Georgios Kamaras Stadium, usually simply referred to as Rizoupoli Stadium, is probably the largest and most historic ground used in non-league football in Greece. It is home to Apollon Smyrnis (who I’ve introduced here) and is also owned by the club. The stadium is located in Rizoupoli, a small neighbourhood just off central Athens. It was inaugurated in 1948 and has a capacity of 14,000. In the past, it has served as a home ground for AEK, Olympiacos and Ethnikos Piraeus, and has hosted highly important local and European fixtures, as well as concerts in recent years.

I’ve seen a game of Apollon Smyrnis here before, but I decided to pay another visit on this grim Sunday to share some photos on the website, on top of cheering for the very likeable club that Apollon is. Last season, they shot themselves in the foot and let Kentavros Vrilission celebrate promotion to the third division. Now they have to endure another season in the non-league, the lowest level the club has ever reached, and the pressure is arguably high. It definitely feels depressing to see a team that, only a few years back, played Panathinaikos and Olympiacos now facing sides like Iraklis Peristeriou (no offence to Iraklis, but Apollon is simply out of their league), but it is also heartening to see how a loyal portion of fans is still backing them through the toughest years. In particular, their ultras group, Basso Rango, is a strong, young lot who keep the flag flying. Founded in 2015, and although not large in number, they follow the team everywhere with passion and a pure mentality.

Today, however, the atmosphere at the stadium felt as gloomy as the weather. Everyone (myself included) seemed hungover from the night before (the ultras had organised a big party), and the visiting side shockingly opened the scoring in an otherwise uneventful first half. From that point on, the mood shifted for good. People were simply furious, both at their own team for struggling against such a weak opponent, and at Iraklis’ players, who were already going to ground in blatant attempts to waste time. In the second half, Apollon eventually found the equaliser and then, not long after, the goal that saved the day. Players and fans celebrated passionately, but the feeling was less one of triumph and more a sense of relief at having avoided a disaster they simply could not afford.