Greek police arrest six over basketball match-fixing and betting

Greek police arrested six people, including Vangelis Liolios, president of the national basketball federation, and seized €931,463 in cash, according to a police confirmation reported on 22 October. The arrests followed raids the previous day by the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime in the Attica and Acaia regions and the Katerini area. Five people were arrested under judicial orders; a sixth presented himself at the offices of the police unit dealing with crime in sport and was arrested there.

According to the authorities, the allegations concern possible unlawful agreements intended to influence the conduct or result of basketball matches. The investigative hypotheses include requesting, accepting, offering or promising money and other benefits to referees, sports officials and people connected to players and clubs. Investigators are also examining possible links between the alleged manipulation of competitions and sports betting, to establish whether the conduct produced financial gain through bets on matches whose course was allegedly influenced.

Greek press accounts say the investigation covers about 50 matches played between 2016 and 2026, including national league and youth category games. These are matches under review, not matches for which manipulation has been established.

During the searches, officers seized 14 mobile phones, six laptops, 22 USB devices, two tablets and other computer media, as well as documents and objects connected to sporting activity. Greek media reported that sums close to €820,000 and €102,000 were found in two homes. One of those involved said he could document the lawful origin of the money. Financial and asset checks will establish whether the seized sums are connected to the conduct under investigation.

EuroLeague Basketball announced that it had suspended Greek international referee Vasiliki Tsaroucha, who is involved in the proceedings, from all competitions it organises. The organisation said the suspension from officiating runs until both the local authorities' investigation and EuroLeague Basketball's internal review are concluded. Former international referees Ilias Koromilas, Petros Papapetrou and Anastasios Piloidis, who have worked in European competitions, are also among those involved in the investigation.

Liolios, through his defence, denied the accusations and said he was the victim of a case constructed against him. The six arrested people were brought before the judicial authorities on 22 October. The investigation is to establish whether a system of influencing competitions existed, identify any individual responsibility and verify the possible use of sports betting to profit from the alleged manipulation.