Derby day fireworks is nothing new for Avlonitis
THE prospect of a white-hot Scottish Cup clash with holders Hibs tomorrow is nowhere near combustible enough to bring Tasos Avlonitis out in a cold sweat.
Not when the new Hearts defender has played in a Greek rivalry so fierce he once saw a team-mate catch fire during the warm-up.
Before what is aptly known as The Derby of the Eternal Enemies in November 2015, Olympiakos striker Alfred Finnbogason’s tracksuit trousers were briefly set alight as flares and firecrackers rained down from Panathinaikos fans in their team’s Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium.
After the referee called off the match, Panathinaikos thugs invaded the pitch and there were violent clashes both inside and outside the ground.
The chaotic scenes were all the more remarkable given no Olympiakos fans were allowed to attend because of Greek Superleague rules banning visiting supporters.
Six months earlier at the same venue, nails, bottles, rocks and chairs had been hurled by home fans during the derby. Olympiakos president Evangelos Marinakis compared it to the bombardment of Iraq and declared the incident ‘an atrocity for Greek football’.
Such is the hatred between the two Athens foes, the losing players voluntarily place themselves under house arrest to avoid physical retribution from their own supporters.
Avlonitis was joined at Tynecastle in January by fellow Greek Alexandros Tziolis, who spent five years at Panathinaikos.
Given their experiences, it’s little wonder Hearts boss Ian Cathro has no fear of either man freezing during tomorrow’s visit of Hibs.
‘I was there in November 2015 when the game didn’t start,’ recalled 27-year-old Avlonitis.
‘We walked out of the tunnel to see what the pitch was like. Immediately there were fireworks and Finnbogason went down and his uniform got burned.
‘The police and referee told us to go back inside. We stayed there for around three hours until we were told we could leave. Believe me, it was like war. But it’s always like this.
‘It is terrifying sometimes. You feel the pressure before the match even starts because you know the fans are like this. The atmosphere is perfect, but sometimes you are scared something will hit your head.
‘It’s dangerous. Here in Scotland, it’s nice to play in a good atmosphere but not be afraid of being hurt. Back home, the fans are crazy. Both sides have about three or four million each. They fight in the streets and they hate each other.
‘If you lose a derby in Athens, you don’t go outside. If you do, the fans come up to you and touch you or shake you and ask why the team lost.’
Avlonitis (below) has the fondest derby memories of his very first appearance for Olympiakos against Panathinaikos, a home match at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis in October 2014.
Within 120 seconds of coming on as a 57th-minute sub, the young defender scored the winning goal.
He dined out on that feat — literally — before leaving Athens for Austrian side Sturm Graz last year. Now Avlonitis would love to enter Hearts folklore with a famous debut derby winner against Hibs. What would be better for a new Jambo, than ending their rivals’ hold on the old trophy?
‘I scored the only goal with my first chance of the match,’ he smiled. ‘The fans were singing my name. For me, it was a dream. I am from outside Athens but I grew up an Olympiakos fan. Before the game, nobody knew me and nobody would have expected me to score the winning goal because of the position I played. ‘But afterwards everyone was speaking about me in the newspapers. It was the best moment of my career. The fans went crazy because we won. I was a hero. Everybody still speaks about it. For the next week, anywhere I went in Athens I never paid. Before the goal, I had to pay. Afterwards, no. ‘People still talk to me about that goal. Always. It’s hard to explain but on Instagram and Twitter the Olympiakos fans still message me all the time. ‘It also happens outside of social media, too, in cafeterias. ‘Fans live for winning in the derby. And I want to score so much this weekend against Hibs. But, believe me, the most important thing is my team wins the match.
‘Yes, whoever scores is the hero, but the win will be down to 11 players not just one person.
‘We all know how important this match is for Hearts. Hibs are the Cup holders.
‘But we are playing them at our home, so we will have to be prepared and show our character on the pitch.
‘I haven’t met any Hearts fans in the street yet but I know the stadium will be full and the fans will want so much for us to win.
‘Of course we know if we lose — touch wood — the fans won’t be happy. If we had lost to Rangers it would have been the same but we won 4-1.
‘We want to win again, not only because it is against Hibernian, but because we want to keep our winning streak. Also, I want our home to be like a castle. ‘Nobody comes here to Tynecastle and wins.’