the participation of 16 teams. The creation of a championship in the form of a single permanent national division rather than the way they have been held until then with

2071-542: The Balkan Wars . In local speech, the city's name is typically pronounced with a dark and deep L , characteristic of the accent of the modern Macedonian dialect of Greek . The name is often abbreviated as Θεσ/νίκη . The city was founded around 315 BC by the King Cassander of Macedon , on or near the site of the ancient town of Therma and 26 other local villages. He named it after his wife Thessalonike ,

2180-572: The Beta Ethniki , while Pankorinthiakos, a few years after joining Alpha Ethniki, merged with Aris Korinthos and created PAS Korinthos , which reached the Alpha Ethniki at the 1990s and is now participating in the Gamma Ethniki. Megas Alexandros Katerini is the ancestor of Pierikos . In 1961, they merged with Olympos Katerini and created Pierikos who plays in the Gamma Ethniki. On 19 January 1979

2289-637: The Macedonian Front , also known as the Salonika front. And a temporary hospital run by the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service was set up in a disused factory. In 1916, pro- Venizelist Greek army officers and civilians, with the support of the Allies, launched an uprising, creating a pro-Allied temporary government by the name of the " Provisional Government of National Defence " that controlled

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2398-664: The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle ) served as the centre of operations for the Greek guerillas. During this period, and since the 16th century, Thessaloniki's Jewish element was the most dominant; it was the only city in Europe where the Jews were a majority of the total population. The city was ethnically diverse and cosmopolitan . In 1890, its population had risen to 118,000, 47% of which were Jews, followed by Turks (22%), Greeks (14%), Bulgarians (8%), Roma (2%), and others (7%). By 1913,

2507-534: The Ottoman Empire to the Kingdom of Greece on 8 November 1912. Thessaloniki exhibits Byzantine architecture , including numerous Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments , a World Heritage Site , and several Roman , Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. In 2013, National Geographic Magazine included Thessaloniki in its top tourist destinations worldwide, while in 2014 Financial Times FDI magazine (Foreign Direct Investments) declared Thessaloniki as

2616-659: The Ottoman succession struggle that broke out following the crushing defeat and capture of Bayezid at the Battle of Ankara against Tamerlane in 1402. In exchange for his support, in the Treaty of Gallipoli the Byzantine emperor secured the return of Thessalonica, part of its hinterland, the Chalcidice peninsula, and the coastal region between the rivers Strymon and Pineios . Thessalonica and

2725-679: The Port of Thessaloniki being one of the largest in the Aegean and facilitating trade throughout the Balkan hinterland. On 26 October 2012 the city celebrated its centennial since its incorporation into Greece. The city also forms one of the largest student centers in Southeastern Europe, is host to the largest student population in Greece and was the European Youth Capital in 2014. Thessaloniki

2834-661: The Thessaloniki–Istanbul Junction Railway connected it to Constantinople in 1896. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , founder of the modern republic of Turkey , was born in Thessaloniki (then known as Selânik in Ottoman Turkish) in 1881. His birthplace on İslahhane Caddesi (now 24 Apostolou Street) is now the Atatürk Museum and forms part of the Turkish consulate complex. In the early 20th century, Thessaloniki

2943-525: The abdication of King Constantine in 1917. On 30 December 1915 an Austrian air raid on Thessaloniki alarmed many town civilians and killed at least one person, and in response the Allied troops based there arrested the German, Austrian, Bulgarian and Turkish vice-consuls and their families and dependents and put them on a battleship, and billeted troops in their consulate buildings in Thessaloniki. Most of

3052-609: The greater region had 1,092,919. It is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and political centre, and a major transportation hub for Greece and southeastern Europe, notably through the Port of Thessaloniki . The city is renowned for its festivals, events and vibrant cultural life in general. Events such as the Thessaloniki International Fair and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival are held annually. Thessaloniki

3161-566: The local and neighboring South Slavic languages , Салоники ( Saloníki ) in Russian , Sãrunã in Aromanian and Săruna in Megleno-Romanian . In English, the city can be called Thessaloniki, Salonika, Thessalonica, Salonica, Thessalonika, Saloniki, Thessalonike, or Thessalonice. In printed texts, the most common name and spelling until the early 20th century was Thessalonica, matching

