Messages that allegedly reveal attempts to fix matches, allegations of monetary payments to referees, and testimony regarding financial transactions intended to serve specific interests are reportedly included in the case file regarding match-fixing in Greek basketball.
According to the same reports, among the games under investigation for possible involvement of the accused referees are matches involving Promitheas Patras against opponents including, among others, PAOK, Aris, and AEK, at various times, specifically in the years 2018, 2021, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Of particular interest are the messages reportedly included in the case file that allegedly reflect an intent to influence the outcome of matches. In one of them, attributed to the accused businessman, he is reportedly stated: “(Team name) absolutely must lose; wherever I find them, I want to destroy them because they are my enemies.”
In another message, allegedly sent by an accused referee to the businessman who filed the complaints, a request is reportedly made to arrange accommodations at a luxury resort. According to the same sources, the reservation at that specific hotel in 2018 has been confirmed.
The testimonies of the two key witnesses
The testimonies of two witnesses are said to be playing a decisive role in the progress of the investigation; according to reports, these testimonies describe specific incidents and financial transactions.
The first, a current referee, is said to have referred to approximately 30 second-division basketball games during the period from 2018 to 2026. According to his alleged testimony, he received instructions from the accused businessman regarding how he was to officiate specific games. In exchange, as he reportedly claimed, he did not receive money, but continued to be assigned to important matches. According to the same reports, the referee has also produced text messages to support his claims.
The second key witness, a businessman and president of a Second Division team, is reported to have described two separate instances of financial payments from Evangelos Liolios, former president of Prometheus. Specifically, according to reports, he testified that he received 50,000 euros from Evangelos Liolios as financial assistance, with the aim of strengthening his team and improving its performance, without subsequently being asked to return the money. He reportedly claimed that a female referee, who is a defendant in the case, was assigned to the next match, to whom, according to his claims, 5,000 euros were paid to ensure his team’s victory. The alleged payment is described in his testimony as a “thank you” for a favor she had previously done for Evangelos Liolios.
At the same time, the same witness reportedly testified that in 2016 he received, through a third party, an additional 100,000 euros from Evangelos Liolios in order to resign as president of his team. According to his claim, the goal was to facilitate Prometheus’s promotion to the first division under the leadership of Evangelos Liolios.
*photo source: KYPE
