Kokkalis retires from Olympiakos chair

After 17 and a half years at the presidency of Olympiakos, Sokratis Kokkalis retired from the post on Friday, with major shareholder Vangelis Marinakis taking over.

In practice Marinakis was the strongman of Olympiakos for the last few months, since agreeing to acquire a controlling stake at the league leaders, but he only assumed the presidency on Friday, the last day of 2010.

In the

 special board meeting that had a celebratory character Kokkalis put an end to a spell at the presidency that saw no fewer than 12 league titles.

He will remain as member of the club’s governing board, while his second son, Sokratis Kokkalis Junior will become the first vice-president of Olympiakos.

New president Marinakis stated that “this is a very important day for me indeed.”

“In 2011 I want to lead Olympiakos back to the top of Greek football and lay the groundwork with my associates for a team that will lead in the next decade.”

Marinakis also paid tribute to the contribution of Kokkalis to the club, who in turn qualified Marinakis as a “genuine Olympiakos fan”.







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