Nea Salamis Famagusta FC

History

Early years

When Nea Salamina Famagusta was founded, Greece was entering a period of civil war between leftists and rightists. The situation in Greece affected Cyprus, both politically and socially; most athletes were also involved in politics. At this time, Famagusta had two sports clubs: the Evagoras Gymnastic Association, or GSE (Greek: Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Ευαγόρας) and the Anorthosis Famagusta F.C. The GSE had many talented leftist athletes on its rosters. At Anorthosis, many players were also leftists. Under the influence of the contemporary right-wing political climate, the GSE and Anorthosis began to restrict leftist athletes. Additionally, Anorthosis was hosting at their clubhouse the right-wing Cypriot National Party. In early 1947 a group from Famagusta (including leftists, members and non-members of GSE and Anorthosis) concluded there was room for another sports club in the city. Due to the existing restrictions, they envisioned a club which would appeal to everyone in Famagusta regardless of political affiliation.

On 14 February 1948 the decision was made to establish the club, and the Nea Salamina sports club was formed on 7 March 1948 as the first leftist athletic club in Cyprus. After the club's founding, many citizens expressed a desire to join; however, the football side was weak.

GSE Stadium banning and the CAFF

Before the Pancyprian Games in May 1948, the Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association (SEGAS) asked all gymnastics associations in Cyprus, their members and athletes, to sign a public declaration that would express their support to the rightists in Greek Civil War,

to declare that they espoused "nationalist beliefs" and to repudiate the leftists. The right-wing athletic clubs and athletes signed the statements; the only club refusing to sign the statement was the Kinyras Paphos gymnastic association, which was excluded from the games. The left-wing athletes were opposed to the declaration, and refused to sign the statement. Among the first athletes who refused were GSE champions Antonis Totsis (Greek: Αντώνης Τότσης) and Nikis Georgiou (Greek: Νικής Γεωργίου). The GSE invited both athletes to apologize, but they insisted on their position that sports should be separate from politics. The left-wing athletes decided to support the Kinyras Paphos association if the decision to exclude it from the Pancyprian Games stood. The GSE was favored to win the competition, but finished third. As a reaction to the fact that athletes of Nea Salamina were not involved in the Pancyprian Games, the GSE president informed the club it was not welcome at the GSE Stadium. Persecution of GSE and Anorthosis athletes who supported their teammates followed. The stadium-use prohibition meant that Nea Salamina had nowhere to play.

Negative attitudes toward left-wing athletes prevailed in other Cypriot cities. In Larnaca, the Alki Larnaca F.C. was founded in April 1948. A month later, the Gymnastics Club Zeno (GSZ) banned Alki from using its GSZ Stadium; a similar proposal to exclude Turks and Catholics was rejected. The GSZ amended its constitution, prohibiting enrollment of new members unless they signed a declaration that "they espouse the Hellenic nationalistic ideals". This excluded left-wing athletes from becoming members or using its stadium. In May, Orfeas Nicosia was founded in Nicosia; that month, APOEL F.C. sent a greeting by telegram to SEGAS ("cordial brotherly greetings to the entire Greek youth athletes"), on the occasion of national games, and wished for the cessation of inner-nation mutiny. APOEL asked all members and athletes of the club to sign a declaration, supporting the content of the telegram. Leftist members and athletes of APOEL considered "inner-nation mutiny" as a challenge and political statement of the club, thus they distanced themselves from that statement. The Cypriot press encouraged a hostile climate with articles and commentary. This was followed by the indefinite suspension of five APOEL athletes (Lympouris, Tsialis, Gogakis, Xatzivasileiou and Christodoulou), who founded AC Omonia in June 1948 with former members of the APOEL. AS Kyrenia was later founded.

