The Olympic Stadium, or the Spiros Louis Stadium to give it its full name will proudly host the 2007 European Champions League final, just 3 years after successfully hosting the Summer Olympics. The stadium is named after Spiridon Louise who was the winner of the first modern day Olympics Marathon in Athen in 1896.
The stadium was originally opened in 1982 for the European Athletics Championships, as well as the 1983 European Cup final when Hamburg beat Juventus 1-0. Originally it could hold over 74,000, and was often used for the big Athens derbies between Olympiakos, Panathinaikos and AEK – in fact the biggest ever attendance at the stadium was for a derby between Panathinaikos and AEK where over 74,470 attended. In 1987 it hosted the European Cup Winners Cup Final when Ajax beat Lokomotiv Leipzig.
The stadium was regularly used by the Athens teams for theirhome matches during the 1980’s, although facilities were basic, and the lack of a roof meant that watching games during the hotter months became very uncomfortable. It was also chosen to host the 1994 Champions League final when a rampant AC Milan featuring Guillet, Rikjaard and Van Basten destroyed Barcelona 4-0.
In the late 1990’s a decision was made to award the 2004 games to Athens, and so work started on planning a complete redesign of the stadium – including a roof to be designed by Santiago Calatrava, who had previously designed the Montjuric tower in Barcelona. The work would also see the redevelopment of the seats although the poor sightlines especially in the lower tiers would not be addressed.
In one of the longest ongoing sagas in modern stadium design, the stadium was completed on the 30th July 2004 – just two weeks before the opening ceremony for the games took place. The stadium hosted the football final between Argentina and Paraguay, as well as the closing ceremony. The stadium hosted its first Champions League match in September 2005 when Panathinaikos played Werder Bremen.
Who plays there? Whilst the stadium has hosted a number of big games, in recent years it has sparodically hosted league games for AEK Athens and Panathaikos, and the very occasional National Team friendly, but they prefer the more intimate atmosphere of the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.
This season Panathinaikos and AEK Athens used the stadium for Champions League matches, and the stadium will again host the Greek Cup Final in May, as well as the Champions League final.
How to get there The stadium is best reached by Athens very efficient metro system. The nearest station to the stadium is Irini which is on the Green Line 1 north of the city centre. Plans are underway for a new line which will run in a loop through the city centre at Evangelismos and Panepistimio to a new stadium – named the Olimpiako Stadio. There is no planned commencement date for this work.
Bus linesA7 and 550 also run from the city centre to the stadium at regular intervals, more so on a matchday.
If you are coming direct from Eleftherios Venizelos Airport then catch the regular train link to Doukissis Plakentias which is at the end of Blue line 3. Instead of catching the metro, follow signs for the overground line that runs to Larissa Station. The first stop on this service is Neratziotissa, which is just one stop north of Irini on the Green Line 1.
Getting a ticket Availability of tickets will depend on the event. Tickets for the Champions League games featuring Panathinaikos and AEK Athens go on sale via their official websites at the start of the qualifying group stages – for this season they ranged in price depending on the opponents. For AEK Athens games refer to http://www.aekfc.gr, and for Panathinaikos matches go to http://www.poa.gr. Tickets can also be purchase from the club stores in the city centre – including the main one at the old Panathinaikos stadium in Tsoha Street. Ticket prices start from €10, although these seats are along way from the action in the upper tiers behind the goal.
Tickets are available for most games in advance – although there may be some restrictions for games such as the Greek Cup Final depending on who is participating.
The Karaiskaki Stadium
33,300 All Seater
The Karaiskaki Stadium is the newest football stadium in Greece, opened in time for the 2004 Summer Olympics where it hosted a number of games in the tournament, including one of the semi-finals. The stadium was completely re-built for the tournament – it was originally opened as a Velodrome for the 1896 Summer games.
Technically the stadium is in the port town of Piraeus, some 10km south of Athens. It is within a stone’s throw of the waterfront and is home to one of the most passionate teams in European Football.
The stadium is very much in the mould of a British stadium – almost identical in fact to the stadium at Leicester City and Swansea City with a complete bowl of four identical stands. Views from all seats are excellent, and leg room is very generous. The provision of a roof over all of the seats is also a welcome bonus on those hot Greek late summer afternoons.
