ATHENS: Greece’s basketball federation chief and a top referee were among suspects questioned Thursday in a match-fixing probe dating back a decade.
Federation head Vangelis Liolios was arrested Wednesday on a warrant issued by a sports prosecutor for six suspects, including former referees.
Among those detained is Euroleague referee Vasiliki Tsaroucha, the country’s leading woman referee, who was arrested at Athens airport on Wednesday.
The suspects appeared before a magistrate on Thursday, and will remain in police detention until their testimony.
They face sentences of up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of wrongdoing. All deny involvement.
In a statement sent to AFP Wednesday, the Euroleague said it was suspending Tsaroucha and would hold its own internal review.
“Referee Vasiliki Tsaroucha is suspended from officiating in all Euroleague Basketball competitions until both the local authorities’ investigation and Euroleague Basketball’s internal review have concluded,” it said.
The investigation began after a formal complaint in April by Athens-based club Maroussi, whose coach previously worked for Liolios.
State TV ERT said eight witnesses have given evidence, including two who allegedly admitted to taking money in return for clemency.
“Who should I foul out?” read a phone text message allegedly sent by one referee, according to Kathimerini daily.
Police said on Thursday they had found over 930,000 euros ($1.04 million) in cash in searches of homes.
The Greek federation said Wednesday its governing board had held an emergency meeting to brief its members on the “ongoing legal proceedings.”
State news agency ANA said around 50 games in the Greek topflight and lower leagues were under investigation, stretching down to youth and school championships, dating back to 2016.
Liolios was elected federation chief in 2021. He was previously the chairman of Promitheas Patras who won successive promotions since 2012, reaching the topflight in 2016.
Under Liolios, Greece won bronze at Eurobasket last year, their first medal since 2009.
Leading Greek clubs are part of discussions with the US National Basketball Association about creating a new European league.