Greek basketball federation president and referees arrested in match-fixing probe

Greek police have arrested six people in connection with an alleged basketball match-fixing scandal, including Hellenic Basketball Federation president Vangelis Liolios and five referees. The arrests followed warrants issued by a sports prosecutor after an investigation into criminal offences such as bribery and accepting bribes under sports legislation.

The case stems from an April 2026 complaint filed by Maroussi Basketball Club concerning the federation and its president. Eight witnesses have since come forward, two of whom are considered particularly significant because of their direct knowledge of alleged match-fixing. Two witnesses who were allegedly bribed in the past will not face criminal liability because they reported the illegal activities voluntarily.

“Earthquake, chaos and scandal dominate the headlines of foreign publications.”

Investigators are examining approximately 50 matches across all levels of Greek basketball, from youth and school competitions to the first division, covering the period from 2016 to 2026. One of the matches under investigation was played abroad. The case file includes messages exchanged by club officials, witness statements, and complaints submitted to the sports prosecutor.

The six accused were summoned to appear before the investigating judge but ignored the summons. The prosecutor then brought charges and issued the arrest warrants. The accused are expected to appear before the judicial official tomorrow to provide explanations.

Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport reported that police found approximately 820,000 euros in cash during a search of the home of a referee allegedly involved in the case. International media from Italy, Spain, France, Lithuania and Serbia have covered the story, with foreign headlines describing it as an earthquake, chaos and scandal.

The arrested individuals are George Mavraganis, an associate of Liolios at the federation; Vasiliki Tsaroucha; Petros Papapetrou; Ilias Koromilas; and Anastasios Piloudis. All are basketball referees except Mavraganis. All six have been arrested.