Unification of Cypriot football

CAFF members favored the unification of football in Cyprus. They tried for three years to persuade the CFA to accept them as members, without success. The existence of two football federations (with two separate championships) in a country such as Cyprus was unprecedented. The situation created economic hardship, and hampered the development and improvement of Cypriot football. The clubs felt that sports should reflect fraternity and friendship rather than discrimination. In December 1952, the first issue of the sports newspaper Athlitiki supported the unification of Cypriot football. Foreign coaches of CFA clubs also supported unification, leading the CFA to respond that "their statements opposed the spirit of the Federation". Coaches of CFA's teams were initially hostile towards consolidation supporters. In summer 1953, the majority of Cypriot sportspeople expressed support for football unification. In August of that year Nea Salamina, Omonia, Alki and Antaeus submitted a joint application to the CFA to join the Cypriot First Division. On 19 September, the CFA accepted Nea Salamina and Omonia for membership. However, the organization's negative attitude towards those clubs continued. First, the league rejected applications from Alki, Orfeas Nicosia and Neos Asteras (although the first two joined a year later), and second, arguing that according to its constitution, only one team must participate in the Cypriot First Division and two teams in the second division. The CAFF clubs accepted these conditions in the interest of unification. In an ad hoc meeting of CAFF, members agreed that Omonia would join the first division and Nea Salamina and Antaeus the second division. Following these decisions, CAFF disbanded. The first game between teams from the two federations (a friendly) was played by Nea Salamina and Anorthosis at GSE Stadium on 27 September 1953. 5,200 fans were present at the game between the two Famagustian clubs. The final result was 3–1 in favor of Anorthosis, and the match was described as an evidence of superior sportsmanship and brotherhood of fans by Athlitiki.

Famagusta municipal stadium

After being denied access to the GSE stadium, the club did not have a venue for training. They initially practiced at the Saint Lukas pitch (Proodou) in Famagusta and began efforts to build a privately owned stadium. In December 1948 Israel made a CYP£3,000 donation to the city of Famagusta, in gratitude for aid by its inhabitants to Jewish refugees, for a community-service project. Gabriel Makris, a Famagusta alderman and Nea Salamina footballer, supported the association's recommendation to build the stadium. The city council recognized the "financial assistance granted to the Jews to create Municipal Sports Stadium, which is available to Famagustans for the promotion and spread of mass popular sport". The stadium was available to Nea Salamina and other sports clubs.

In early 1949, volunteer construction work began on a municipal stadium in Saint John Famagusta parish. The stadium—the first in Cyprus with a roof over the stands—was built by supporters of the club and footballers and completed in 1952. It served as Nea Salamina's headquarters from 1952 to 1953.

In 1953, after the unification of football federations, Nea Salamina used GSE Stadium. The city's Municipal Stadium was used by the team for training. This period lasted until 1974, when Famagusta was occupied by the Turkish Army after the Turkish invasion in Cyprus and the club was forced to move its headquarters.

Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium

From 1974 to 1991 Nea Salamina used GSZ Stadium in Larnaca, Dasaki Stadium in Dasaki Achnas, Municipal Stadium in Deryneia and Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca. In 1991 the team built its own stadium, Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium.

Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium, owned by Nea Salamina in Larnaca, has a 5,000-seat capacity and is primarily used for football. The club offices are in the same area. The stadium is named for the town of Famagusta (Greek: Αμμόχωστος; Ammochostos), the original home of Nea Salamina before the Turkish occupation, and was built in 1991 near the refugee camps. The decision to build the stadium was made in 1989; construction began in December of that year, and thanks to club supporters in Cyprus and abroad, the Cyprus Sports Organisation and volunteer labor, the stadium was completed on schedule. The first Nea Salamina Famagusta game in the new stadium was played on Saturday, 12 October 1991, against Evagoras Paphos. Nea Salamina won, 4–1. The stadium hosted the 1992 UEFA European Under-16 Championship final on 17 May 1992 between Germany and Spain, which Germany won 2–1.

Emblem and colors

Nea Salamina's emblem incorporates the Olympic flame, the color red and the five rings of the Olympic Games. The club's colors during its first two years were yellow and crimson, when it was part of the Cyprus Amateur Football Federation. After 1950, the governing council changed its colors to red and white: red symbolizing power, and white symbolizing peace. Red-and-white striped jerseys were chosen because they resembled those worn by Olympiacos Piraeus.

Competitions

CAFF

In five leagues of the Cyprus Amateur Football Federation, Nea Salamina failed to win a title; during its last two years, it finished second. The 1952–53 season saw the cup finalists losing 2–0 to AC Omonia at Gkooul stadium (Omonia's home pitch).

