Ayia Napa hotelier, Eoka leader, football chairman laid to rest

Former hotels association (Pasyxe) head, well-known businessman, and head of Anorthosis football club Kikis Constantinou was buried on Monday, a week after his passing.

Constantinou was a well-known hotelier in the Famagusta area and the president of the Anorthosis FC for 13 years.

He was born in 1937 in Famagusta and after completing his studies in Greece, he started developing his business, while also getting involved in the Eoka struggle. Constantinou was also a member of the second far-right Eoka B, and after leader Georgios Grivas’ death, he headed up the paramilitary group in areas of Famagusta.

He was for eight years the president of Pasyxe in the 1990s and for 13 years the president of Anorthosis.

Just before the Turkish invasion, he spearheaded the development of the Ayia Napa area, establishing the first hotel in the area, the well-known Nissi Beach.

In 1976, Nissi Beach was operational and was the first hotel operating in the country after the 1974 Turkish invasion.

In fact, until 1975, the bungalows of the hotel housed refugees.

His funeral was held at the church in Ayia Napa at 3:30pm on Monday, while a day before a special ceremony was held in his honour at the Antonis Papadopoulos stadium, where Anorthosis members and footballers placed flowers at a special memorial on the western side of the stadium.

He had described himself as a leader in an interview the Cyprus Mail. Commenting on the skills that required said that it was all about “setting targets to get you closer to your vision”.