A spectacle of visual story telling, our latest 'Perimeter' piece comes with the backdrop of the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium - the home of Panathinaikos. Battered but beautiful, it's a home that comes served with a heap of hard hitting and paint rich walls.
It's the infamous 'Athens Derby' from which this series of shots by Przemek Nicijewski is set. With Olympiacos travelling to Panathinaikos, it's served up alongside a concrete jungle of scenery. Green paint across well worn graffiti walls and a sizeable outpouring of support, the stadium itself is one that holds endless memories and while it may be a little rough around the edges, it is one that has all the character going.
While it's small in volume - just 16,000 capacity - it's huge in energy and holds so much life for a stadium that has transcended generations. In 2009, proposed plans were produced for a new Panathinaikos stadium. A next generation megastructure which would replace the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium as home for the club. The proposal was to demolish the current abode. However, in 2013 due to financial pressures the development was scuppered meaning it's unlikely the club will be moving anywhere in near future.
As derby games go, this one pretty much personifies just how intense a rivalry can be. Labelled "derby of the eternal enemies", it's not one that is served lightly. Panathinaikos took home the spoils with a 1-0 win on this occasion which will naturally serve long in the tooth for Olympiacos fans. Similar scenes for the return fixture? Let's hope so. Replacing the clovered green with stark red and white, it's a fixture that goes beyond any appetiser. Consider us hungry for more.
Photography by Przemek Nicijewski
