Pafos' Championship winning coach Juan Carlos Carcedo is rightly having a wonderful time today. I know because my Twitter feed is full of him retweeting messages of congratulations he's received. Writing this on here because he follows me and I don't want him to unfollow me. Also, I'm bragging.

Pafos FC confirmed as worthy 2024/25 Cypriot League Champions! The first in Cypriot football a team from the Pafos District has won the league. Only took them 90 years! Well deserved, we're in control from the start of the league campaign.

Over the last couple of days I've learnt that, if you don't know the language, don't quote the transfer story. Despite all the words being correctly translated in what I was reading, the context was lost, with sarcasm and ridicule not coming over in the translation. Lesson learnt.

The woke mob destroying everything.

A politician under investigation for unpaid tax and social security contributions joins a far right party? Unheard of.

News coming out of Anorthosis, it seems a potential new investor has been found for the club. The Cypriot sports websites are reporting on an Egyptian person involved, and, based on the information they have provided, it looks like to be ex-Premier League footballer Mido.

Snow? In April? In CYPRUS?!?!

Following Aleksei Shpilevski and Aris Limassol's announcement that the head coach will be leaving at the end of the season, rumours have already started circulating about his next job. Dynamo Moscow.

LFG!!!

Come join us, we're about to have a great time. www.youtube.com/live/jmmwzlG...

My favourite bit from this week's This Is Mappa is about right here. Love a bit of mistranslation. The Cyprus FA's sports judge hands out some punishments. www.youtube.com/live/tYacY8J...

It looks like there is some movement in replacing Petrides as President of APOEL. From the club's statement: "Wanting to remain consistent in our commitments to the individuals handling the discussions of recent days, as well as to the APOEL community, we wish to inform you of the following.

Over in Bosnia, during the press conference for the international mat h between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Cyprus, Akis Mantzios was asked whether he would pick a player from "North Cyprus".

It took me a while due to winter illnesses my child brought into our house, but here's a new video I did talking about the first Cyprus National Team picks from Akis Mantzios. youtu.be/LIj3M9WPnBc?...

Cypriot Second Division team PO Achyronas-Onisillos have been fined 50k euros for match fixing following information of suspicious betting activity of the team to lose by at least 3 goals vs Digenis Akritas Morphou. Digenis Akritas Morphou scored their 3rd goal in the 93rd minute.

Minister’s row with Apoel heats up

An interesting set of events is unfolding in acypriot football at the moment. It looks like the government is opening criminal cases against all thr clubs that owe money to the taxman. The only clubs that do not, according to the exposé by Cypriot news agency Phileleftheros...

We should be going live any second now... www.youtube.com/live/6iCBC9b...

#Cyprus is a small football nation. But make up for it with some bat shit crazy supporters 'culture' (And don't get us started on the actions or lack thereof from the various Government/Police/Admin agencies etc...)

Another example of the extremely tribal nature of supporting a football team in Cyprus... AEL vs. Apollon happened a couple of days ago. The match is traditionally the big Limassol Derby, and fans of the two teams get up to a lot, a lot of trouble.

Includes a couple on #Cyprus 🇨🇾 related note: #6 APOP Kinyras open.spotify.com/episode/0gfv... #54 AEK Larnaca (complete with the sultry tones of @kafesandflares.bsky.social) open.spotify.com/episode/48dg...

Accelerated learning. 1 year in Cypriot football is at least 3 years of equivalent experience elsewhere

Another ex Cypriot league player/manager taking a management role in the English pyramid @kafesandflares.bsky.social, ex Anorthosis player Iñigo Calderón took the Bristol Rovers job last week for his first senior management role.

Here's a 3rd episode of me talking at you about something in Cyprus Football! Today, I'm talking about what happened to Apollon and Sofronis Avgousti since they left each other last time! Ladies and gentlemen, SOUPA AVGOUSTI-MONI youtu.be/aC5wSQTBvf8?... Happy Holidays!

Here's a 3rd episode of me talking at you about something in Cyprus Football! Today, I'm talking about what happened to Apollon and Sofronis Avgousti since they left each other last time! Ladies and gentlemen, SOUPA AVGOUSTI-MONI youtu.be/aC5wSQTBvf8?... Happy Holidays!

And we have the confirmed matches for teams in Cyprus in the Playoff Knockout Round of the Europa Confernece League! Celje vs APOEL Omonia vs Pafos

Unfortunate that Pafos or Omonoia won't go through as I was optimistic all 3 of our teams could be in the last 16. Apoel and Pafos were within inches of being there already and Omonoia surely has good chances against most of the other sides. Alas, at least we 100% have 1 team, maybe 2.