3270-652: The Συμβασιλεύουσα ( Symvasilévousa ) or "co-reigning" city of the Byzantine Empire alongside Constantinople . Thessaloniki is located on the Thermaic Gulf , at the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea . It is bounded on the west by the delta of the Axios . The municipality of Thessaloniki , the historical centre, had a population of 319,045 in 2021, while the Thessaloniki metropolitan area had 1,006,112 inhabitants and

3379-594: The "New Lands" (lands that were gained by Greece in the Balkan Wars , most of Northern Greece including Greek Macedonia, the North Aegean as well as the island of Crete ); the official government of the King in Athens , the "State of Athens", controlled "Old Greece" which were traditionally monarchist. The State of Thessaloniki was disestablished with the unification of the two opposing Greek governments under Venizelos, following

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3488-452: The 10th of the 1958–59 Pan-Hellenic Championship and in particular 18 which, as the expanded division calendar would cover almost all the available dates of the year, would no longer participate in its local competitions their EPSs. Those would be the qualifier for the upcoming national division and not the participation in the final round of the current championship, so their significance was significantly reduced. On Saturday, 10 October 1959 at

3597-563: The 2016–17 season. The Super League announced on 20 July 2017 that the new title sponsorship deal for the Super League was with the Souroti company. As well as sponsorship for the league itself, the Super League has a number of official partners and suppliers. The official ball supplier for the league is Nike . Also, Panini has held the licence to produce collectables for the Super League since 2008, including stickers (for their sticker album ) and trading cards . On 28 January 2023 Stoiximan became

3706-519: The 3rd division of Greece. But once more, everything changed suddenly and the team reached again the Greek Super League after ten years, in 2005, but was immediately relegated. In the next summer, Levadiakos bought many expensive players and appointed Georgi Vasilev as manager. Vasiliev achieved to get the team to the Super League once again, and in the 2007–08 season he struggled, but managed to avoid going down again. Nevertheless, he resigned from

3815-492: The 45,000 Jews deported to Auschwitz, only 4% survived. During a speech in Reichstag , Hitler claimed that the intention of his Balkan campaign, was to prevent the Allies from establishing "a new Macedonian front", as they had during WWI. The importance of Thessaloniki to Nazi Germany can be demonstrated by the fact that, initially, Hitler had planned to incorporate it directly into Nazi Germany and not have it controlled by

3924-549: The European face both of Thessaloniki and the Ottoman Empire. The city walls were torn down between 1869 and 1889, efforts for a planned expansion of the city are evident as early as 1879, the first tram service started in 1888 and the city streets were illuminated with electric lamp posts in 1908. In 1888, the Oriental Railway connected Thessaloniki to Central Europe via rail through Belgrade and to Monastir in 1893, while

4033-572: The First Division's Championship according to the regulations and decisions of the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) and the supreme international football confederations ( UEFA , FIFA ). From the 2007-08 season, the play-offs were established for the exit of the teams in Europe (places 2-5). With the restructuring of 2019, from the period 2019–2020 the professional football association "Super League Greece Limited Liability Company"

4142-630: The General Assembly of the HFF, ie with the participation of all the members of the Association of Football Associations and in the presence of the General Secretariat of Sports (GGA) and representatives of the Karamanlis government, became the first national division of Greek football. The 1st game was set for 15 days. According to the general Assembly of HFF on 29 August 1959, it was decided that

4251-557: The Greek Navy, General Hasan Tahsin Pasha soon realised that it had become untenable to defend the city. The sinking of the Ottoman ironclad Feth-i Bülend in Thessaloniki harbour on 31 October [O.S. 18 October] 1912, although militarily negligible, further damaged Ottoman morale. As both Greece and Bulgaria wanted Thessaloniki, the Ottoman garrison of the city entered negotiations with both armies. On 8 November 1912 (26 October Old Style ),

4360-587: The Greek element dominant, while the Jewish population was reduced to a minority for the first time since the 16th century. This was part of an overall process of modern Hellenization, which affected nearly all minorities within Greece, turning the region into a hotspot of ethnic nationalism. During World War II Thessaloniki was heavily bombarded by Fascist Italy (with 232 people dead, 871 wounded and over 800 buildings damaged or destroyed in November 1940 alone), and,

4469-419: The Greek top competition, and five different Cypriot clubs participated during those years. The Greek islands of Rhodes , Lesbos and Corfu have also been represented. A total of 74 clubs have participated at the first tier so far. A total of 20 Greek clubs have participated in European competitions. Olympiacos is the club with the most overall apps and matches. They are also the only Greek team to have won

