AEK in Belgrade during the war - 7 April 1999

It is now April 7, 1999, a long Wednesday at that time,

AEK went with its entire delegation,

by bus to Belgrade to play a friendly football match

………………………………………..

the amazing thing was that Belgrade at that time was a war zone.

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the NATO bombing had started on 24 March and lasted for 11 weeks.

………………………………………..

even though NATO aircraft were using up to

depleted uranium bombs and other weapons prohibited by international treaties

NO ONE dared to stand up to the Americans...

………………………………………..

nor the “civilized” Europeans

nor the like-minded Russians nor anyone else

………………………………………..

against everyone and everything, so a football team

that honours its refugee history,

launched

along with a few personalities from the Greek scene

and went to Belgrade and played a symbolic friendly football match

with Partizan

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one of the people who had accompanied the expedition

was the then 77-year-old Manolis Glezos

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not

that move didn't change much.

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the natoes continued bombing until 10 June.

………………………………………..

not even the verified 1000 civilian dead stopped them

nor the

12,500 injured

including 2,700 children(!!!!)

………………………………………..

although in recent years I have stopped playing professional football

I still say I'm an AEK...