The event was attended by representatives of fan clubs from 10 former Soviet countries (Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan), as well as from Australia, United States, Canada and Germany.
PAOK President Ivan Savvidis welcomed the fans who established the unified club from countries formerly belonging to the Soviet Union:

“I liked hearing from your lips that PAOK are one family. PAOK should be everywhere and will be everywhere. In South America, in Australia and across all continents. The regime in the former Soviet Union made it difficult to travel abroad. There were Russian-speaking Greeks who loved PAOK but didn’t have the opportunity to watch them play.

I employ more than 19.500 people in my companies. Whenever I walk in the offices, everybody asks me how PAOK are doing. People used to come up to me in the street and tell me “acquire PAOK, don’t let them get relegated”. The same happened when I would come to Greece and talk to people here in Thessaloniki”.

Instead of relating their own problems to me, they would talk to me about PAOK. That was the spark that made me decide to engage”, PAOK President said. He concluded his greeting by reminding the new members of the “Double-Headed Eagle’s” family: «Remember, if you go to Toumba to watch PAOK, you will stick with this team and never leave their side».

PAOK team manager and member of their “golden generation” Kostas Iosifidis also addressed the fan club members, declaring himself confident that «with Savvidis at the helm of the club, I am certain that PAOK will get to live glorious moments, reminiscent of the ‘70s and ‘80s». Giannis Athanasiadis also greeted the guests.

The members of the PAOK fan club of former Soviet Union countries underlined that “we had three aims when forming this club: first, to bring together all foreign-based fans of PAOK, second, to support the club and, third, to remain in sports”. They intend to organize excursions and follow PAOK around and hold several events in order to promote the club in their respective countries.

You can register on the community of PAOK friends by visiting the website www.greek-youth.com.

The club’s general assembly, consisting of representatives from ten countries, elected their coordinating executives: president Kostas Mouratidis, vice-president Christos Savvidis, general secretary Ivan Nazimidis, organizing secretary Grigoris Kutalov and press officer Roman Dobrovolsky .

The motto chanted by the members of the newly-founded club is: «PAOK is an idea, youth rides along»!