Greek Basketball President Arrested in Major Match-Fixing Scandal
Hellenic Basketball Federation President Vangelis Liolios and several senior referees were arrested in Greece amid a massive match-fixing and bribery investigation.
Greek basketball is facing a massive scandal as Hellenic Basketball Federation President Vangelis Liolios was arrested on Wednesday amid an extensive corruption and match-fixing investigation involving senior referees and officials.
According to reports in Greece, a search of one of the implicated referees' homes uncovered 820,000 euros in cash hidden inside a safe. Investigators believe the substantial amount does not match the undisclosed referee's declared income. The probe, led by Athens sports prosecutor Apostolos Germanos, covers approximately 50 basketball matches played between 2016 and 2026 across top tiers, lower divisions, and youth tournaments.
Arrests and EuroLeague Connections
Liolios, who has served as federation president since September 2021, is at the center of the investigation. Arrest warrants were also issued for five other individuals, including experienced EuroLeague referees such as Ilias Koromilas, Vassilis Tsoroukas, Petros Papapetrou, Tasos Piloidis, and Giorgos Mountanyanis. Notably, referee Vassiliki Tsorouka was arrested at the airport upon returning from a EuroCup game, having recently officiated a EuroLeague match between Valencia and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
"We continue to compete in games managed by referees accused of serious crimes, judges holding hundreds of thousands of euros in cash in their homes, within a rotten system that hurts the thing we love most - basketball," Panathinaikos stated.
Panathinaikos Reacts Strongly
Following the arrests, Panathinaikos released a fierce statement claiming the club suffered for years from scandalous refereeing decisions by individuals linked to the probe. The club announced it will pursue legal action to recover titles and damages lost under what they described as a corrupt regime.
All suspects deny wrongdoing and enjoy the presumption of innocence as they are scheduled to appear before an investigative judge.
