Greece Pushes for Basketball Federation Elections as Last Suspects Deny Charges

By Taki Panos

One week ago, the man in charge of Greek basketball was preparing for a normal season. On Monday, October 26, 2026, the government asked his federation to hold elections as soon as possible. Deputy Sports Minister Giannis Vroutsis met the new president and board of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK) at the sports ministry and recommended a fresh vote, while the last three suspects in the bribery case denied every charge before the investigating magistrate, as Proto Thema, in.gr and ERT reported.

For anyone catching up, this is the case that broke on October 21, when police arrested federation president Vangelis Liolios and five others over alleged interference in basketball games, which we covered in our report on the Liolios arrest. A day later the ministry froze state funding to the federation and ordered audits, as we wrote when Greece froze federation funding. Greek media now simply call it Basketgate. Everyone accused is presumed innocent.

The weekend changed the shape of the story. Liolios told the magistrate on Sunday, October 25, that he was resigning as EOK president and stepping away from all basketball activity until the judicial process is over, according to Ta Nea and ink, which cited Skai. An emergency board meeting then named Angelos Papanikolaou as the new president. Papanikolaou is a doctor who finished third in the 2021 federation election behind Liolios and Panagiotis Fasoulas, according to ink, Fosonline and Allstarbasket.

That new leadership did not last long without pressure. Vroutsis said a reshuffle inside the same board was not enough. "The public's trust has been shaken and is not restored simply by changing roles and redistributing duties within the same administration" (translated from Greek), he said after the meeting, as quoted by Proto Thema and in.gr. He added that he respects the federation's independence and does not impose decisions, but recommends "the road of elections, as quickly as possible, immediately if it can be done," per Proto Thema and CNN Greece.

His reasoning was simple. "Whoever governs must not be in question and must draw legitimacy from a new, clean mandate from the clubs" (translated from Greek), Vroutsis said, per Proto Thema and CNN Greece. In Greece, federation presidents are elected by member clubs, so a new vote would mean the clubs themselves decide who leads the sport out of this mess. The minister also stressed that elections would not get in the way of competitions or national team duties.

The money stays frozen, with one important exception. Until the audits announced last week are finished, state grants to the federation, and only to the federation, remain suspended, Vroutsis said, apart from operating costs such as payroll, according to Proto Thema and in.gr. Basketball clubs will keep receiving their funding as normal. That detail matters to the many small clubs around the country that have nothing to do with the case and simply want their kids and amateur teams to keep playing.

Papanikolaou did not push back. "We are on the same page about cleaning up basketball" (translated from Greek), he said, explaining that the federation had agreed with the minister to move to elections within a reasonable period, with the current board acting as a transitional administration, per in.gr and Sport24. He told Sport24 the priority is keeping the leagues running ahead of the November national team window, which goes a long way toward deciding qualification for the women's EuroBasket and the men's World Cup.

He also promised a hard line. "We will keep our intention to cut to the bone" (translated from Greek), Papanikolaou said, using a Greek phrase that means going all the way, as in.gr, Proto Thema and Sport24 reported. In.gr and Proto Thema added that the federation will propose a charter to the ministry setting out how the EOK elections should be run. No date has been officially set yet, so the next step is a board decision on the timetable.

Meanwhile, the courtroom side kept moving. Liolios and businessman Giorgos Mavraganis were remanded in custody on Sunday night after their testimony, Kathimerini and Liberal reported. Kathimerini wrote that Liolios insisted the case was a conspiracy against him and argued he had been trying to clean up the sport. Retired international referee Petros Papapetrou had already been remanded on Friday, per Liberal, and ERT confirmed that the first three suspects to testify were all sent to prison pending trial.

On Monday it was the turn of the last three. Senior refereeing adviser Ilias Koromilas, active referee Vaso Tsarouha and former referee Tasos Piloidis all denied the charges, ERT and CNN Greece reported. Koromilas, accused of nine counts, said the 102,000 euros police found at his home came from roughly 263,000 euros he earned from the EuroLeague as an international official, per ERT and Liberal. He also called the 2021 EuroCup final allegation an old matter that had already been archived.

Tsarouha denied the 13 counts against her and said the accusations came from feuds with certain people in the sport, according to ERT and CNN Greece. Piloidis, facing two counts, is suing one of the two key witnesses for false testimony, the same outlets reported. He was also asked about a March 2018 game between Faros Larissas and Aris, when Greek basketball legend Panagiotis Giannakis was ejected from the Aris bench with two technical fouls, and denied wrongdoing. The magistrate and prosecutor will now decide whether these three are also held.

My take: elections are the right call, and quickly. A federation cannot ask fans to trust its referees while its own leadership was chosen by the man now in pretrial detention. Papanikolaou may turn out to be a fine leader, but he needs a mandate from the clubs, not just from a board that worked under Liolios. Still, none of the six has been convicted, and the courts need room to work. Clean governance and fair trials are not opposites. Greek basketball needs both.

Next up: Giannakis is expected at the Evelpidon courts on Thursday, October 29, to give testimony and possibly formally back the prosecution, per CNN Greece and in.gr. The decision on Koromilas, Tsarouha and Piloidis could come even sooner. Keep an eye on our Greek Sports section for every turn in this case. The ballot box is coming. So is the truth, one hopes.

Sources: Proto Thema, in.gr, CNN Greece, Sport24, ERT, Kathimerini, Liberal, Ta Nea, ink, Fosonline, Allstarbasket.

Image: Flag of Greece, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).