'The day, AEK proved to be different' - European Football for Development Network

‘The day, AEK proved to be different’

Last week marked the anniversary of one of the biggest travels in the history of AEK.

In 1999, on April 7, the Great Wednesday, in the midst of the bombing of Serbia, AEK Athens gave a friendly match in Belgrade against Partizan, thereby sending a message of peace and solidarity.

The initiator of the project was Dimitri Melissanidis and the vast majority of players and members of the football division were a part of this journey.

In 1999, eighteen years ago, the Greek delegation arrived in the Serbian capital being welcomed by the Serbs with Greek bread and salt, a symbol of Serbian hospitality. The players of the two teams came together on the field, holding a banner reading «NATO stop the war, stop the bombing» and wearing special jerseys.

At the 68th minute of the game, and while the score was 1-1, fans of both teams made the peaceful invasion and stopped the match to hug each other.

«i-aek-apedeixe-oti-einai-kati-diaforetiko»-denlarge

“Only AEK would do something like that”

Now in 2017, eighteen years later, the former players of AEK, who are now members of the club’s scouting department spoke to www.aekfc.gr and proposed a future reunion of the two groups for next years anniversary!

“The journey to Belgrade was one of the important moments at AEK for me. I played at AEK for eight years, with titles, with triumphs, with European games and also experiencing difficult moments, but that day is very special for me. The aim of the visit was not purely the game, it was something more important. It was the day that AEK proved to be something very different.”AEK is exactly what we experienced on April 7, 1999! A huge club, which is not limited to athletic activity. What happened that day, could only be done by AEK!

“Good games, great goals, great victories and triumphs, but this was something more important. This had to do with human values. It was a hymn of peace, fraternity and solidarity. A hymn of humankind! These are the most important things. We are privileged, and we are proud of everyone, who took part in it. I’m personally marked by this event and there is no day, I don’t think about those moments! I have not forgotten anything.“

AEK became an international benchmark. Even CNN followed the journey to Belgrade. AEK is great on and off the pitch. “For years now, I think that we should commemorate this anniversary with something big. There should be a reunion, but not anymore in the fear of bombings.“

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‘The day, AEK proved to be different’