Makis Gkagkatsis: 'Opportunities should be created, not simply awaited'
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
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As president of the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF), Makis Gkagkatsis is leading Greek football at a time of renewed optimism.
Having previously held senior executive roles at PAOK FC and served for several years within the federation, its youngest-ever president brings extensive experience within the game.
Ahead of this week's UEFA Executive Committee meeting and Football in Schools festival in Thessaloniki, he discussed Greek teams' resurgence at club and international level, the federation's ambitious new development programme and an important milestone as it approaches its 100th anniversary.
Makis, football has clearly been a major part of your life. Can you tell us about your own journey in the game and how it eventually led you to the presidency of the HFF?
My relationship with football began when I was very young. I always loved it, I played football as a child, but above all I grew up inside football stadiums. I went to the stadium from a young age and through this experience I came to love football. PAOK was a very important stop along this journey. It is the team with which I became emotionally connected and which I subsequently had the pleasure of serving. It offered me valuable experiences and the possibility to get to know up close the demands and responsibilities of a major football organisation.
Today, I have the highest honour of serving Greek football from the position of President of the Hellenic Football Federation. For me, it is a great responsibility, but also a special personal journey, from the child who used to go to the stadium to the position I hold today.
Greek football seems to be entering an exciting new chapter. What gives you the greatest sense of optimism when you look at the state of the game in Greece today?
Objectively, there is an overall change in the dynamics of Greek football. We are seeing Greek footballers making transfers to very big clubs and now playing in top leagues. What fills me with optimism is the fact that in the new generation there are many children with talent, who work, develop and claim their place at the highest level. At the same time, Greek clubs are making significant investments and are now appearing much more competitive in international competitions.
Finally, the relationship that Greek fans have with their team, this passion and enthusiasm, is an element that has characterised our football throughout time. If we manage to combine this passion with proper organisation, investments in infrastructure and the utilisation of Greek talent, I believe that the future can be even more optimistic.
The men's national team has undergone a period of renewal and is now looking ahead to participation in UEFA Nations League A and the European Qualifiers – what are the main targets for this evolving side, and what do you hope it can achieve in the coming years?
I consider that we have a team with talent, ambition and prospects. Our participation in League A of the UEFA Nations League brings us up against top European teams and gives us the possibility to measure our real strength. Our goal, however, is for Greece to return steadily to major competitions and to claim distinction there as well.
Greek clubs have also been making their mark in UEFA competitions. How valuable is regular European football in raising standards and inspiring the next generation of players across the country?
When you compete steadily at a high level, you have the opportunity to become constantly better, because high-level competition leads you to seek the best version of yourself. At all levels: competitively for the players, organisationally for the teams and behaviourally for the fans, this contributes substantially to the overall upgrade of Greek football.
What do you believe are the biggest opportunities and challenges for Greek football as a whole over the next five years?
Opportunities should be created, not simply awaited. At the HFF, for example, we are investing in infrastructure, with a new sports centre for our national teams, but also in people, with the academy that we want to create for the education and development of new professionals, who will be able to be absorbed and contribute to the the game.
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Earlier this year, the HFF unveiled its Anagennisi, or 'Rebirth' programme. What is the vision behind the initiative, and what impact do you hope it will have?
The programme is an investment in the future of Greek football. We want to move from theory to practice and create a unified and permanent philosophy of development, starting from the younger ages. The aim is not to wait for talents to appear, but to create the conditions for them to develop properly – to give children better education and coaches better tools.
The programme places great emphasis on grassroots football, academies and coach development. Why are those foundations so important if success at the top level is to be sustainable?
Without foundations, a success may arise, but it will be temporary. On the contrary, with strong foundations, you increase the chances of success and its duration. It has been commonly acknowledged for years that talent exists in Greece, but without the conditions for it to develop and be utilised – with the exception of teams that in recent years have taken care of and invested in their academies.
That is why academies and coaches are decisive. If we invest properly from the younger ages, with better education, organisation and modern tools, then success will have stability.
Greece hosted a UEFA Football in Schools festival alongside an Executive Committee meeting this week. What role can football play in helping young people develop, both on and off the pitch?
The most important thing is to convey to children the values of football: fair competition, fair play, respect for the opponent and the rules, but also the importance of cooperation and teamwork.
We want children to love football and enjoy it, to have fun and make friends through it, in a safe and organised environment. These are experiences that do not remain only on the pitch, but can accompany them throughout their lives. And if, through this process, tomorrow’s great footballers also emerge, even better. First, however, we want to win the children’s love for the game.
"The most important thing is to convey to children the values of football: fair competition, fair play, respect for the opponent and the rules."
If you could give one message to a young boy or girl picking up a football for the first time today, what would it be?
I would be very happy to see them pick up a football and enjoy it. I would tell them to see football first of all as joy, as a game, as fun and as an opportunity to meet people and make friends. To enjoy every moment without pressure. The rest will come along the way. The important thing is to love what they do and to keep the joy of the game.
How important is regular contact with and collaboration with UEFA, through HatTrick, Grow and other support programmes?
The support that the associations receive from UEFA is part of a multi-level framework of cooperation, an important part of which is not always visible to fans.
Through HatTrick, Grow and other programmes, we have access to additional resources, as well as know-how for the development of football from infrastructure, grassroots, women’s football, coaches, good governance and social responsibility.
On this occasion, I would like to focus on good governance. With the latest developments in the international football environment, UEFA sent out a very important message: there are principles that are stable and non-negotiable, which we have the obligation to defend when an attempt is made, by anyone and from anywhere, to alter or challenge them.
"UEFA sent out a very important message: there are principles that are stable and non-negotiable..."
The HFF will celebrate its 100th birthday in November. When you reflect on 100 years of Greek football, what makes you most proud, and what legacy would you like this generation to leave behind?
The conquest of the 2004 European Championship is the greatest success in our history and, in my view, the greatest in the history of Greek sport.
As for the legacy of our own generation, this is the new sports centre of the national teams, which is now a reality, and here it needs to be pointed out, in relation to the previous question, how important cooperation with UEFA is and the access of associations to additional resources for "projects of a lifetime" like this.
It is a major project that will include the new home of all the Greek national teams, together with all the services of the federation itself. Essentially, we are talking about a space which will support our entire needs. It is the home of Greek football, an infrastructure that was missing and which can constitute a real point of reference for the coming decades.