President of Greek basketball federation arrested for match-fixing and bribery

The Greek authorities have arrested the president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK), Vanguelis Liolios, one referee and three former referees of the Helena Basket League (first division) in the framework of an investigation into alleged match-fixing and passive and active bribery, the Skai radio station reported this Wednesday.

In addition to Liolios, the referee has been detained at the Athens airport Tsaroucha glassshortly after he arrived on a flight from Istanbul (Türkiye), where he had gone to referee an international match.

Three former referees have also been arrested, two of whom are members of the EOK Central Referee Commission, the body responsible for the training, evaluation and placement of referees in the Greek league.

Likewise, the authorities issued a search and arrest warrant against the businessman. Yorgos Mavraganispartner and close friend of the federation president.

The accusations cover alleged crimes of active and passive bribery to alter the result of nearly 50 matches played between 2016 and 2026, both in the top category (Basket League) and in lower divisions.

During the searches, the agents They found 820,000 euros in cash at the home of one of the refereesas revealed by the Newsit portal.

The origin of the cause dates back to April 2026after a formal complaint filed by the club Maroussi BC against the management of the federation and its president.

Following the arrests, the EOK held an extraordinary meeting of its board of directors to inform its members about the process underway.

For his part, the Panathinaikos issued a statement in which he claimed to have been the victim of “monstrous arbitrations by very specific individuals”, which would have cost them several titles.

It is “a corrupt system that violates what we love most: basketball,” denounced the club’s management.