Greek police arrest basketball federation chief Liolios in match-fixing probe

Greek police arrested six people, including Hellenic Basketball Federation president Vangelis Liolios, in an investigation into alleged match-fixing and illegal betting in Greek basketball, citing the media outlets SPORT24 and SDNA. Officers seized €931,463 in cash during searches of the six suspects' homes. The investigation covers about 50 games played between 2016 and 2026, and prosecutors are examining accusations of corruption and match manipulation.

Those arrested are Liolios; international referee Vaso Tsaroucha; former referee Petros Papapetrou; referees Tasos Piloidis and Ilias Koromilas; and businessman Giorgos Mavraganis, according to the report. The charges, which vary by individual, concern active and passive corruption under sports legislation. The investigation also involves Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK) officials, international-level referees and entrepreneurs.

The inquiry began in April 2026 after an initial formal complaint and expanded through witness testimony, SPORT24 and SDNA reported. Of nine people heard by the sports prosecutor, two provided decisive details on methods, sums and names linked to the alleged fixing scheme, according to the report. Evidence includes text messages and written documents. The games under examination include top-flight Greek league matches as well as lower-division, youth and school competitions, and at least one investigated match was played outside Greece.

Of the cash seized, €820,000 was found at the home of a referee in the Pieria region, €102,000 at the home of a second referee and more than €8,000 at Liolios's home. Police also took 14 mobile phones, six laptops, 22 USB drives, two tablets, memory cards, one hard disk and further documents. At the home of the female referee involved, officers found three official Olympiacos shirts and various sports memorabilia.

Investigators are examining alleged interference intended to alter the conduct, results or specific events of matches, many of them linked to sports betting. According to the report, Greece's anti-money-laundering authority has been formally activated to check whether proceeds of the alleged activity were reinvested or laundered through a chain of coffee shops linked to Liolios and a close associate.

Euroleague Basketball has suspended referee Vaso Tsaroucha from any appointment on a precautionary basis, pending the conclusion of the Greek authorities' investigations and the league's own internal inquiry, according to the report. The report gives no further next steps or deadlines.