2002–03 Alpha Ethniki
67th season of top-tier football league in Greece
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The 2002–03 Alpha Ethniki was the 67th season of the highest football league in Greece. The season began on 24 August 2002 and ended on 25 May 2003. Olympiacos won their seventh consecutive and 32nd Greek title. Olympiacos and Panathinaikos finished the League with the same points total but Olympiacos were crowned champions due to more favourable results between the two teams. It was a very dramatic end to the season, with the decisive game between the two clubs taking place in the penultimate round. The season was interrupted by strike action after television broadcaster Alpha Digital collapsed in September 2002, following which the players didn't play for a month.[1]
| Season | 2002–03 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Olympiacos 32nd Greek title |
| Relegated | Panachaiki PAS Giannina |
| Champions League | Olympiacos Panathinaikos AEK Athens |
| UEFA Cup | PAOK Panionios Aris |
| Matches | 240 |
| Goals | 617 (2.57 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Nikos Liberopoulos (16 goals) |
← 2001–02 2003–04 → | |
Teams
| Promoted from 2001–02 Beta Ethniki |
Relegated from 2001–02 Alpha Ethniki |
|---|---|
| PAS Giannina Kallithea Proodeftiki |
Ethnikos Asteras |
Stadiums and personnel
- 1 On final match day of the season, played on 25 May 2003.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympiacos (C) | 30 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 75 | 21 | +54 | 70[a] | Qualification for Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Panathinaikos | 30 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 50 | 19 | +31 | 70[a] | |
| 3 | AEK Athens | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 74 | 29 | +45 | 68 | Qualification for Champions League third qualifying round |
| 4 | PAOK | 30 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 59 | 38 | +21 | 53[b] | Qualification for UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Panionios | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 35 | 25 | +10 | 53[b] | |
| 6 | Aris | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 37 | 34 | +3 | 51 | |
| 7 | Iraklis | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 44 | 37 | +7 | 49 | |
| 8 | OFI | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 44 | |
| 9 | Skoda Xanthi | 30 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 35 | |
| 10 | Egaleo | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 28 | 44 | −16 | 31 | Qualification for Intertoto Cup third round |
| 11 | Proodeftiki | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 25 | 38 | −13 | 30 | |
| 12 | Akratitos | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 33 | 62 | −29 | 26[c] | Qualification for Intertoto Cup second round |
| 13 | Kallithea | 30 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 29 | 46 | −17 | 26[c] | |
| 14 | Ionikos (O) | 30 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 22 | 42 | −20 | 24 | Qualification for Relegation play-off |
| 15 | Panachaiki (R) | 30 | 1 | 6 | 23 | 11 | 71 | −60 | 9 | Relegation to Beta Ethniki |
| 16 | PAS Giannina[d] (R) | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 25 | 44 | −19 | −65 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Goals against; 7) Play-offs (neutral ground); 8) Draw.
(Note: Criterion 7 is only used if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Head-to-head points (goal difference): Olympiacos 3 (+2), Panathinaikos 3 (-2).
- Head-to-head points (goal difference): PAOK 3 (+1), Panionios 3 (-1).
- Head-to-head points: Akratitos 4, Kallithea 1.
- PAS Giannina were deducted 3 points per match for having debts of €900,000 to former players.
Results
Relegation play-off
| Ionikos | 2–1 | Apollon Kalamarias |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Ionikos retained their spot in 2003–04 Alpha Ethniki. Apollon Kalamarias placed on 2003–04 Beta Ethniki
Top scorers
Source: Galanis Sports Data
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nikos Liberopoulos |
Panathinaikos | 16 |
| 2 | Stelios Giannakopoulos |
Olympiacos | 15 |
| 3 | Georgios Georgiadis |
PAOK | 14 |
 Predrag Đorđević |
Olympiacos | ||
| 5 |  Njogu Demba-Nyrén |
Aris | 12 |
| Vasilios Lakis |
AEK Athens | ||
| Demis Nikolaidis |
AEK Athens | ||
| 8 |  Ioannis Okkas |
PAOK | 11 |
| Vasilios Tsiartas |
AEK Athens | ||
| 10 |  Alessandro Soares |
OFI | 10 |
| Dimitris Nalitzis |
AEK Athens | ||
| Giovanni |
Olympiacos | ||
| Lampros Choutos |
Olympiacos |
Awards
Annual awards
Annual awards were announced on 10 November 2003.[2]
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Greek Player of the Season | Stelios Giannakopoulos |
Olympiacos |
| Foreign Player of the Season | Predrag Đorđević |
Olympiacos |
| Young Player of the Season | Vangelis Mantzios |
Panionios |
| Goalkeeper of the Season | Antonios Nikopolidis |
Panathinaikos |
| Golden Boot | Nikos Liberopoulos |
Panathinaikos |
| Manager of the Season |  Dušan Bajević |
AEK Athens |
Attendances
Panathinaikos drew the highest average home attendance in the 2002–03 Alpha Ethniki.[3]
| # | Team | Average attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panathinaikos | 8,093 |
| 2 | Olympiacos | 8,078 |
| 3 | PAOK | 7,065 |
| 4 | AEK Athens | 5,178 |
| 5 | Aris | 4,317 |
| 6 | Panionios | 2,976 |
| 7 | PAS Giannina | 2,336 |
| 8 | OFI | 2,218 |
| 9 | Iraklis | 2,123 |
| 10 | Skoda Xanthi | 1,880 |
| 11 | Kallithea | 1,544 |
| 12 | Egaleo | 1,301 |
| 13 | Proodeftiki | 1,297 |
| 14 | Panachaiki | 1,287 |
| 15 | Ionikos | 1,159 |
| 16 | Akratitos | 858 |