Stavros Papadopoulos
Quick Facts
Biography
Stavros Papadopoulos, is a Greek businessman and the former owner of Kalamata FC and Apollon Kalamarias. He bought both these teams when they were in the third division and second division, respectively, and invested substantial money into them and eventually took both those teams up to the first division. He currently owns Messiniakos FC.
Papadopoulos bought Kalamata FC in 1992 when the club was in the Gamma Ethniki. By 1995 he had managed to lead the club up to the first division where it remained except for 1 demotion until he sold the club in 2000. Many African players were signed by Papadopoulos in this period such as Peter Ofori-Quaye, Derek Boateng and Afo Doudou and this era is credited by some as being directly responsible for the influx of African talent to Greece.
Papadopoulos bought Kalamaria in 2001 and within 2 years the club had gained promotion to the top division in Greece with yet again many interesting signings, mainly young players from Brazil. He relinquished control in 2004.