Greek coaching legend Panagoulias dies

Former Greece head coach Alketas Panagoulias, who took the team to their first major international tournaments, has died aged 78.

Panagoulias managed Greece at Euro 1980 in Italy and later the 1994 World Cup in the United States in a career that also included stints at the helm of the US national and Olympic teams.

Greek Football Association president Sofoklis Pilavios paid tribute to the former Aris Thessaloniki player.

“I would like to say how sorry I am personally and on behalf of the Greek federation and the players and also to express my condolences to the family of Alketas Panagoulias,” Pilavios said.

“He was a great personality of Greek football and sport in general and also for Greek society.

“He was the one who took our country to their first Euro tournament and our first World Cup.”

A minute’s silence will be held before Greece’s Euro 2012 quarter-final clash against Germany on Friday. The players will also wear black armbands as a mark of respect.

Greek media reports said Panagoulias died at his home in Virginia, USA on Monday.