APOEL part ways with Sergio

By Nemanja Bjedov

Defending Cypriot champions APOEL have parted ways with Portuguese coach Paulo Sergio after less than five months at the helm, following a dismal record of three wins in 11 matches.

The decision was made by the club board following Thursday’s 3-0 Europa League loss to German side Eintracht Frankfurt – APOEL’s sixth consecutive European match without a win.

“We would like to thank Paulo Sergio for his understanding and decency during our meeting with him,” read an official club statement. “We wish him every success for the future, both professionally and personally.”

The 45-year-old Sergio arrived this summer after the departure of Ivan Jovanovic, but endured a string of disappointing results, with the highlight of his time with the Nicosia club being a 1-0 victory over Apollon in the Super Cup.

Yiannos Ioannou, who also served as an assistant to Jovanovic, will assume the role of caretaker manager until the club appoints the new man in charge.

Ioannou will have to prepare the team for the upcoming league match against Aris on Monday night at the GSP Stadium.

APOEL are currently fifth in the league with seven points from four matches.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.