Following the resignation of Italian manager Andrea Stramaccioni earlier on Thursday, Marinos Ouzounidis has taken the Green club’s management reins.
According to Panathinaikos, 48-year-old Ouzounidis and former manager of Cypriot club APOEL Nicosia, has been signed contract for a year-and-a-half.
Ouzounidis is a former player of Panathinaikos as a central defender, forming part of the team that reached the semifinals of the Champions League in 1996.
His most recent job was at Panionios, until August 2016 but was dismissed by the Nea Smyrni team after holding talks with Olympiakos.
Meanwhile, Stramaccionis’ departure only one year in his two year contract, comes amidst fears of the team being on the verge of being eliminated from both the Europa League and Greek Cup.
“After a long conversation with club president Giannis Alafouzos, it was the president’s decision to protect the team from dangerous developments that are not directly related to football, and thus Andrea Stramaccioni has resigned as coach,” the club’s board announced in a joint statement.