Former Premier League defender Joleon Lescott has opened up about his time in Greece with AEK Athens and some alarming restrictions he followed
Joleon Lescott speaks on In The Mixer
Joleon Lescott has opened up about his short time in Greece
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Joleon Lescott has revealed how he was told to avoid certain parts of the city when he played for AEK Athens in Greece. The former Manchester City and Everton star made the move in 2016 but lasted less than a year in the Greek capital.
Lescott, who made almost 300 Premier League appearances before calling it quits in 2017, departed Aston Villa for Athens on a two-year deal nearly a decade ago. This spell was tumultuous and injury troubles meant he played just four times for AEK before a swansong stint at Sunderland.
The 43-year-old was asked about Greek football following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou by Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis. He has since been replaced by Sean Dyche.
Lescott shed some light on how sport is viewed in the country and included details of how he was banned from certain parts of Athens because of his allegiance to one of the city's three largest football clubs.
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"Not that I wanted Ange to get the sack. I think it's because we're not used to that approach taken by owners. Having played there, I've seen it firsthand and they are very passionate.
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis
Marinakis has been the owner of Olympiacos since 2010
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"I'm not saying they're more passionate than owners in England, but they display it very visibly and they address managers and players more consistently. It's just taken more like a religion.
"I remember when I was over there in Athens there were certain places in the city I couldn't go. There was my AEK Athens and then there was Olympiacos and Panathinaikos in the city so you had to be divided.
"I was told not to live in certain areas and stuff like that. I live in Manchester now but there's nowhere I can't go because of United fans as much as they love their club. It's totally different and it works for them!"
Lescott also recalled an incident involving his head coach being sacked. He continued: "We had a local derby against Olympiacos. We were top of the league.
Joleon Lescott being unveiled at AEK
Lescott signed for AEK in 2016
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"I remember the night before the game, I'm in my room and the captain comes and knocks on the door and says, 'Oh, we've got to go downstairs. The fans are there.'
"I had a routine when I played and stuff and it was just like getting ready and going to ice and doing what I needed to do. I said, 'Yeah, no, I'll leave it.'
"He was like, 'No, no no, we have to go downstairs.' And we went downstairs and the ultras were in the reception with the flares and they were singing and it was going off. They were very passionate about the importance of the game and making us aware that we needed to win. We didn't win, we lost.
"As I said, we were top. It was a game before the international break and then the manager got the sack. He literally got the stack and we were the top of the league. Just because we lost against Olympiacos. Crazy, isn't it? It's crazy. It's a different world."
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