AS THE bulldozers continued to smash through the terraces of Cyprus’ oldest stadium yesterday, one man looked on in disbelief from his small shop in the shadow of the old Pancyprian stadium,
The Yiapanis sandwich shop was the first establishment to open at the GSP half a century ago. It still stands today and is renowned for its sandwiches that continue to sell, even though the stadium has been closed for years.
Yiapanis yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that he and the owners of the surrounding shops had not been told of the government’s plan to demolish the GSP. “They simply came and began to tear it down.”
The stadium is making way for a state-of-the-art theatre complex surrounded by a park.
Yiapanis hopes he will be able to keep his establishment if they build a park and does not believe his business will suffer.
“If I can stay that is fine. But I will not move somewhere else. I do not know yet if I can stay here,” said Yiapanis. His customers are concerned that they will no longer be able to purchase his sandwiches and have asked him what will happen in the future.
Yiapanis reflected back on the glory days of the old GSP stadium. “I remember when it was built. It was considered outside Nicosia then. When I first opened up in 1955 I didn’t sell sandwiches, only newspapers. EOKA men would come as well as children.
“Government officials who used to come here in the GSP’s heyday still come today,” added Yiapanis.
“This cooker is 45 years old and I still use it to cook the sandwiches.”
A McDonald’s representative who wanted to buy his boxy sandwich shop approached Yiapanis five years ago. “I laughed and told him that even if I wanted to I couldn’t as I was bound by contract not to sell or rent the business. Then this man told me that when the opportunity arose he would buy my business and said that when he was in Australia he had heard of Yiapanis’ sandwiches.
“I can quote him even to this day. He said ‘Small shop, huge name’.”
According to Yiapanis, the football games held at the old GSP were something else. “There were no riots. People just enjoyed the game. I was so busy, I couldn’t keep up,” said Yiapanis. He also remembered how games were postponed during EOKA times. “Since they built the other stadiums, GSP went downhill and so did the matches,” he added.
Yiapanis expressed his sadness at the decision to tear down the GSP. “If they build a park it will be good for me, but only if they allow me to stay.”
The Zevedeos restaurant next to Yiapanis yesterday had a sign in the window saying they were temporarily closed, and apart from the Kyrillis loukoumades shop – another landmark – and a dusty electrician’s, the old GSP stadium precinct is derelict.
With the giant new Finance Ministry looming over the site and plans to start building the state theatre next May, the old GSP stadium, its memories and its clock that hasn’t worked in years, will soon all be a thing of the past.
