Panathinaikos president Vassilis Parthenopoulos spoke to Mozzart Sport about the developments in Greek basketball, expressing full confidence in the judicial process and calling for meaningful change.
Protecting Greek basketball and restoring its credibility must be the priority, according to Panathinaikos president Vassilis Parthenopoulos, who addressed the investigation that has shaken the sport.
According to Mozzart Sport’s report, a police operation investigating alleged corruption and match-fixing led to the arrest of Hellenic Basketball Federation president Vangelis Liolios and five other individuals. Those named include active and former referees with EuroLeague experience — Vasiliki Tsaroucha, Petros Papapetrou, Ilias Koromilas and Tasos Piloidis — alongside Liolios’ business associate Giorgos Mavraganis. The report states that €931,463 in cash was seized during searches of the suspects’ homes.
Complaints about officiating, allegations of preferential treatment for certain clubs and public disputes with the federation’s leadership have been recurring themes in Greek basketball for years. Against that backdrop, Parthenopoulos explained Panathinaikos’ position:
“After years of legal appeals, public statements and interventions, as well as sanctions we have faced, recent developments have underscored the seriousness of the concerns we have repeatedly raised. However, moral vindication has never been an end in itself. What truly matters is protecting Greek basketball and restoring its credibility.”
The Panathinaikos president stressed that the club trusts the judicial process and will participate in the proceedings in support of the prosecution.
“We have full confidence in the judicial process. We will participate in the proceedings in support of the prosecution and await the conclusion of the investigation, so that the facts can be established and responsibilities assigned where appropriate.”
Parthenopoulos also reflected on whether an earlier response to the complaints and concerns raised could have prevented the situation from reaching this point.
“A timely and thorough assessment of the concerns and complaints raised in the past could potentially have helped prevent the current situation.”
He concluded by outlining what he believes Greek basketball needs to move forward:
“Greek basketball deserves to move forward through meaningful change, credibility, unity and an unwavering commitment to legality and the principles of sporting integrity.”
According to the report, the investigation covers approximately 50 games played between 2016 and 2026, ranging from top-level fixtures to lower divisions, youth basketball and even school competitions. It identifies a complaint by Marousi as the starting point of the case, with coach Ilias Papatheodorou presenting evidence and correspondence with Liolios concerning the disclosure of refereeing appointments before their official announcement.
The same report refers to testimony from former referees concerning payments of approximately €5,000 per game. It also cites Ukrainian referee Mykola Ambrosov, who claims that Ilias Koromilas offered him €10,000 in 2021 to favour UNICS against Monaco in the EuroCup final.
All suspects deny the allegations and are preparing their defence ahead of appearances before an investigating judge in Athens, as Greek basketball faces one of the most serious crises in its modern history.