Only downside to Pafos playing Omonia is that we will lose a team into the next round. But two Cypriot clubs playing each other in a European cup comp was certainly not on anyone's bingo card!

About last night... Three Cyprus teams in the Conference League knockouts, albeit jn the playoffs! APOEL, Pafos FC and Omonia are all through. Here's an added little nugget of intrigue... there's a guarantee that 2 of the 3 will play each other. An AIONIO derby in Europe? Don't mind if I do!

For the last Follow Friday of 2024, we're plugging our friends, contributors and greatest supporters. They've spurred us on since day one, and without them, Football Heritage wouldn't be where it is right now. Check them out in our Starter Pack. This is just the beginning. go.bsky.app/JhrGk7n

The Cyprus FA have confirmed the game has been postponed as advised by the police. Along with this the Cyprus Police has also released a statement saying that the game has been postponed after the CFA took it's advice and has informed the National Betting Authority to stop all bets on the game.

The other team involved in the match have also put out a statement on Facebook with spelling errors and capital letters everywhere, but in essence saying that they will aid in anyway they can, but that the police should make their evidence public.

AEZ Zakakiou have released a statement demanding the FA do not postpone their game vs PO Achyronas-Onisillos after it was found out the Cypriot Police asked the FA to reschedule the game following match fixing allegations sent to them.

Sofronis Avgousti is on his 3rd job of the season after leaving Karmiotissa and the Cyprus National Team to take over Apollon for the 3rd time in his career. 4 games for the National Team after taking over end of September. What are the odds of him being sacked by February?

Here's another video by yours truly on the association coefficients for Cyprus teams this season so far in Europe. Look out for my horse impression. I feel it's a good one. youtu.be/xRMVEIxEBNI?...

Cyprus are drawn in Group H of the Eurpean Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, and will play against Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and San Marino I mean... St least 6 points, surely?

Every Wednesday night, the Cyprus FA's sports judge passes down judgement on disciplinary issues on events and matches that occurred the week before and the FA publishes the punishments (albeit not the value of the fines) Aristotelis Vrionides must have had a laugh this week preparing his list.

This Is Mappa going live on the hour! www.youtube.com/live/MJe0J_c...

All that's left is the official confirmation that Apollon's head coach, Adrian Gula, has been relieved of his duties. In the meantime, here's an updated @thisismappa.bsky.social image of the exit door in the Cyprus League by Stoiximan. 11 coaches gone after 13 games.

This is the only one I got wrong this week. Nea Salamina beat Apollom 1-0 and the press at the Apollon manager's press conference kept asking him if he's going to resign.

We're now on Matchday 13 in the Cyprus League by Stoiximan which means we are now halfway through the first phase of the season before the split! So here come the predictions!

...left wing nature, but the fans in majority are still left wing. So while I do agree that Omonoia FC aren't exacty a bastion of left politics (fan's card, stopped promoting left initiatives, went against their fans political stance) the fans are still majorly left wing and Omonoia should back them

Finally I will never condone a player for speaking their mind in a press conference, but I also won't condone a club for punishing a player for talking without permission and for saying stuff that don't align with the clubs values. I do agree with Stel that the club has basically lost all of its....

Polish people arguing about the banner being non-factual (like Stepinski) just parrot the same nationalistic propaganda (again like every country). However it CANNOT be equated to the Cypriot national problem AT ALL and it is very dangerous to portray it as so (despite junta being basically nazis)

...anything positive from them and again I am not trying to tell you that I am a grand historian, but I do know some stuff around the WW2. USSR did in fact liberate Warsaw, after basically lending no help to the Polish rebels (despite promising it) and after WW2 ended they commited many attrocities

Not going into the history rabbit hole, but Polish due to their hatred for anything USSR learn a very nationalistic side (as every country). So while the Soviets did in fact do terrible things for Poland, the discource around them gets a bit murky when talking with Polish. They don't aknowledge...

Omonoia due to Gate 9 are regularly grouped with other left/far left clubs in Europe. Yes G9 have left, but most of the ultras in Europe don't know it, so there is a natural rivarly with these clubs. Legia have faced Omonoia before and they were very provocative, so there is prior beef.

Legia ultras are one of the most far right groups in the world. They regularly show anti-left tifos/flags/banners and they regularly cause trouble when playing other left wing teams. Add to that that most Polish clubs are right to far right and that's why "all Polish fans" were mad.

Thasso this is probably the first time I completely disagreed with everything you both stated last night. I think both of you took a lot of things outside of context and both of you tried to play the "both sides" argument which falls flat in the case of literal nazis.

Well, we did it. We had to talk about THAT banner put up by Omonia fans vs Legia Warsaw... but we also got press conference gaffes, penalties, Vrionides recaps and of course... manager sackings. www.youtube.com/live/yI0kDvu...