After the competitive relegation of AEK to the second division, the decision to bankrupt the S.A. and establish a new "clean" was immediate without encountering any resistance. Since the spring, Dimitris Melissanidis, the then potential owner of OPAP and former presindent of the club, remained as the last hope for the club, since all their financially prominent supporters were disappeared. Melissanidis believed that the future of AEK depends on the construction of its own stadium. On 9 June, Melissanidis won the elections of AEK Athens with his party called "Regeneration of AEK" and became the new owner of the club.[1][2] The elections happened to the amateur AEK, since the club ceased being an S.A.[3] by getting relegated to Football League 2, the top amateur division in Greek football.[4] The team did not wear last season's kit in the friendlies, since they did not want to remember the kit which was marked by the worst season in the history of the club. It was the first season of the club's history that did not play in the highest domestic tier. Because of that, the club also did not participate in Greek Cup or in AFCA Cup, but in the Football League 2 Cup.
In the competitive part, Traianos Dellas remained in the position of coach and the roster was filled with young footballers. Nikolaos Georgeas and Bruno Cirillo returned to the team, while the stay of Miguel Cordero was remarkable, since he was perhaps the only footballer whose level higher than the third division of Greece. Under these circumstances, AEK's first place was never in doubt, the season went naturally, i.e. excruciatingly slowly and without any interest. Only the 4 matches that AEK did not win caused a relative irritation among the fans of the team. All the remaining matches of the championship were victorious for AEK and worth mentioning were the incidents that took place in the away game against Egaleo, which cost AEK 3 points due to punishment,[5] without affecting the course of the championship. An interesting element, however, was the large turnout of the fans to the Olympic Stadium throughout the year. The attendance of AEK fans in Football League 2 was much higher than almost all Super League teams. Thus, the team successfully completed the first step of their return and now being in the second division, they continued their journey to the top.
In the Football League 2 Cup, AEK started from the second matchday of the sixth group, where they faced Ilisiakos, beating them with 0–3, while in the third matchday they played against Agios Nikolaos, winning with 5–0 and in the final of their group they beat Asteras Vari by 1–0. Thus, they qualified for the quarter-finals facing Agrotikos Asteras in a single match at Kaftanzoglio Stadium. The trip to Thessaloniki was treated as a chore for AEK and as a result it showed on the pitch where AEK were eliminated with a 2–0 defeat.[6]
24 January 2014AEK were deducted 3 points, 2 games behind closed doors and 2,500 € fine after violations at the match against Egaleo on 5 January 2014 at Stavros Mavrothalassitis Stadium, Egaleo. Egaleo was also penalised the same way.
Players
Squad information
NOTE: The players are the ones that have been announced by the AEK Athens' press release. No edits should be made unless a player arrival or exit is announced. Updated 21 May 2014, 23:59 UTC+3.
Note: The game started with a 28-minute delay, due to incidents between fans of the two teams. Both clubs were punished with a 3-point deduction, 2 games behind closed doors and a €2,500 fine.[5]
The list is sorted by competition order when total clean sheets are equal and then alphabetically by surname. Clean sheets in games where both goalkeepers participated are awarded to the goalkeeper who started the game. Goalkeepers with no appearances are not included.
