CORRUPTION CHAOS AT THE CFA

Omonoia’s president, Stavros Papastavrou, accused the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) and its president, George Koumas, of entrenched corruption and financial mismanagement. Papastavrou claimed Koumas operates the CFA autocratically, prioritising personal interests and using opaque financial practices to manipulate clubs. He alleged misuse of funds, unaccountable loan distributions, biased television rights allocation, and favouritism in refereeing—all of which, he warned, could lead to Cypriot football’s expulsion from UEFA.

In response, the CFA denied all allegations, asserting that its practices are transparent and backed by FIFA and UEFA. The CFA also pointed to Omonoia’s recent successes, suggesting that Papastavrou’s criticisms lack sincerity. Additionally, Koumas has instructed his legal team to address Papastavrou’s claims.

Separately, journalist Fanis Makrides reported CFA intervention to suspend his journalism award, allegedly due to his investigative work on Koumas’ conflicts of interest, raising concerns about press independence in Cypriot sports.

The Cyprus Police confirmed they are investigating Papastavrou’s complaints, reporting varied progress across cases due to legal complexities. In the aftermath, Nik Nikolaou, Omonoia’s CFA representative and a CFA vice-president, resigned from his roles within the association.