Many people know him from his involvement with football, namely as deputy chairman of the Board of Directors of KOP, while the world of business and television due to his business activities.
George Koumas avoids the limelight - at least until some time ago - like the devil incense, even when the rumors around his name mainly about the role in football erupt. He is a man who builds strong friendships on all levels which are sacred to him, while of course he has many enemies.
Koumas, however, has managed from scratch to build a group producing, securing and selling television content through collaborations with foreign giants. KOP announced today (21/4) the appointment of its Vice President to the Boards of Directors of two companies that are responsible for managing the marketing and television rights of UEFA events both at the collective level and at the level of National Teams.
Specifically, Mr. Koumas has been appointed by UEFA to the Board of Directors of Team AG responsible for the marketing and television rights of the Champions League, Europa League and Women's Champions League as well as to the Board of Directors of CAA Eleven which is responsible for the marketing and television rights of National Team games.
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Life like a movie
Kuma's life which looks like a movie script. He himself many times - politely - refused any proposal for an interview, however, each time he appears ready for a discussion, coffee or even a meal but away from the public spotlight. Undoubtedly he is one of the most controversial personalities of the Cypriot society.
Smart, capable and insightful are the main characteristics that those who meet him, attribute to George Koumas. He is a businessman from Paralimni and deals with football, the silent -when he appears in public- guy or the "bald force", as the football wells characterize him.
Poor child from Paralimni
A child of a family of bio-wrestlers from Paralimni, he learned from an early age what it means to earn a living and work to make a living. George Kouma's father was a pelican, while his mother was known in the area for the bread he made and sold. Pitsirikas, like many young people in the area, spent the summers working in hotels and restaurants as a waiter.
In fact, to this day with friends and acquaintances when he is at a lunch or dinner he does not hesitate to collect in one hand several dishes from the table, showing that the "art" is not forgotten.
Studying in Germany and the first steps as a tour guide
His friction in the tourism industry led him to Germany for studies and more specifically in hotel. He learned the language fluently, while working while studying.
First a tour guide and then a businessman
Upon his return to Cyprus in the mid-80s, he first worked as a tour guide -mainly- for German tourists and then set up his own business, bringing tourists first to Cyprus and then sports teams. He is one of the first to deal with the part of sports tourism in Cyprus, in the early 90's and more specifically with cycling.
To this day, it maintains a tourist office under the name Koumas Travel, which has been operating since the mid-90s.
However, after years of contact with tourism, he chose to get involved in a sector that no one else based in Cyprus had dealt with until then.
Having contact with individuals and organizations abroad, he entered the field of television rights and their distribution in local markets. Since 2000 and for more than ten years he has been intensely involved in securing television rights, major organizations abroad for content related to football matches and movies, to cartoons and TV series. George Koumas' clients were almost all the channels in Cyprus, but also subscription platforms such as LTV and Cytavision.
The big step with Triple AAA
From the "television trade" - gradually - entered the television productions creating the company Triple AAA.
It invested in the purchase of OB vans (vehicles for external productions), included in its staff Triple AAA professionals from the field and managed to set up one of the largest -now- companies in Cyprus.
Today the company produces productions for football matches, TV series and entertainment programs.
The purchase of LTV facilities
The big change in the television scene at the level of producers was recorded in the summer of 2014, when LTV, under the weight of its financial problems, proceeded to the alienation of the large facilities it maintained in Pyrga. The largest venues for television productions in Cyprus (studios, equipment, receivers and transmitters as well as human resources) came under the jurisdiction of George Koumas.
Now Triple AAA produces the television product of the football matches of the Cypriot championship, while it is responsible for the program flow of the digital platform Velister, the television station Plus but also the thematic, subscription channel Greek Cinema. Even the television production of the Cyprus Hippodrome is implemented by Triple AAA.
"Player" inside and outside the borders
At the same time, it maintains a series of collaborations with large business groups abroad, such as Sport Five, ABC, IMG, MP & Silva and Rai Italia, for the provision and distribution of television content. The presence of his company is spread mainly in the Balkans, while its connections at the level of TV content groups are extended all over the world.
It is also noted that the largest volume of turnover of its companies comes mainly from the operations carried out outside Cyprus.
He travels almost every week for business, often combining business travel with his duties as an international UEFA observer. In fact, George Koumas has been a member of the Stadium Security Committee of the European Football Association since 2009.
From Paralimni to KOP via Ethnikos
He has always been a football fan and has, in fact, been the president of the Paralimni Youth Union. Then, after an informal consultation between the associations of ENP and Ethnikos Achnas, he was proposed by the refugee association to be represented in the KOP. He has held the position of Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Federation for nine years.
The dating relationship with Averoff
Many people are familiar with the friendly relationship that George Koumas maintains with Averof Neophytou. The two have known each other for many years due to their involvement in the youth of DISY. They are almost the same age and grew up together as DISY executives, one from Paphos and the other from Paralimni.
Their friendship lasts until today, while from time to time accusations are made against the president of DISY, that he seeks the involvement and control of Cypriot football through his friend, George Koumas.
Published in inbusinessnews.com in October 2015. Read the full article
Source: REPORTER