Greek basketball match-fixing probe widens as witnesses reveal payments and referee pressure

Six individuals, including former player Giorgos Mavraganis, several referees and club president Liolios, are accused of bribery and match-fixing spanning roughly a decade of Greek basketball. Sports prosecutor Apostolos Grammenos opened the probe after Maroussi BC lodged a complaint in April, and investigators are reviewing about 50 games, some played abroad. Witnesses have submitted messages—one demanding a team lose and another from a female referee arranging a luxury-hotel reservation—and disclosed cash caches of almost 800,000 euros.

Testimony describes payments to referees and a businessman receiving 50,000 euros from Liolios, as well as a 10,000-euro offer to a foreign official for a specific outcome. In response, Sports Minister Giannis Vroutsis halted state subsidies to the Hellenic Basketball Federation and ordered fiscal and administrative audits for 2024-2026, with the National Transparency Authority also tasked to review the federation’s accounts. The federation’s board continues to monitor the investigation, while the accused prepare their defenses.