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4578-402: The Italians having failed in their invasion of Greece , it fell to the forces of Nazi Germany on 8 April 1941 and went under German occupation. The Nazis soon forced the Jewish residents into a ghetto near the railroads and on 15 March 1943 began the deportation of the city's Jews to Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps . Most were immediately murdered in the gas chambers . Of

4687-403: The Kingdom of Thessalonica was overrun by the Despotate of Epirus , a remnant of the former Byzantine Empire, under Theodore Komnenos Doukas who crowned himself Emperor, and the city became the capital of the short-lived Empire of Thessalonica . Following his defeat at Klokotnitsa however in 1230, the Empire of Thessalonica became a vassal state of the Second Bulgarian Empire until it

4796-429: The Latin name; through most of rest of the 20th century, it was Salonika. By about 1985, the most common single name became Thessaloniki. The forms with the Latin ending -a taken together remain more common than those with the phonetic Greek ending -i and much more common than the ancient transliteration -e . Thessaloniki was revived as the city's official name in 1912, when it joined the Kingdom of Greece during

4905-461: The National League (1959–present). A total of 82 teams had competed at least one time. The teams in bold will participate in the 2024–25 Super League . This index is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of the best ten teams that has played in Alpha Ethniki and Super League championships since 1959–60 . The table is correct as of the end of the 2022–23 season. Points are based on 3–1–0 and no deductions are counted. All

5014-420: The Ottomans. In 1423, Despot Andronikos Palaiologos ceded it to the Republic of Venice with the hope that it could be protected from the Ottomans who were besieging the city . The Venetians held Thessaloniki until it was captured by the Ottoman Sultan Murad II on 29 March 1430. When Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki and sacked it in 1430, contemporary reports estimated that about one-fifth of

5123-405: The Pomaks and Greek Muslim of convert origin) and Muslim Roma like the Sepečides Romani grew substantially. According to the 1478 census Selânik ( Ottoman Turkish : سلانیك ), as the city came to be known in Ottoman Turkish, had 6,094 Christian Orthodox households , 4,320 Muslim ones, and some Catholic. No Jews were recorded in the census suggesting that the subsequent influx of Jewish population

5232-434: The Roman Empire was divided into the tetrarchy , Thessaloniki became the administrative capital of one of the four portions of the Empire under Galerius Maximianus Caesar , where Galerius commissioned an imperial palace, a new hippodrome , a triumphal arch and a mausoleum , among other structures. In 379, when the Roman Prefecture of Illyricum was divided between the East and West Roman Empires, Thessaloniki became

5341-421: The Roman period, Thessaloniki was the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire . It was conquered by the Ottomans in 1430 and remained an important seaport and multi-ethnic metropolis during the nearly five centuries of Turkish rule , with churches, mosques, and synagogues co-existing side by side. From the 16th to the 20th century it was the only Jewish-majority city in Europe . It passed from

5450-405: The Super League (except Greece and Portugal). South Korean OTT Coupang Play has taken the broadcasting rights for Olympiacos' matches. From 2007 to 2017, the Super League had title sponsorship rights sold to one company, which were OPAP . From 2017 until 2019, the Super League has title sponsorship rights sold to the company Souroti. OPAP' deal with the Super League expired at the end of

5559-399: The Super League champions but also the teams to enter the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa Conference League . The bottom 6 clubs face each other in play-outs to decide who gets relegated to Super League 2 . In their place, the top two teams from Super League 2 are promoted . The number of teams to be relegated may change, depending on a licensing procedure that takes place at

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5668-433: The Young Turks gathered at the outbreak of the revolution, is named after the event. Turkey's first president Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , who was born and raised in Thessaloniki, was a member of the Young Turks in his soldier days and also partook in the Young Turk Revolution. As the First Balkan War broke out, Greece declared war on the Ottoman Empire and expanded its borders. When Eleftherios Venizelos , Prime Minister at

5777-415: The abolition of the competitions of the Football Clubs Associations (EPS) of Greece as qualifying stages for the Pan-Hellenic Championship. The first place was taken by Alpha Ethniki, a single division with clubs from all over the Greek territory and a stable participation, with the exception of those who would be relegated at the end of the season. The initial design provided for a number of teams well above

