Greek Basketball Federation President Liolios Arrested in Bribery Probe

By Taki Panos

Greek basketball has had loud days before, but nothing quite like this one. Vangelis Liolios, the president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK), was arrested around midday on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, as part of a sports prosecutor's investigation into alleged bribery in Greek basketball, as Sport24, Gazzetta and Eurohoops all reported. Arrest warrants were issued for six people in total, and the case reportedly covers around 50 games played over the last decade.

For readers who do not follow the domestic game closely, the EOK is the body that runs Greek basketball, from the national teams to the lower divisions, youth competitions and the refereeing setup. The top flight, the Greek Basket League, is where Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, AEK, Aris, PAOK and the rest play their weekend games, and it is only a few rounds into its new season, with results like Panathinaikos beating Peristeri 95-75 still fresh.

According to Sport24 and Gazzetta, the six people named in the warrants are Liolios, three referees, a senior refereeing official who serves as a special refereeing adviser, and a businessman who is a former player. Gazzetta reported that five of the six had been detained by Wednesday afternoon, with one still being sought. Sport24 added that one of the referees was arrested at Athens International Airport on the way back from officiating a game abroad.

The charges are serious. Prosecutors have brought felony charges of bribery and taking bribes under Greece's sports legislation, per Gazzetta and Sport24. The case file has gone to an investigating magistrate, who issued the warrants with the sports prosecutor's agreement, and the suspects are expected to appear before him on Thursday, October 22, to give their account, both Gazzetta and Eurohoops reported. It is important to say clearly that none of these allegations has been proven in court.

The scope is what has shocked people most. Sport24, Gazzetta and SDNA all reported that the authorities are examining roughly 50 games from 2016 to 2026, and that the list reportedly goes well beyond the top division. It includes games in the A1 and A2 men's leagues, but also youth and even school championships, plus at least one game played outside Greece. If even part of that holds up, this is not about one bad night with the whistle.

Then there is the money. Several outlets, including Sport24, SDNA and Gazzetta, which cited a report by Proto Thema, said police found 820,000 euros at the home of one of the accused referees, money that, according to these reports, cannot be explained by the referee's income. Gazzetta reported the cash was in a safe at a house in Katerini, and Sport24 wrote that various sums were found in the homes of all the suspects searched.

How did the authorities build the case? Sport24 reported that two witnesses, who reportedly accepted bribes in the past and came forward voluntarily, gave detailed accounts of how games were allegedly arranged. SDNA and Sport24 both said the case file includes messages and other material that, according to their information, point to manipulation of games and to the amounts involved. Sport24 noted the case file also includes complaints from people inside the sport.

The federation itself has said very little so far. The EOK board held an emergency meeting at its offices on Wednesday and then issued a short statement, carried by both Sport24 and Gazzetta. "The EOK board met in an extraordinary session today, 21/10/26, so that its members could be informed about the legal process under way that concerns basketball," it read, adding that the case "will be followed continuously through official announcements and procedures" (translated from Greek).

Panathinaikos did not hold back. In a long statement on Wednesday, the club said it had suffered "outrageous refereeing decisions by very specific individuals" for years and announced it "will take legal action to reclaim what was stolen by a regime of corruption," in the English version published by Eurohoops, with the Greek original carried by Sport24. Owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos also posted on Instagram, writing "You wanted war with me too. You thought you would win" (translated from Greek), per Gazzetta and Sport24.

The story has also travelled well beyond Greece. Gazzetta noted that Basketnews and Meridian Sport were among the international outlets covering the arrests, with reports in Serbia, Spain and Italy as well, and Eurohoops ran it in English within hours. For a country that has produced EuroLeague champions, NBA stars and some of the loudest arenas in Europe, this is not the kind of headline anyone wanted to see.

My take: the first job here belongs to the courts, not to fans or club owners, and everyone named deserves the presumption of innocence until a judge says otherwise. But the size of what is being alleged, 50 games, a decade, school competitions, cash in a safe, means Greek basketball cannot simply wait and hope. Whatever happens on Thursday, the sport will need transparent refereeing appointments and real outside oversight to win back trust. Players and fans who love this game deserve at least that.

On the court, life goes on for now. Panathinaikos host Baskonia in round seven of the EuroLeague on Thursday, October 22, at 21:15 Greek time, Gazzetta reported, with EuroLeague-appointed referees Robert Lottermoser, Marcin Kowalski and Saso Petek in charge, a week after their loss to Hapoel. Keep an eye on our Greek Sports section for every twist in this case. Tomorrow is a big day.

Sources: Sport24, Gazzetta, SDNA, Eurohoops.

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