owner. Kougias hired the 42-year-old Sotiris Antoniou, himself originating from Agia, Larissa. He made his Super League managerial debut on April 1, 2018 on a 3–0 away defeat against Apollon Smyrnis. The team showed little improvement in the league but still avoided relegation relatively easily. They were also very close to qualification for the club's fifth cup final, but a last-minute goal for semifinal opponents AEK Athens send them through instead on the away goals rule. Honours Domestic Super League (ex–Alpha Ethniki) Winners (1): 1987–88 Runners-Up (1): 1982–83 Greek Cup Winners (2): 1984–85, 2006–07 Runners-Up (2): 1981–82, 1983–84 Greek Super Cup Runners-Up (2): 1988, 2007 Football League (ex–Beta Ethniki) Winners (4): 1972–73, 1977–78, 2004–05, 2015–16 Runners-Up (2): 1971–72, 2014–15 Gamma Ethniki Winners (1): 2013–14 Runners-Up (1): 2003–04 Gamma Ethniki Cup Winners (1): 2013–14 Amateurs' Super Cup Winners (1): 2013–14 International UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Quarter-finals (1): 1984–85 Crest and colours Crest evolution The emblem of the club is a wild rising horse (same as the symbol of the city), believed to be an ancient thessalian-breed horse like Alexander the Great's Bucephalus. Colours and kit evolution The team's colours have been crimson and white since the formation of the club in 1964. First Alternative Facilities Stadium AEL FC Arena was the home ground of AEL until July 2020. It is a UEFA 3-star rated stadium and has a seating capacity of 16,118 all covered. As well as functioning as a football stadium, Arena also operates as a conference centre and music venue. Actual construction of the stadium lasted 14 months, beginning in September 2009 and ended in late November 2010. From May 2013 until September 2015, the team played its home games in the old Alcazar Stadium, due to economic disputes concerning the rent of the stadium between the owning company (Gipedo Larissa AE) and the precedent chairman, Evangelos Plexidas. On 22 July 2015, the club's new major shareholder Alexis Kougias promised in an interview that the team will return and compete for the season 2015–16 in the Arena. Indeed, on 26 August 2015, there was an agreement and an official announcement of the new season's tickets for the stadium. The team competed in AEL FC Arena for five years, (until July 2020) when new financial disagreements and tensions arose, this time between Kougias and the owning company of the stadium. This led to the team leaving AEL FC Arena once