5886-671: The best mid-sized European city of the future for human capital and lifestyle. The original name of the city was Θεσσαλονίκη Thessaloníkē . It was named after the princess Thessalonike of Macedon , the half sister of Alexander the Great , whose name means "Thessalian victory", from Θεσσαλός Thessalos, and Νίκη 'victory' ( Nike ), honoring the Macedonian victory at the Battle of Crocus Field (353/352 BC). Minor variants are also found, including Θετταλονίκη Thettaloníkē , Θεσσαλονίκεια Thessaloníkeia , Θεσσαλονείκη Thessaloneíkē , and Θεσσαλονικέων Thessalonikéon . The name Σαλονίκη Saloníki

5995-453: The broadcasting rights for the home games of six teams of the Super League. The teams are Aris, Asteras Tripolis, Atromitos, Levadiakos, Panserraikos and PAOK. Cosmote Sport (also a premium channel) have taken the broadcasting rights for the home games of eight teams of the Super League. The teams are AEK Athens, Athens Kallithea, Lamia, OFI, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Panetolikos and Volos. Eurosport has pan-European broadcasting rights for

6104-459: The capital of the Sanjak of Selanik within the wider Rumeli Eyalet (Balkans) until 1826, and subsequently the capital of Selanik Eyalet (after 1867, the Selanik Vilayet ). This consisted of the sanjaks of Selanik, Serres and Drama between 1826 and 1912. With the break out of the Greek War of Independence in the spring of 1821, the governor Yusuf Bey imprisoned in his headquarters more than 400 hostages. On 18 May, when Yusuf learned of

6213-402: The capital of the new Prefecture of Illyricum. The following year, the Edict of Thessalonica made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire . In 390, troops under the Roman Emperor Theodosius I led a massacre against the inhabitants of Thessalonica , who had risen in revolt against the detention of a favorite charioteer. By the time of the Fall of Rome in 476, Thessaloniki was

6322-422: The championship is renamed "Upper Category". It was an attempt to restructure the Greek football leagues, which included a gradual reduction of the teams in the Greek league and was announced at the end of 1999 by the then president of the Football Association of Societies (E.P.A.E.) Viktoras Mitropoulos. It was based on a plan developed on behalf of EPAE. the international company "Deloitte & Touche". However, it

6431-414: The city continued through the 12th century as the rule of the Komnenoi emperors expanded Byzantine control to the north. Thessaloniki passed out of Byzantine hands in 1204, when Constantinople was captured by the forces of the Fourth Crusade and incorporated the city and its surrounding territories in the Kingdom of Thessalonica — which then became the largest vassal of the Latin Empire . In 1224,

6540-495: The city prone to geological changes. Since medieval times, Thessaloniki has been hit by strong earthquakes , notably in 1759, 1902, 1978 and 1995. On 19–20 June 1978, the city suffered a series of powerful earthquakes , registering 5.5 and 6.5 on the Richter scale . The tremors caused considerable damage to a number of buildings and ancient monuments, but the city withstood the catastrophe without any major problems. One apartment building in central Thessaloniki collapsed during

6649-477: The city was reunited with the rest of the Empire. The capture of Gallipoli by the Ottomans in 1354 kicked off a rapid Turkish expansion in the southern Balkans , conducted both by the Ottomans themselves and by semi-independent Turkish ghazi warrior-bands. By 1369, the Ottomans were able to conquer Adrianople (modern Edirne ), which became their new capital until 1453 . Thessalonica, ruled by Manuel II Palaiologos (r. 1391–1425) itself surrendered after

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6758-428: The city's population expanded by 70%, reaching 135,000 in 1917. The last few decades of Ottoman control over the city were an era of revival, particularly in terms of the city's infrastructure. It was at that time that the Ottoman administration of the city acquired an "official" face with the creation of the Government House while a number of new public buildings were built in the eclectic style in order to project

6867-408: The city's population was enslaved. Ottoman artillery was used to secure the city's capture and bypass its double walls. Upon the conquest of Thessaloniki, some of its inhabitants escaped, including intellectuals such as Theodorus Gaza "Thessalonicensis" and Andronicus Callistus . However, the change of sovereignty from the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman one did not affect the city's prestige as

