2011–12 AEK Athens F.C. season

The 2011–12 season was the 88th season in the existence of AEK Athens F.C. and the 53rd consecutive season in the top flight of Greek football. They competed in the Super League, the Greek Cup and the UEFA Europa League. The season began on 18 August 2011 and finished on 20 May 2012.

Kits







 * }

Overview
AEK had entered the darkest period of their history and this season the first signs of dissolution began to be clearly visible. The shareholders of the club had withdrawn from the financing and the team was drowning in debt, since it could not meet its financial obligations. The team started the season without particular expectations and in the transfer market the departures of Ignacio Scocco, Ismael Blanco and Papa Bouba Diop stood out, while the international Colombian midfielder, Fabián Vargas and the Icelandic international star, Eiður Guðjohnsen were among the arrivals.

In the Europa League, AEK were drawn with the Georgian Dinamo Tbilisi, with qualification being the only way, since the team's finances were in a very bad state. In the first match at the Olympic Stadium, the yellow-blacks missed several chances, until José Carlos redeemed the team in the last minutes of the match, making the final 1–0. In the replay at the Boris Paichadze National Stadium, AEK entered the match badly and conceded a goal in the first minute, but then recovered and the match eventually went to the extra time. In the first twenty minutes of extra time nothing happened, but in the 110th minute, Guðjohnsen was tackled inside the area and the referee indicated a penalty, where Leonardo converted into a goal, shaping the final 1–1, which gave AEK the qualification. In the group stage, AEK were drawn along with Anderlecht, Lokomotiv Moscow and Sturm Graz and after a teribble run with 5 consecutive defeats, all they managed was to finish third on the tie, with their only victory in an indifferent game in the last matchday.

In the championship, AEK started with some victories, but the heavy defeat at Toumba Stadium made difficult the position of the then expensive for the financial situation of the team, Manolo Jiménez. After the team's victory at Nea Smyrni in the following matchday, and after pressure, Jiménez eventually left, giving away his compensation. In his place, Nikos Kostenoglou returned to take over the team. The team continued their mediocre appearances with the team's game largely dependent on Leonardo's performance. In the Cup, AEK eliminated Kalamata in the Round of 32, but were eliminated by PAOK in the very next round. The end of the regular season found the team in the fifth place, with several hopes of finishing higher in the play-offs. In the play-offs that followed, AEK surprisingly stood decently, losing all away games and winning all home games. Finally, they finished 2nd in the relevant standings, getting a ticket for the Europa league play-off round, but losing the ticket for the Champions League in the last matchday. However the entrance in the UEFA competitions was the least of their problems, as the club was struggling financially and the situation was getting worse year by year.

Management team

 * }

Events

 * 15 June: Goalkeeper Moschonas signs new 2-year deal.
 * 16 June: Forward Liberopoulos signs new 1-year deal.
 * 7 July: AEK Athens and Puma sign new 3-year deal.
 * 12 July: Defender Dellas signs new 1-year deal.
 * 20 July: Youth coach Kola is released from the club.

Squad information
''NOTE: The players are the ones that have been announced by the AEK Athens' press release. No edits should be made unless a player arrival or exit is announced. Updated 20 May 2012, 23:59 UTC+3.''

Winter
Notes


 * a. Sevilla paid €110,000 for the loan termination.

Expenditure
Summer: €275,000

Winter: €0

Total: €275,000

Income
Summer: €2,800,000

Winter: €0

Total: €2,800,000

Net Totals
Summer: €2,525,000

Winter: €0

Total: €2,525,000

Play-off round
The draw for the play-off round was held on 5 August 2011.

Group stage
The draw for the group stage was held on 26 August 2011.

Squad statistics
! colspan="15" style="background:#FFDE00; text-align:center" | Goalkeepers

! colspan="15" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Defenders

! colspan="15" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Midfielders

! colspan="15" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Forwards

! colspan="15" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Left during Winter Transfer Window


 * }

Clean sheets
''The list is sorted by competition order when total clean sheets are equal, then by shirt number and then alphabetically by surname. Clean sheets in games where both goalkeepers participated are awarded to the goalkeeper who started the game. Goalkeepers with no appearances are not included.''

Disciplinary record
! colspan="20" style="background:#FFDE00; text-align:center" | Goalkeepers

! colspan="20" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Defenders

! colspan="20" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Midfielders

! colspan="20" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Forwards

! colspan="20" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Left during Winter Transfer window


 * }