Ouzounidis takes over at AEK Athens

ATHENS: Greek champions AEK Athens announced Friday that former Panathinaikos coach Marinos Ouzounidis will replace Spanish mentor Manolo Jimenez, who stepped down earlier the same day.

Ouzounidis, 49, resigned from Panathinaikos earlier this month after the former 20-time Greek champions endured one of their worst seasons by finishing in the bottom half of the Super League table. AEK said they signed a two-year contract with Ouzounidis without mentioning any financial details. Jimenez, 54, led AEK this season to their first league title for 24 years but the Spaniard expressed the desire to return to his native country, most likely to take up the coach’s job at Las Palmas.

Meanwhile, Thai Entrepreneur Pairoj Piempongsant is in Athens this weekend for further talks with Panathinaikos officials in an effort to complete the sale of the financially-troubled Athens club for a reported 27 million euros.