Greek basketball chief held in match-fixing probe

Basketball. Photo: Culture of Sport

Greece’s basketball federation chief was held Wednesday in a broad match-fixing probe going back a decade and involving several suspects, state agency ANA said.

Vangelis Liolios will appear before a magistrate for testimony on Thursday, according to the agency.

The warrants issued by a sports prosecutor also target three referees, a referee advisor and a former athlete, ANA said.

One of them is an active Euroleague referee, Greek media reports said.

Greek media reported that police allegedly found over 800,000 euros ($899,000) in cash at the home of one of the suspects.

The Greek federation in a statement said its governing board had held an emergency meeting “to brief its members on the ongoing legal proceedings concerning the basketball sector”.

“The case will be monitored continuously, through official announcements and procedures,” it added.

ANA said around 50 games in the Greek top flight and lower leagues were under investigation, down to youth and school championships, as far back as 2016.

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A pediatrician by trade, Liolios was elected federation chief in 2021.

The 59-year-old was previously the chairman of Promitheas Patras, and had earlier founded prominent Greek coffee chain Coffee Island.

The investigation reportedly began after a formal complaint by Athens club Maroussi in April.

Other witnesses subsequently admitted to taking bribes, the reports said.

Maroussi coach Ilias Papatheodorou had previously coached Promitheas Patras for two seasons until last year.

AFP

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