AEK Athens continued this season with one of their "Patriarchs", Tryfon Tzanetis in the technical leadership, who was officially hired in January with the task of revitalizing the team. However, his predecessor, Lukas Aurednik, remained in the team and alongside Christos Ribas formed a coaching triumvirate with Tzanetis apparently having the first say, but Auretnik maintaining the tactical support and the acceptance of the vast majority of the fans. Aurednik promoted the team's future star, Spyros Pomonis from their academies, while the additions of Thanasis Gouvas from A.E. Messolonghi and Aris Tsachouridis from Makedonikos were also noteworthy.
The first objections to the objectivity of the referees begun and made their appearance in Greek football, culminating in the Athenian derby, in the following matchday. Three days before the match there was strong dissatisfaction with the presence of certain people from Panathinaikos in the central arbitration committee. AEK was severely wronged by the referee Ioannidis and the dissatisfaction was confirmed since the referee denied an obvious penalty to Nestoridis in the 87th minute and while the score was 2–2. In the tension that followed, the referee showed Anastasiadis a red card and the refusal of the latter to come out of the pitch resulted in the game being awarded to Panathinaikos and AEK being zeroed.[1] Another 2 consecutive defeats followed, which kept AEK away from the top. The incidents with the referees continued, with the suspension of the match against Proodeftiki and its resumption 4 months later, as on 18 February in Karaiskakis Stadium, at the 80th minute, while the game was at 1–1, Gouvas scored a goal where the ball hit the inner post at the bottom of the goal and went out again with the referee Bakirzis indicating "play on", considering that the ball hit the post. A scuffle between players followed on the pitch and after several incidents the referee called it off and it was repeated on 14 June, when AEK was indifferent and mathematically out of the title.[2] In the rest of the season, the team briought mediocre results, losing in both matches to the then strong Panionios, while they achieved a 4–1 victory over Olympiacos. The 27 goals scored by Kostas Nestoridis, who emerged again as the top scorer of the league, did not manage to give AEK anything better than fourth place.
AEK entered the Cup facing AE Kaisarianis in December and they achieved one of the highest scoring victories in their history with 9–0. In the next round they eliminated Agioi Anargyroi easily with 5–1 and then Doxa Metaxourgio with 3–2. Afterwards they played against PAO Kalogreza and eliminated them with 2–1 and in the next round they faced Niki Plakas and won with a triumphant 8–1. In the round of 32, AEK came across Prasina Poulia, one of the historic teams from Kalamata, who would compete in Athens for the first time. The match was held under intense emotional charge due to the presence of Kleanthis Maropoulos and the Messinian team held a historic 2–2 draw until the 60th minute, when AEK "woke up" and in the end the result was a satisfying 7–3. In the round of 16, they easily eliminated Proodetiki by 4–1, but in the quarter-finals, Iraklis ended their course in the institution, by winning them with 1–0 in Thessaloniki.[3]
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 25 June 1961, 23:59 UTC+2.
Note: At the 87th minute the referee denied Nestoridis a clear penalty when he was brought down by Andreou. While AEK players were still protesting, Panathinaikos went on the counter and scored with Panakis. The yellow-blacks continued protesting, Anastasiadis was sent-off but refused to leave the field and eventually the referee decided to suspend the game in the expense of AEK. Panathinaikos were awarded the game without a match and AEK were zeroed.[1]
Note: The game was originally held on 18 February. In the 67th minute of the match with the score at 1–1, AEK scored a second goal with Gouvas. The striker's shot was so strong that the ball, hit inside the back of the goal, and returned inside the area. This resulted in referee Bakirtzis not realizing the goal and order to continue the game, despite the advice of linesman Velisarios and the endorsement by the observer Savaris. The match ended in a draw amid protests by the players of AEK. Subsequently, the administration of AEK filed a complaint against the validity of the game, as it was entitled, and in particular as it owed it to such an obvious distortion of the score. On 2 March the Technical Arbitration Committee (TED) acquitted AEK, punished referee Bakirtzis for one year, and ordered the match to be repeated from the beginning, at first on 15 March with foreign referee, but eventually occurred on 14 June at such a time (between the 28th and the 29th matchday) which any outcome left the yellow-blacks indifferent, having already been out of the title race.[2]
Stadium: AEK Stadium Attendance: 28,268 Referee: Jose Camacho Caballero (Spain)
Note: After the end of the match, Olympiacos filed an objection and demanded a repeat of the match, protesting against bad refereeing. The objection was rejected by TED on 15 June with a vote of 2 against 1.
Note: In the 21st minute, the player of Atromitos Piraeus, Anasopoulos suddenly lost consciousness, while the ball was being played away. He couldn't continue playing afterwards and thus Atromitos played with 10 players in the rest of the match. AEK also finished the game with 10 players, after an injury of Tzaneras at 88th minute who did not return.
Note: The game originally took place on 8 January and even though the pitch had been turned into a lake due to heavy rainfall, the referee Eleftheriadis decided to start the match, but he eventually stopped the game at the 60th minute, while AEK were leading by 1–0 with a goal by Vernezis at the 52nd minute.
Note: In the reportage of the time it was reported that in the starting squad of Kalogreza there were 2 players with the surname Loukeris and there was no one with the surname Panakis. In the match report it appeared that there were 2 players with the surname Panakis, and one Loukeris. Kouskounis or Kasinos was the other player named Panakis.
Note: When AEK made the 4–0, the goalkeeper of Proodeftiki, Anastasiadis hit his shoulder and an internal substitution took place with Vergidis going under the goalpost and Anastasiadis playing as an attacker.
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.