6976-401: The city's population. Some historians consider the Ottoman regime's invitation to Jewish settlement was a strategy to prevent the Christian population from dominating the city. The city became both the largest Jewish city in the world and the only Jewish majority city in the world in the 16th century. As a result, Thessaloniki attracted persecuted Jews from all over the world. Thessaloniki was

7085-421: The city. On 30 October 1944, after battles with the retreating German army and the Security Battalions of Poulos , forces of ELAS entered Thessaloniki as liberators headed by Markos Vafiadis (who did not obey orders from ELAS leadership in Athens to not enter the city). Pro-EAM celebrations and demonstrations followed in the city. In the 1946 monarchy referendum , the majority of the locals voted in favor of

7194-442: The club and he was succeeded by Momčilo Vukotić . The club's crest has blue and green vertical stripes inspired by the great Konstantinos "Prince" Litinas . It comes from the colours of Pallevadiaki (green) and Trofonio (blue), the clubs that joined in order to establish Levadiakos. The colour common to both teams was white , which was also the basic colour of the group in the early years of its foundation. Levadiakos' stadium

7303-487: The defeat of Greece in the Greco-Turkish War and during the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, a population exchange took place between Greece and Turkey. Over 160,000 ethnic Greeks deported from the former Ottoman Empire – particularly Greeks from Asia Minor and East Thrace were resettled in the city, changing its demographics. Additionally many of the city's Muslims, including Ottoman Greek Muslims , were deported to Turkey, ranging at about 20,000 people. This made

7412-401: The end of the century for the city's Greek community to recover. Thessaloniki was also a Janissary stronghold where novice Janissaries were trained. In June 1826, regular Ottoman soldiers attacked and destroyed the Janissary base in Thessaloniki while also killing over 10,000 Janissaries, an event known as The Auspicious Incident in Ottoman history. In 1870–1917, driven by economic growth,

7521-400: The end of the regular season. The Super League for the 2024-25 season, is entitled to one entrant into the UEFA Champions League . The reigning champions currently enter the second qualifying round through the champions path. The second-placed team enters the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round. Olympiacos as the 2023-24 UEFA Europa Conference League winner, enters directly

7630-407: The ethnic composition of the city had changed so that the population stood at 157,889, with Jews at 39%, followed again by Turks (29%), Greeks (25%), Bulgarians (4%), Roma (2%), and others at 1%. Many varied religions were practiced and many languages spoken, including Judeo-Spanish , a dialect of Spanish spoken by the city's Jews. Thessaloniki was also the centre of activities of the Young Turks ,

7739-466: The event of a draw. The scoring system was 3 points for the win, 2 points for the draw, 1 point for the defeat. Time has been relentless for some teams that have participated in the first league of the Alpha Ethniki. The historic Ethnikos Piraeus, cup winner of Greece in 1933, participates in the Gamma Ethniki , as well as Proodeftiki while AE Nikaia participates in the local championship of Piraeus. Apollon Kalamaria, Doxa Drama and Iraklis are fighting in

7848-580: The feast day of the city's patron saint, Saint Demetrius , the Greek Army accepted the surrender of the Ottoman garrison at Thessaloniki. The Bulgarian army arrived one day after the surrender of the city to Greece and Hasan Tahsin Pasha, commander of the city's defences, told the Bulgarian officials that "I have only one Thessaloniki, which I have surrendered". After the Second Balkan War , Thessaloniki and

7957-477: The first Panhellenic Championship in the period 1927-28, in which, however, Olympiacos , Panathinaikos and AEK Athens did not participate due to conflicts with the EPO . The initial events were held with teams from Athens , Piraeus and Thessaloniki , excluding the provincial ones. Previously, the local championships of the cities were held and in the final phase, sometimes only the first ones qualified, sometimes

8066-615: The first two or the first three teams. In the championship of 1938-39 , which was held in two groups, teams outside Athens-Thessaloniki ( Doxa Drama , AEK Kavala and Filippi Kavala) participated for the first time. The maiden presence of provincial teams in a single group of the Panhellenic Championship took place in 1953-54 with the participation of Panachaiki from Southern Greece and Niki Volou from Central and Northern Greece. Sourse: https://web.archive.org/web/20121031060033/http://rsssf.com/tablesg/grkalltime.html In 1959