For 1948–49, no statistics are available. Nea Salamina played ten games, winning three (two at Neos Asteras and one against Alki), losing six and drawing once (against Alki).

Cypriot championships

After the 1953 unification of Cypriot football, Nea Salamina played in the Cypriot Second Division; its goal during the first season was winning promotion to the first division. Games were played in GSE Stadium, and the Famagusta Municipal Stadium was used for training. The second division had two groups; Nea Salamina was in the Nicosia-Larnaca-Famagusta group. The group winner faced the winner of the Limassol-Paphos group for promotion to first division. Nea Salamina finished second in its group, losing the chance at promotion. In the 1953–54 Cypriot Cup, the team reached the semi-finals. Nea Salamina was the first team, although struggling in the second division, qualified to the semi-finals of the Cypriot Cup

The next season the team led the second division, ensured its promotion. The league now had three groups, with Nea Salamina playing in the Larnaca-Famagusta group. With the conquest of the first position in the group, fought for the promotion with the first teams of the other two groups: the champion of the Limassol-Paphos group, Antaeus Lemesos, and the champion of the Nicosia group, Orfeas, in a new three teams championships. Nea Salamina finished in first place. During the same period, in the 1954–55 Cypriot Cup, excluded from subsequent phases one of the strongest teams of the season, APOEL with 3–2 win in GSE stadium. After 57 years, in the 2001–02 Cypriot Cup the team repeated this success; after struggling in the second division, it defeated future champion APOEL F.C. 1–0, winning away at GSP Stadium.

The 1955–56 Cypriot First Division saw the team participating for the first time as a newly promoted side. It finished third, four points behind champion AEL Limassol. Third position has been the team's highest finish, a position it has reached four times. Nea Salamina's first first-division game was against rival Anorthosis at their common ground, GSE Stadium. Nea Salamina won 3–2, its first victory against Anorthosis. The team's first years in first division saw victories over traditional league powerhouses APOEL FC, EPA Larnaca FC, Anorthosis Famagusta F.C., Pezoporikos Larnaca and AC Omonia, at home and away.

During the early years of the decade, Nea Salamina was strong in home games but weak away. Noteworthy is the conquest of the amateur championship from farm team the period 1960–61, The games of the farm team gathered the same interest with the main team among fans, who enthusiastically celebrated winning the title. During this period the nucleus for a successful team was created, including Kyriakos Koureas (who later played for Olympiakos Piraeus). In December 1963, the league disbanded; at that time, Nea Salamina was in a tight three-way race with Omonia and APOEL. With the creation of Cypriot National Guard, many Nea Salamina's players joined the army; players would often come straight from camps throughout Cyprus to play league games with no training.

Domestic history

Appearances:

64 in the Cypriot First Division

9 in the Cypriot Second Division

4 in the Cyprus Amateur Football Federation

Nea Salamis in the Cypriot First Division

The table below shows the total stats of Nea Salamis whenever it participates in the Cypriot First Division since its debut on the 1955-56 season until the 2024-25 season. The total number of points stated in the table sums across all seasons participated in the first division, despite changing regulations on point distribution for each game's result. During the 1963-64 and 2019-20 seasons, the championship was abandoned. However, the statistics gathered from those seasons are included in the total amount.

Club records include:

Wins (17) in 1994–95 (33 games) and 2013–14 (36 games). Next is 1992–93, with 15 victories. The fewest wins (two) were during the 2009–10 season.

Draws (12) in 1977–78 and 1984–85. The 1997–98 season had one draw.

Defeats: Fewest defeats (four) in 1955–56 and 1965–66 (excluding the 1963–64 season, when the team had one). The most defeats (17) were in 2012–2013 and 2015–2016.

Most goals (59): 1994–95, with a three-round championship. Next is 1999–2000 (58). The fewest goals (14) were scored in 1973–74.

The fewest goals against (21) were scored in 1965–66 (when the team had the best defense in the league) and 1966–67 (second-best defense in the league), excluding the shortened 1963–64 season when Nea Salamis had 10 goals against. The team's most goals against (72) came in 2015–16.

