Supporters of Greek side PAOK have occupied parts of the club’s Toumba Stadium in protest at the sale of one of their most popular players, Giannis Konstantelias, to Borussia Dortmund.
Hundreds of fans gathered at the stadium to express their anger at the decision, with supporters demanding answers from PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis. The protests have centred on the sale of Konstantelias, who is regarded as one of the most talented players to emerge from the club’s academy in recent years.
The 23-year-old Konstantelias was regarded as one of the most talented players to emerge from the club’s academy in recent years, making his departure a particular bitter pill for the fans to accept.
For many PAOK fans, Konstantelias represented not only a valuable footballer but also a player with a strong connection to the club and its supporters.
PAOK previously resisted pressure to sell Konstantelias after negotiations with Stuttgart broke down amid opposition from supporters. He subsequently signed a new contract with the club in 2024, raising hopes among fans that he would remain in Thessaloniki for several more seasons.
But those hopes have now been dashed, with Konstantelias completing his move to Dortmund. PAOK are understood to have received €26 million guaranteed, with a further €6 million available in potential bonuses. The transfer represents the most expensive sale in the Greek club’s history.
The size of the fee has done little to calm the supporters’ anger. Their concerns are not simply about the money involved but about the decision to sell a player whom they regarded as central to PAOK’s future. The protests also come during a period of considerable change at the club, following the departure of successful coach Razvan Lucescu.
And they also illustrate a wider point, which is the relationship that fans have with a home-grown player. Many of them will have watched him from his teenage years, seen him develop through the academy, seen him make his first-team debut and then become an established star.
In their eyes, he represents the club, and, by extension them, in a way that a player recruited from another country or another club never quite can.
That makes his departure feel personal. Supporters can accept that footballers come and go, particularly when a club receives a substantial transfer fee. But when somebody who has come through the academy leaves, there can be a sense that part of the club’s identity is leaving with him.
That is why the reaction to Konstantelias can be understood even if the financial logic of the Dortmund transfer is perfectly sound. PAOK have developed a player, received a record fee and allowed him to pursue a major opportunity. From a business perspective, it may make complete sense. Emotionally, however, selling a player who has grown up at the club is an entirely different proposition from selling an imported player after two or three seasons.
