The 33 -year -old midfielder talked to us about her feelings, her first steps in football, the declining course of the female championship, while putting her own views on the actions that CAP should take so that women’s football has a future.
From 2006 to 2024 he honored the coat with the coat of arms on his chest. He also honored it as the leader of the National team for many years. Having a rich career in Apollo Ladies, Barcelona, AEK, Salamis and Lefkothea, winning championships, cups, doubles, Super Cup and competing in the Champions League, one could argue that he is leaving the Cypriot stadiums. And yet, the conditions she faced in the women’s championship and the National Cyprus forces her to leave with “sweet and bitter emotions”. Andria Michael, who decided to put an end to her football career, opened her heart to the “C” of the “Politis” newspaper. The 33 -year -old midfielder talked to us about her feelings, her first steps in football, the declining course of the female championship, while putting her own views on the actions that CAP should take so that women’s football has a future.
Tell us a few words about you. How did you start playing football?
“When I was about 14 years old I started playing football secretly, because it was not acceptable then. So, to my parents I was saying that I was going to computers (laughs). I started at Apollo’s academies, they were mix, boys and girls. The thing came by chance. I was a classmate with someone whose father was a coach in Apollo’s step, Mr. George, who was taking his daughters together. It’s his daughter who told me, ‘My father is training us, come on.’ I wouldn’t start otherwise. Then my parents learned when I went to the women’s team and I had to tell them. I didn’t know when I started there was a female group. “
And finally I imagine your parents accepted it …
“They were negative until the day they came to the court. Then they changed … 360 degrees. “
Racing in five different teams, you lived through different experiences. What is your conclusion about the level of women’s football?
“I lived in groups that see it professionally on a daily basis, I lived groups that were more family -friendly, I lived a lot of things. The point is that these unions are alone, they have no support. I think many unions would not be closed if there was support. To catch the example of Barcelona who won the championship, then renamed Salamis/Pyrgos and then closed. A team that takes the championship from Apollo after so many years, why close? “
Through your experience, which one do you think is the biggest problem in women’s football?
“The biggest problem is that there is no growth, no help, they are unions on their own. Football players do it because they love it and nothing more. “
One by one the clubs in the women’s championship inhibit their operation, so this year’s championship is completed with four teams. Lefkothea, who was your last stop, how did she get to this point?
“Lefkothea has been shouting for some things that had to change in meetings with the Federation for years and said that the unions need to be helped so as not to get here. I remember earlier, another year, not this year, she asked her to be given the money forward to get the year and they were told no. The first -class men’s teams do not know how many millions owed, but when we asked our sponsorships to come earlier they told us no. The biggest problem was financial. We went out of the target, the Council gave them out of his pocket, and they said that they could not hold two foreign finances since we are off target. With this listening and the flight of coaching, the other footballers began to think of their future. “
What decisions, do you think, should be made by the CAP to support women’s football?
“First, is the female advertised? Do you see advertising somewhere? Do you know that we went to a call in Limassol and walking the street and we were greeted by people sitting on the terrace and didn’t know there was female football? So why don’t we know that there is female football? Why don’t we advertise our national and football? We also need to force first -class teams to have women’s groups. Not to have parts of women, under U15, under U17. I am referring to the groups at least established in the first eight. The leading teams cannot have a female group. Also, there are many funds for the female. These funds are given to the groups. The funds are coming, they are there, Spyros (ed. Neofitidis) is shouting. In addition, to find a league sponsor, the games are television. There should be a restriction on foreign and how many Cypriots are starting and ending a race. This would help the Cyprus Championship to grow. “
During the “Raising Our Game Europe 2025” conference, in which you participated as a member of PASP, your statements made sense. You had specifically said that if you had a daughter, you wouldn’t want to play football in your country. In such a case, what would you tell her to persuade her?
“To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t try to persuade my child. Whatever he chose to do, I would support it. I would just not want to come to this phase that I am, to feel the frustration I felt. Football in Cyprus is not professional, no one gives you. When you play for 19 years for your jersey, because you love it and you don’t at least get the respect you need, that’s what I don’t want my child to feel. “
Did you feel there was a distinction in the field of football between men and women?
“There is a distinction, of course there is a distinction, we also see it from the fact that many people do not know the existence of the female. There is a distinction in the stadiums we are fighting, the clothes we wear, in wages. I would say better, and where there is no distinction! “
Now you are referring to the collective level, right?
“I’m talking more about National. I can’t talk so much about the unions because they don’t have the support they need. When a club is forced to hold on, will I have the requirement to give me an equal remuneration? “
During the same conference, you also said that footballers need protection because they are left out of the team when they are publicly talking about rudimentary conditions in the field of football. Do you have experience of such an incident?
“Yes, my experience is relatively recent. About 15 footballers did not go to National Training on a topic created by these football players, the two were never called again. At first it was five, then we stayed two. We went to the Federation, Mrs Lena and Mr. Theodoros, and told them that we were clearly excluded and asked them how you protect us? He said this thing is not standing, they are coach’s choices. And I tell her when I am a very basic member of the national team and suddenly I do not get a call, do you want to tell me that now that it is a coach’s choice? The coach himself who called me on previous calls and had me basic? This is what time says because there was the same incident as other footballers in the past and I think it will not stop it … “.
What issue did you react to?
“For the coach, then…. Because we had expressed some complaints and we were not heard. We had sent a letter that we would not attend training and had explained the reasons. There was the discussion that we were going to talk to the president, we never talked to the president. We lost two workouts, we put water in our wine, we went back to the workouts as requested, and then they didn’t call us again. “
What difficulties did you face as an international football player?
“If I get it from everyday life, it is very difficult to work, to have 20 days a year and to eat them on national travel. That is, it has been so many years, I don’t remember getting permission to say I did something for me. We may have left one day, made a 20 -hour trip, playing, we left the same night, we came back and the next day I had to go to work. On the days you travel, you don’t pay them! “
How does a footballer feel like to make such a long journey, knowing that the data are different at men?
“You don’t feel that you are given the respect you suffered.”
How do you see the future of the National Women’s and the Women’s Championship?
“The future of the National and the Championship depends solely on how important they will be. There were and there were and there are talents. Is it not surprising that most football players are leaving? For example, several footballers went to Greece. But in the past, all Greeks were coming to Cyprus. Did you see what’s going on in Europe? Did you see what the championship did England did? Did you see what improvement Greece made? The future exists if they do what they need to do. “
With what feelings do you stop football after about 20 years of career?
“Sweetheart (laughs). On the one hand I have no complaints, I did what I loved for years, I lived very beautiful things, I won championships, but on the other, I lived his bitterness to leave a space without giving you what you need. “