The stadium was built with money donated by the Kaftanzoglou Foundation, in honour of
Lysandros Kaftanzoglou, hence its name. At the time of its opening on 27 October 1960, the stadium was one of the highest quality stadiums in the
Balkans. It was the largest stadium in
Greece until 1982, but has since been surpassed in capacity by the
Olympic Stadium in Athens. On 15 October 1969, the attendance record was set with 47,458 fans present for a
FIFA World Cup qualifying match, witnessing
Greece defeat
Switzerland by a 4–1 score. In 1973 it hosted the European
Cup Winners Cup Final, which resulted in a 1–0 victory for
Milan over
Leeds United. The complex has become increasingly dilapidated and derelict following the 2002–2004 renovations, with the stadium being temporarily closed after failed safety inspections concurrently with the
Athens Olympic Sports Complex, which includes the
Olympic Stadium. == Athletics events ==