PAO Fans International Blog

Born and raised in Australia, I proudly identify as a Greek-Australian. Growing up, I was immersed in a household that cherished football, particularly with a deep-rooted love for Panathinaikos. While my grandparents were loyal supporters of AEK and Olympiakos, I chose to follow my father's passion and became a devoted fan of Panathinaikos. This allegiance has spanned over 38 years and continues to thrive and hope this continue through my son. With my son In the early days, our access to watching the games was limited to occasional international sports TV broadcasts of our European matches, as well as radio and newspapers. Discussions about football were primarily reserved for face-to-face gatherings with friends and family or conversations over the telephone. As technology advanced, we gained the ability to watch games live through streaming services and connect with the global community via social media to share our thoughts and experiences. I was fortunate to visit Greece in 19...

Panathinaikos is expected to consistently compete for domestic titles and make significant progress in European competitions. This entails a robust recruitment strategy that aligns with the manager's vision for the team. However, recent scouting efforts have been inconsistent, resulting in several misses in player acquisitions over the past decade. The club operates within a limited budget and faces challenges in identifying impactful players due to constrained scouting resources. The responsibility for player recruitment lies with the Technical Director, who is tasked with sourcing talent that fits the manager's ideal profile. In the past, turnover in the Technical Director position has been frequent, with individuals like Pierre Dréossi and Xavi Roca departing prematurely. Their brief tenures were marked by questionable signings, such as Sankhare, who is currently without a club, and Fausto Tienza, who plays in 3rd division Spain. Despite these setbacks, there have been insta...