by Christos Zabounis

If there is one type of PAOK supporter I envy, it is the Athenian one. I come across them in the most unexpected places, and the stories they tell about how they chose a team from Thessaloniki never cease to surprise me. For those of us born in the North – and in my case, raised in Toumba – the choice is fairly easy to understand. But what explains the nationwide reach of a sports club founded by refugees from Constantinople in 1926? How did it manage to prevail over teams with longer histories and deeper roots in the city, such as Aris and Iraklis? What is this so-called “genome,” or DNA, that goes beyond stadiums and playing fields? Why has PAOK become a matter of identity? These questions, and many more, are addressed by an Athenian PAOK supporter, the historian Nikos Giannopoulos, in his book “PAOK 1926–2026: The 100+1 Most Important Matches” (Metaichmio Publications). The title should not be misleading. This is not a match commentary, but a systematic research study that follows, from within, the course of the Panthessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans. Chapters such as “Alexander the Great Steals the Spotlight from the ‘Flying Dutchman,’” “Torpedoing the ‘Yellow Submarine,’” “AK-47 (Avtomat Kalashnikova),” and “The Cannon Shot at the ‘Gunners’” take us through the team’s glorious moments, without overlooking the tragic ones. “Your absence weighs on us, your memory unites us” (Panhellenic PAOK Supporters Club of Athens) is the title of the final chapter, dedicated to the eight young supporters who lost their lives on the so-called highway connecting Bucharest to Timișoara, on their way to Lyon. May their memory be eternal.