8175-453: The fourth time in his history. The club tied with AEK by 79 points and defeated them by 2–1 in the play-off, a match where Panathinaikos needed only a draw at the neutral Karaiskakis Stadium . In such a case, after the half-hour extension, the competition announcement set the best goal difference. Through the playoffs and with the same score was also the third place for the demotion, with the winner Panegialios to overtake Pankorinthiakos again in

8284-523: The geographic regions of Greece have been represented by at least one club in the first national division. Central Greece has had the strongest presence with 27 clubs overall, of which 22 come from Attica alone. Central Greece, Macedonia and the Peloponnese together contain almost three-quarters of the clubs that participated in the top flight. Between 1967 and 1974, the Cypriot champion also participated in

8393-546: The insurrection to the villages of Chalkidiki , he ordered half of his hostages to be slaughtered before his eyes. The mulla of Thessaloniki, Hayrıülah, gives the following description of Yusuf's retaliations: "Every day and every night you hear nothing in the streets of Thessaloniki but shouting and moaning. It seems that Yusuf Bey, the Yeniceri Agasi, the Subaşı, the hocas and the ulemas have all gone raving mad." It would take until

8502-587: The league phase of the UEFA Europa League . Panathinaikos as the 2023-24 Greek Cup winner, enters the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League . The following 14 clubs will compete in the Super League in the 2024–25 season. Panhellenic Championship National League Professional League i) From 1979–80 to 2005–06 , Alpha Ethniki Katigoria (A' National Division). ii) From 2006–07 to 2018–19 , Super League Greece iii) From 2019–20 to present, Super League 1 (The use of VAR

8611-518: The name Eleftheria . Thessaloniki was also home to a military camp-converted-concentration camp, known in German as "Konzentrationslager Pavlo Mela" ( Pavlos Melas Concentration Camp), where members of the resistance and other anti-fascists were held either to be killed or sent to other concentration camps. In September 1943, the Germans established the Dulag 410 transit camp for Italian Military Internees in

8720-410: The national league. Olympiacos , Panathinaikos and PAOK are the only teams that have never been relegated and participated in every season since the league's inception in its modern form. The teams in bold will participate in the 2024–25 Super League . The number of seasons that each team (in alphabetical order) has played in the final stage of the Panhellenic Championship (1927–59) and also in

8829-410: The newly created Alpha Ethniki would consist of 18 teams, with their determination being made in accordance with the positions in the local EPS competitions in the period 1958–59. The HFF, at its decisive General Assembly on Saturday, 10 October, decided to reduce the number of teams to 16 so that the racing program will not be extended in the summer. After the end of the first event in the summer of 1960,

8938-512: The ninth century, the Byzantine missionaries Cyril and Methodius , both natives of the city, created the first literary language of the Slavs, the Old Church Slavonic , most likely based on the Slavic dialect used in the hinterland of their hometown. A naval attack led by Byzantine converts to Islam (including Leo of Tripoli ) in 904 resulted in the sack of the city . The economic expansion of

9047-460: The official sponsor of the league. *only in pre-HFF championships Thessaloniki Thessaloniki ( / ˌ θ ɛ s ə l ə ˈ n iː k i / ; Greek : Θεσσαλονίκη [θesaloˈnici] ), also known as Thessalonica ( English: / ˌ θ ɛ s ə l ə ˈ n aɪ k ə , ˌ θ ɛ s ə ˈ l ɒ n ɪ k ə / ), Saloniki , Salonika , or Salonica ( / s ə ˈ l ɒ n ɪ k ə , ˌ s æ l ə ˈ n iː k ə / ),

9156-596: The old centre of the city was destroyed by the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 , which was started accidentally by an unattended kitchen fire on 18 August 1917. The fire swept through the centre of the city, leaving 72,000 people homeless; according to the Pallis Report, most of them were Jewish (50,000). Many businesses were destroyed, as a result, 70% of the population were unemployed. Two churches and many synagogues and mosques were lost. More than one quarter of

9265-500: The participation of the teams selected by the local competitions was a requirement of both the State and UEFA . The first wished to establish a fixed number of matches every Sunday in Greece to stimulate interest in PRO-PO while UEFA wished to nominate national champions with strict criteria and through joint events for all states. The Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) was obliged to proceed to

9374-647: The remaining Byzantine territories, and then turned on Chrysopolis, which was captured by storm and largely destroyed. Thessalonica too submitted again to Ottoman rule at this time, possibly after brief resistance, but was treated more leniently: although the city was brought under full Ottoman control, the Christian population and the Church retained most of their possessions, and the city retained its institutions. Thessalonica remained in Ottoman hands until 1403, when Emperor Manuel II sided with Bayezid's eldest son Süleyman in

