 He left Panathinaikos on 15 November 2010 by mutual consent due to a disappointing run of results domestically and abroad.In June 2011, Nioplias agreed with the Cyprus Football Association to be the manager of the Cyprus national football team until the end of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers and for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.He made his official debut in a EURO 2012 qualifier against Portugal, where his team suffered a 0–4 defeat at home.