The best goal difference (24) was in 1999–2000; the worst (−28) came in 2015–16.

The most points earned (57) came in 1994–95 season (33 games), followed by 2013–14 (36 games) with 54 points and 1961–62 with 52 points (22 games, scoring 3–2–1). The fewest points (14) came in 1956–57 and 2009–10.

Source:

Nea Salamis in the Cypriot Cup

Nea Salamis has been competing in the Cypriot Cup since 1953–54 and has 68 appearances until 2025–26.

It has reached the following:

1 time as a winner (1989–90).

2 times as a runner-s up (1965–66, 2000–01).

9 times until the semi-finals.

23 times until the quarter-finals.

Nea Salamis in the Cypriot Second Division

The table below shows the total stats of Nea Salamis whenever it participates in the Cypriot Second Division since its debut on the 1953-54 season until the 2025-26 season. The total number of points stated in the table sums across all seasons participated in the second division, despite changing regulations on point distribution for each game's result.

Nea Salamis in the Cyprus Amateur Football Federation

The table below shows the total stats of Nea Salamis in the Cyprus Amateur Football Federation from 1949-50 until 1952-53.

European history

Playing in European competition for the first time in 1990, Nea Salamina was defeated in the first round by Aberdeen FC with an aggregate of 0-5. The team participated during the group stage in 1995 and 1997, playing in the Intertoto Cup, achieving 3rd and 4th place, respectively. In the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup, the team reached the second round, with two victories against the Albanian KS Vllaznia Shkodër during the first round with an aggregate of 6-2, but were eliminated during the second round by Austria Wien, with 1-3 in aggregate.

Players

As of 15 September 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

As of 23 August 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Former players

Players with more than 100 appearances with the team:

For more former players, see Nea Salamis FC players.

1Less than 100 appearances, but he started his career at Nea Salamina FC and later became the player with more appearances for Cyprus national football team than any other player in history.

Main source: Stilianou, 1998

Relations with Turkish Cypriots

Since its founding Nea Salamina sought to develop friendly relations with the Turkish Cypriots in Famagusta, and Turkish Cypriots (including Siekkeris, Nita and Moustafa) played for the club during the early 1950s. When the team joined the CFA, it played against Turkish teams (including Demir Sports, Gençlik Gücü and the Mağusa Türk Gücü) in the second division. When Turkish Cypriot clubs began withdrawing from tournaments hosted by the CFA in late 1955, the club tried to convince them to continue and Turkish players remained welcome in Nea Salamina. In 1962 Kallikas was transferred to the club, and in 1970 Neziak (of Turkish origin) was also transferred. In 2004 Turkish Cypriots Imam and Oulousoi were transferred to Nea Salamina, the first Turkish Cypriot footballers in the CAF in thirty years.

On 26 March 2005 Nea Salamina played a friendly against the Turkish Cypriot Yenicami at Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium, defeating them 6–0; it was the first match between Greek and Turkish Cypriot clubs in 50 years. About 2,500 fans sat together in the stands, and the match was attended by political leaders, local sports authorities and representatives of the Church of Cyprus.

Women's football

In 2006, Nea Salamina organized a women's football team. In its first season (2006–07) in the Cypriot First Division, the team finished third and qualified for the Cypriot Women's Cup (losing 3–1 to AEK Kokkinochorion at GSP Stadium). That year it won the Super Cup, beating AEK Kokkinochorion 2–1 at Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium in Larnaca.

In 2007–08, the team finished second. In 2008–09 (when it also finished second), it forfeited the championship game (at home, against Apollon Limassol) when the referee stopped the match due spectator overcrowding.

In 2008–09, Skevi Antoniou was leading scorer in the Cypriot First Division with 64 goals. The women's team disbanded in 2010 for economic reasons.

Honours

League

Cypriot Second Division

Champions (5): 1954–55, 1979–80, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2025–26

Runners-up (3): 1953–54, 2010–11, 2021–22

Cup

Cypriot Cup

Winners (1): 1989–90

Runners-up (2): 1965–66, 2000–01

Cypriot Super Cup

Winners (1): 1990