9483-401: The rest of the Greek portion of Macedonia were officially annexed to Greece by the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913. On 18 March 1913 George I of Greece was assassinated in the city by Alexandros Schinas . In 1915, during World War I , a large Allied expeditionary force established a base at Thessaloniki for operations against pro-German Bulgaria. This culminated in the establishment of

9592-403: The rival Ottoman pretenders in 1412 (by Musa Çelebi ) and 1416 (during the uprising of Mustafa Çelebi against Mehmed I ). Once the Ottoman civil war ended, the Turkish pressure on the city began to increase again. Just as during the 1383–1387 siege, this led to a sharp division of opinion within the city between factions supporting resistance, if necessary with Western help, or submission to

9701-474: The second earthquake, killing many and raising the final death toll to 51. Thessaloniki's climate is transitional, lying on the periphery of multiple climate zones. According to the Köppen climate classification , the city generally has a cold semi-arid climate ( BSk ) while a hot semi-arid climate ( BSh ) is found in the center. Mediterranean ( Csa ) and humid subtropical ( Cfa ) influences are also found in

9810-574: The second-largest city of the Eastern Roman Empire . From the first years of the Byzantine Empire , Thessaloniki was considered the second city in the Empire after Constantinople , both in terms of wealth and size, with a population of 150,000 in the mid-12th century. The city held this status until its transfer to Venetian control in 1423. In the 14th century, the city's population exceeded 100,000 to 150,000, making it larger than London at

9919-631: The seeds for Thessaloniki's first Christian church. Later, Paul wrote letters to the new church at Thessaloniki, with two letters to the church under his name appearing in the Biblical canon as First and Second Thessalonians . Some scholars hold that the First Epistle to the Thessalonians is the first written book of the New Testament . In 306 AD, Thessaloniki acquired a patron saint, St. Demetrius ,

10028-409: The sports union to which the football club belonged. Yet soon after, prominent Greek businessmen (shipowners, oil magnates, bankers etc.) began acquiring the newly formed PAEs by buying the majority of their shares, and then increasing their share capital, thus turning Greek football into a fully commercialised and highly profitable business for the decades to come. For a single racing season, 2000–01,

10137-520: The surrounding region were given as an autonomous appanage to John VII Palaiologos . After his death in 1408, he was succeeded by Manuel's third son, the Despot Andronikos Palaiologos , who was supervised by Demetrios Leontares until 1415. Thessalonica enjoyed a period of relative peace and prosperity after 1403, as the Turks were preoccupied with their own civil war , but was attacked by

10246-399: The teams did not increase despite HFF's initial intention, with the number 16 being considered the ideal for a championship in Greece and only 18 in 1967. The teams that participated in the first championship of the Alpha Ethniki were the following: On 25 October 1959, the Alpha Ethniki was launched. Panathinaikos won the first Alpha Ethniki's Championship and became the Greek champions for

10355-437: The third time. It consists of 14 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 26 games each followed by 6-game Championship play-offs to decide the champions. As of May 2024, Super League Greece is ranked 15th in the UEFA ranking of leagues, based on performances in European competitions over the last five years. Since the foundation of the first official Panhellenic Championship in 1927, only six clubs have won

10464-418: The time, was asked if the Greek army should move towards Thessaloniki or Monastir (now Bitola , Republic of North Macedonia ), Venizelos replied " Θεσσαλονίκη με κάθε κόστος! " ( Thessaloniki, at all costs! ). With the outnumbered Ottoman Army fighting a rearguard action against well-prepared Greek forces at Yenidje , Bulgarian troops advancing close by, and the Ottoman naval base at Thessaloniki blockaded by

10573-488: The time. During the sixth and seventh centuries, the area around Thessaloniki was invaded by Avars and Slavs, who unsuccessfully laid siege to the city several times, as narrated in the Miracles of Saint Demetrius . Traditional historiography stipulates that many Slavs settled in the hinterland of Thessaloniki; however, modern scholars consider this migration to have been on a much smaller scale than previously thought. In

