History
 Football history
 Cyprus Football
 Omonoia history

Cypriot football on the up
Football was introduced to Cyprus early in the 20th century by the founding fathers of the game, the British. Initially played in the island's schools, it proved hugely popular and a number of clubs were duly formed, including Anorthosis Famagusta FC in 1911.

Official body
As football became established, the clubs were united in agreeing that an official body was needed to regulate the sport. In September 1934, the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) was created and matches were soon being played on an official basis.

Milestone matches
The Cypriot national team lost their first international friendly, 3-0 against Israel in Tel-Aviv on 23 July 1949, a year after becoming a member of the world governing body FIFA. In November 1960, following independence from British rule, Cyprus took part in their first official game, a 1-1 draw against Israel in the first leg of a qualifying tie for the 1962 FIFA World Cup. The return leg ended in a 6-1 defeat.

UEFA members
UEFA membership followed in 1962, and the next year was even more momentous as Cyprus won their first international - beating Greece 3-1 on 27 November - and the country's clubs debuted in European competitions.

Moving abroad
Cypriot involvement in the UEFA Cup began in 1971, when Dighenis Morphou FC went down 4-0 away to AC Milan on 22 September. But the extra competitiveness of these fixtures helped the game develop on the island, and one result of this was the export of Cyprus's best players particularly to Greece. Such talents included Andreas Stylianou and Leonidas Leonidou.

Famous triumph
In 1974, the national team enjoyed one of their most famous victories when a team of part-timers beat a Northern Ireland side featuring legendary goalkeeper Pat Jennings and 1968 European Footballer of the Year George Best, 1-0 in Nicosia. Despite other similar triumphs on home soil, Cyprus had to wait until 1992 to record a first away win - 2-0 in the Faroe Islands.

Close call
Results in qualifying tournaments have also improved considerably in recent times. Cyprus drew 1-1 with holders Denmark and claimed seven points in their qualification campaign for EURO '96™. Four years later, they missed out on a place at UEFA EURO 2000™ by a solitary point after victories against Spain and Israel.

Konstantinou the hero
In 2001, Greek side Panathinaikos FC reportedly paid over €10m for a Cypriot player, Iraklis FC's Michalis Konstantinou, and talent continues to flourish on the island. Sixty clubs are directly affiliated to the CFA, and a further 300 indirectly through local amateur associations. The Cypriot league now comprises four divisions of 14 teams, with the season running from mid-August through to the following May each year.

Making friends
Under the motto 'Through football we make friends', the CFA is constantly striving to improve the standard of professional football in the country, in addition to developing youth, women's football and Futsal.