FOOTBALL IN CRETE

 I have been trying to find a game to watch this week, finding myself lounging with a few chums on the Greek island of Crete; mountains covered in snow, warm Mediterranean seas and sharing a pleasant "let" somewhere near Rethymno. You know where that is?

But getting here at the end of one weekend (Easter to the Greeks) and leaving on a another weekend is not going to help. No sign of midweek football here.

Two teams stand out on the island: OFI (Omilos Filathlon Irakleiou)-badge above- founded in 1925 as part of a gymnastic club and Ergotelis founded in 1929. These two clubs dominate Cretan football and OFI have recently ventured in to the Greek Super League and Ergotelis in the Football League. Two other Cretan sides, AO Chania and Plantanias play in the Football League.

The first meeting between OFI and Ergotelis was on 18th August 1929 when Ergotelis won 1-0. The most recent meeting was on January 24th 2019 when in the Greek Cup Round 16 they drew 1-1 and Ergotelis won 3-4 on pens.

OFI have had most wins between the two in the Greek Derby. It is fair to say that the two clubs have had their issues, for one,  trying to get involved in the Greek National league. The Hellenic Football Federation set out a "stall" that said that regional teams outside of the mainland had to jump through many "hoops" before getting involved in top national competitions.

The Second World War didn't help,  as Crete was a pivotal point in the Mediterranean conflict and isolated and more recently, the Greek Military Junta in 1966-7 put a spanner in the works, when there was a dictum that "one club only from a regional city could play in the Greek League". Imagine Manchester or Liverpool being put under such regulation. Clubs therefore were forceably moved from the top division in the Greek League to Division Two.

Despite this the clubs battled on and OFI became the only club Cretan club to win the National Cup in 1987. OFI have won 25 of the meetings between the two rivals and drawn 11. Erogtelis have managed only 7.
OFI in 1954

Ergotelis in1966-7