10682-415: The title. With 47 conquests, Olympiacos has the most titles in the history of the competition. The current champions are PAOK . Football first appeared in Greece in 1894 and began to spread after the 1896 Olympiad , which was included in the games program. Many clubs started to establish football divisions while the first purely football clubs were also founded. The first years, until 1912, championship

10791-545: The total population of approximately 271,157 became homeless. Following the fire the government prohibited quick rebuilding, so it could implement the new redesign of the city according to the European-style urban plan prepared by a group of architects, including the Briton Thomas Mawson , and headed by French architect Ernest Hébrard . Property values fell from 6.5 million Greek drachmas to 750,000. After

10900-576: The valleys of the Morava and Axios river valleys, thereby linking the Balkans with the rest of Greece. The city became the capital of one of the four Roman districts of Macedonia. At the time of the Roman Empire, about 50 AD, Thessaloniki was also one of the early centres of Christianity ; while on his second missionary journey, Paul the Apostle visited this city's chief synagogue on three Sabbaths and sowed

11009-887: Was built in 1952. The stadium is located in Livadeia , about 130 km north-west of Athens. The stadium itself is located on the south side of Livadeia. Best position in bold. Key: 1R = First Round, 2R = Second Round, 3R = Third Round, 4R = Fourth Round, 5R = Fifth Round, GS = Group Stage, QF = Quarter-finals, SF = Semi-finals. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Source:  Levadiakos F.C. *only in pre-HFF championships Alpha Ethniki The Super League Greece 1 ( Greek : Σούπερ Λιγκ Ελλάδας 1 ), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons,

11118-550: Was celebrated as the European Capital of Culture , sponsoring events across the city and the region. Agency established to oversee the cultural activities of that year 1997 was still in existence by 2010. In 2004, the city hosted a number of the football events as part of the 2004 Summer Olympics . Today, Thessaloniki has become one of the most important trade and business hubs in Southeastern Europe , with its port,

11227-801: Was in the centre of radical activities by various groups; the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization , founded in 1897, and the Greek Macedonian Committee , founded in 1903. In 1903, a Bulgarian anarchist group known as the Boatmen of Thessaloniki planted bombs in several buildings in Thessaloniki, including the Ottoman Bank , with some assistance from the IMRO. The Greek consulate in Ottoman Thessaloniki (now

11336-468: Was never completed and a simple renaming of the leagues was only valid for the 2000–2001 season, which was abolished the following season. On 16 July 2006, was founded the copartnership Super League . Members of the copartnership are the PAE's that have the right to participate in the professional football championship of the First Division. The main activity of the copartnership is the organization and conduct of

11445-500: Was not linked to the already existing Romaniots community. Soon after the turn of the 15th to 16th century, however, nearly 20,000 Sephardic Jews immigrated to Greece from the Iberian Peninsula following their expulsion from Spain by the 1492 Alhambra Decree . By c. 1500, the number of households had grown to 7,986 Christian ones, 8,575 Muslim ones, and 3,770 Jewish. By 1519, Sephardic Jewish households numbered 15,715, 54% of

11554-658: Was organised by the Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics (SEGAS). This championship was actually a local tournament among clubs from Athens and Piraeus . After the Balkan Wars and World War I , two football associations were formed, one organising a football league in Athens and Piraeus, and one doing the same in Thessaloniki . These were the Athens-Piraeus FCA (EPSAP) and the Macedonia FCA (EPSM). In 1923,

11663-565: Was recovered again in 1246, this time by the Nicaean Empire . In 1342, the city saw the rise of the Commune of the Zealots , an anti-aristocratic party formed of sailors and the poor, which is nowadays described as social-revolutionary. The city was practically independent of the rest of the Empire, as it had its own government, a form of republic. The zealot movement was overthrown in 1350 and

11772-422: Was renamed to "Super League 1 Greece Limited Liability Company". Playoffs are established to determine the champion, among the top six teams in the league. At the same time, the use of the V.A.R. was established. At present, 14 clubs compete in the Super League, playing each other in a 26-game home and away series. At the end of the season, the top 4 clubs face each other in a 6-game championship round to decide

11881-482: Was the 2014 European Youth Capital . The city's main university, Aristotle University , is the largest in Greece and the Balkans . The city was founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon , who named it after his wife Thessalonike , daughter of Philip II of Macedon and sister of Alexander the Great . It was built 40 km southeast of Pella , the capital of the Kingdom of Macedonia . An important metropolis by

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