MAJOR FOOTBALL DEPARTMENT SHAKE-UP: DARKO KOVAČEVIĆ OUT, ANTONIO CORDÓN RETURNING AS SPORTING DIRECTOR | OneFootball

This is not a routine executive reshuffle. It is a decision about who controls Olympiacos’ football direction.

Darko Kovačević had become deeply embedded in the club’s sporting structure. He had worked as head of scouting, technical adviser and, from February 2024, sporting director. Now he is gone.

And Antonio Cordón is coming back. That represents a significant philosophical reset.

The timing is impossible to ignore

Kovačević’s departure comes during a period in which Olympiacos are already dealing with:

a frustrating league draw against Volos,

public criticism from Gate 7 over the team becoming predictable and one-dimensional,

El Kaabi’s long-term injury,

Yaremchuk’s emergency reintegration,

continued striker-market evaluation,

and tonight’s Cup match.

There is no verified evidence that any one of those issues directly caused Kovačević’s exit. That distinction matters. But the broader context makes the move look like more than a cosmetic change. Olympiacos are clearly reassessing how the football operation is organized.

SPORT24 describes Cordón’s new position as an umbrella role above the football structure, with the Spaniard expected to have the first say on major team matters. If that description proves accurate, this is not merely:

“Kovačević leaves, Cordón takes the same desk.”

It is potentially a redistribution of authority.

Cordón’s reputation is built around:

international recruitment networks,

data and scouting structures,

longer-term roster planning,

and building interconnected sporting departments rather than simply managing individual transfers.

That could have implications for:

recruitment,

contract decisions,

youth integration,

the K23 pipeline,

coach–sporting-director interaction,

and possibly coordination with the wider Marinakis football group.

His first Olympiacos spell remains complicated

Cordón first arrived at Olympiacos in the summer of 2023. He oversaw a period of enormous roster turnover before stepping away during the first half of that season because of personal issues. Olympiacos later went on to win the Conference League.

It would therefore be simplistic either to credit Cordón entirely for that squad or to detach him completely from its construction. What is undeniable is that he knows the environment. He knows Marinakis. He knows the demands around Olympiacos. And unlike an outside sporting director arriving cold, he does not require an institutional education. That probably explains part of the appeal.

The July reversal is remarkable

The timeline makes today's development particularly noteworthy. On June 30, Cordón travelled to Athens and held discussions about returning. On July 1, reports said an agreement was close. Then on July 13, Matteo Moretto reported that Cordón would not return and would pursue other opportunities. That appeared to close the story. Instead, negotiations clearly re-emerged.

Today, September 8, both SPORT24 and bwinSPORT FM report that the agreement has finally been reached.

That suggests the relationship between Cordón and Olympiacos never completely disappeared.

What this could mean for Mendilibar

This is where the situation becomes especially interesting. There is no evidence that Cordón is being appointed against Mendilibar. But the appointment creates another powerful football authority above the team. SPORT24 explicitly says Cordón will have the first say on sporting issues. That means future decisions around:

January recruitment,

which players stay or leave,

succession planning,

contract renewals,

and squad architecture

will increasingly carry Cordón’s fingerprints. For Mendilibar, that can be positive if the two are aligned. A coach with a clearly defined football identity benefits enormously from a sporting director capable of recruiting players specifically suited to that identity.

The friction risk appears only if they disagree about what the squad should become.

Kovačević’s exit also deserves context

Kovačević should not be reduced to “the executive who was replaced.” His relationship with Olympiacos runs much deeper.

He finished his playing career in Piraeus and later returned in several administrative roles. As sporting director, he was part of a period containing some of the biggest successes in club history. The official farewell reportedly emphasizes exactly that connection. So the tone is currently that of a professional separation, not a public rupture.

I have found no reliable evidence at this stage of disciplinary action, a legal dispute, or a personal conflict between Kovačević and ownership.

Any claims attempting to explain the departure more dramatically should therefore be treated cautiously unless stronger reporting emerges.