AEK challenge endures

uefa.com charts the history of Greek contenders AEK Athens FC as part of our series of histories of the 18 clubs involved in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.

Pride in the shirt
Formed in the Greek capital in 1924 by a group of immigrants from Constantinople, Athletiki Enosis Konstantinopoulos FC - or Athletic Union of Constantinopolitans - proudly display their Byzantine origins by wearing black and yellow shirts.

Ground move
In 1929, the club moved to Nea Philadelphia on the outskirts of Athens where they built their own stadium, now named after Nikos Goumas, a director who along with Athens mayor Konstantinos Kotzias was the inspiration behind the switch.

Double success
Success soon followed and AEK picked up their first trophy in 1932 when they won the inaugural Hellenic Cup, beating Aris Thessaloniki FC in the final. They went one better with a league and cup double in 1939, before successfully defending the title the next year.

Second best
Following the Second World War, AEK were left languishing in the shadows of Olympiacos CFP and Panathinaikos FC. They won the cup again in 1949, 50 and 56, but in the league it was often a case of so near, so far - as successive second-place finishes in 1957/58, 1958/59 and 1959/60 show.

Back on top
The club's fortunes picked up in the 1960s, and AEK finally secured their third championship in 1962/63, defeating Panathinaikos in a play-off. Cup winners again in 1966, they then clinched a fourth league title two years later before progressing as far as the European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-finals the next term.

European run
Another European adventure came in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup, when AEK fell to Juventus FC in the semi-finals. The 1970s were also memorable for title triumphs in 1970/71, 1977/78 - when another double was completed - and 1978/79, but despite a Greek Cup victory in 1983, the following decade was more of a struggle.

Glory days
The toil ended after Dusan Bajevic was appointed coach, and the Serbian inspired the team to new championship glory in 1988/89. It got even better in the early 1990s as AEK scaled the heights, taking their championship tally to eleven with a hat-trick of wins in 1991/92, 1992/93 and 1993/94.

Up for the Cup
The trophies dried up with the defection of Bajevic to Olympiacos, who then - much to AEK's chagrin - proceeded to monopolise the Alpha Ethniki. More recently the club have been beset by administrative and financial problems, but despite the upheaval, there were Greek Cup successes in 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2002.

Draw specialists
AEK then recorded a remarkable six draws out of six in the UEFA Champions League first group stage in 2002/03 - and will return to the competition after finishing third in the Greek table last term.