APOEL star undergoes heart surgery

CHRISTOS Kontis, one of the most consistent performers in Cyprus football champions APOEL’s defence for the past five years, will almost certainly be forced to retire from competitive action after he underwent heart surgery early yesterday morning.

Kontis managed to get through the 90 minutes of APOEL’S clash with AEK on Monday evening but was rushed to hospital around midnight after complaining of chest pains. Examinations showed that a main artery was blocked and he underwent an angioplasty (balloon).

Kontis joined the Nicosia giants back in 2006 after playing for a number of teams in Greece, most notably Olympiacos and AEK Athens.

In his six year spell with APOEL he celebrated three championships, one cup, three Super Cups as well as two Champions League group qualifications.

With his undoubted experience and youthful enthusiasm, something that belied his 36 years of age, Kontis was a fan favourite but above all he was a model professional respected by both teammates and opponents.

Cyprus football will sorely miss him.

 

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.