Giannis Konstantelias transfer sparks protests at PAOK’s Toumba Stadium

PAOK supporters have stormed the club’s Toumba Stadium and demanded answers from owner Ivan Savvidis after the Greek club agreed to sell their highly rated forward Giannis Konstantelias to Borussia Dortmund.

About 400 fans gathered outside the stadium on Sunday, with some breaking into PAOK’s administrative offices. They were seeking a direct explanation from 67-year-old Savvidis and hoped to persuade him to stop the transfer.

Konstantelias, 23, is one of the most celebrated graduates of PAOK’s academy. Since breaking into the first team in 2021, he has scored 44 goals and provided 26 assists in 190 appearances.

The attacking midfielder helped PAOK win both the Greek Super League and the Greek Cup, while also playing a key role in the club’s run to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League two years ago.

Despite his importance to the supporters, PAOK have reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for a deal worth about £22m. The Greece international is set to sign a five-year contract and earn £2.6m per year.

The transfer also includes potential bonuses of up to £5m and a 17.5% sell-on clause for PAOK. If all of the additional payments are triggered, Konstantelias will become the most expensive sale in the club’s history.

The reaction from supporters has been particularly strong because Borussia Dortmund have a close relationship with Aris, PAOK’s traditional rivals, according to the British newspaper The Sun.

The unrest follows the departure of Romanian manager Razvan Lucescu this summer. Lucescu is the most successful manager in PAOK’s history, having guided the club to two Greek Super League titles and two Greek Cups across two separate spells spanning seven years.

The latest protests have also revived memories of a notorious incident involving Savvidis eight years ago. During a match against AEK Athens, he entered Toumba Stadium with a pistol visible in his waistband after PAOK had a goal disallowed for offside.

The incident led to Savvidis being banned from stadiums for three years and fined £87,000. PAOK were also docked three points and fined a further £55,000, a punishment that contributed to the club losing the league title in 2018.

Konstantelias later encountered a supporter after arriving at Dortmund Airport. The fan arranged a live video call with supporters gathered at Toumba, during which the player told them personally that the decision to leave PAOK had been his own.

The move comes after Konstantelias had already been linked with a departure on several occasions. He was associated with a transfer to Red Bull Salzburg in 2024 and came close to joining Stuttgart last year in a deal worth £15m, with further payments available through bonuses.

That move was cancelled by Savvidis at the last moment after pressure from supporters. Reports also claimed that the owner told Konstantelias to return from the airport before boarding his flight to Germany.

The episode eventually resulted in Konstantelias extending his PAOK contract until 2029 on improved terms. It also included what was described as an ‘honour agreement’, under which Savvidis would not oppose a future departure if the player clearly expressed a desire to leave.