The stadium is actually named after the Greek hero from the War of Independence who was mortally wounded in the vicinity of the stadium in 1827. However, the stadium is also known for the worst ever stadium disaster in Greek history when on the 8th February 1981 at the end of the game between Olympiakos and AEK Athens a crush developed at Gate 7 when a locked gate was blamed for the deaths of over 21 Olympiakos fans who attempted to re-enter the stadium when a late goal was scored. Today a monument to those who fell can be found outside Gate 7 at the new stadium. More details of the fateful events can be found at the Olympiakos museum at the stadium which is open daily (except Mondays) from 10am and costs €4 to enter.
Who plays there? The Karaiskaki Stadium is home to Greece’s most successful team, Olympiakos. Originally formed as a sports society in 1925, the club were an amalgamation of a number of local sporting teams. The club won their first of 34 championships in 1931, and during the thirty years won the title on 15 occasions, as well as 9 national cup finals.
However, their run of success did not continue into the 1960 as their rivals in the form of AEK Athens and Panathinaikos shared the glory. The club could not cope with this competition so close to home as so they appointed the best young coach in the country – Lakis Petropouluos who built a team to compete both domestically and internationally. In 1973 they won the title again, following it up with successive titles in 1974 and 1975. A brief hiatus saw no further cups come home until 1980 when they won the title in the next four consecutive season.
Unfortunately things off the pitch were a problem – new Chairman George Koskotas took the club into serious debt, and there was even a strong chance the club were going under. After the title in 1986, the club then went 9 long years where they won nothing, and the famous red and white shirts disappeared from European competition, apart from a solitary season in 1992/93 when they reached the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners Cup.
In 1996 the club started the rebuilding process, and actually won the next seven championships at a relative canter. This run came to an end with a 2nd place finish to AEK in 2003. The following season the pulled off one of the transfer coups of the season by persuading Rivaldo to join the club. In his first season the club won the domestic double, and repeated the feat the following season. Champions League football thus returned to the town of Piraeus and with a new stadium now full to busting the team played to their full extent in a group containing Liverpool, Monaco and Deportivo La Coruna. In a group where all teams had a chance of qualifying going into the last game, the Greeks suffered heartache as Steven Gerrard’s late goal at Anfield pushed them into the UEFA Cup instead of the 2nd round of the Champions League.
This season the club finished in a disappointing last spot in a group containing Valencia, Roma and Shakhtar Donestk. However, with the title all but sewn up again by the end of April, the priority must be to make more of an impression on the European stage in 2007.
The stadium is also a favoured venue for the National team, where the intimate atmosphere is often seen as the 12th man. The stadium has hosted the last 6 National teams games – including the highly embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Turkey.
How to get there The stadium is located in the port of Piraeus, 10km south of Athens. The easiest way to reach the stadium from the city centre is via metro. The nearest station to the stadium is at Faliro – a 5 minute walk from the metro, with the stadium being visible from the exit of the station. Faliro is on the Green Line 1 two stops from the southern terminus at Piraeus.
Getting a ticket Olympiakos are the best supported team in Greece – attracting an average attendance of over 21,000. However, with a capacity of over 33,000 getting a ticket for most games is not an issue. In the past the games against AEK and Panathinaikos have tended to sell out, although in the past season or so even these have been sold up to the day of the game.
In terms of Champions League matches, the availability of tickets will depend on the opponents. In recent seasons games against Real Madrid and Liverpool have sold out in advance. Tickets for all games can be purchased from the website, although this is all in Greek. Ticket prices start from €12 for a place behind the goals to a €50 in the VIP section. Tickets for any Greek national games are sold via the Official Greek FA website at http://www.epo.gr.
The Olympic Stadium, or the Spiros Louis Stadium to give it its full name will proudly host the 2007 European Champions League final, just 3 years after successfully hosting the Summer Olympics. The stadium is named after Spiridon Louise who was the winner of the first modern day Olympics Marathon in Athen in 1896. 
The Karaiskaki Stadium is the newest football stadium in Greece, opened in time for the 2004 Summer Olympics where it hosted a number of games in the tournament, including one of the semi-finals. The stadium was completely re-built for the tournament – it was originally opened as a Velodrome for the 1896 Summer games. 