The EOK administration, through its president, Vangelis Liolios, at a meeting held at noon with representatives of all Stoiximan GBL clubs (only Panathinaikos and Marousi were absent).

The proposal is for the teams themselves to agree on the referees for their games from among those available, as selected by the Central Refereeing Committee (KED). In fact, the teams were given a one-week deadline to respond.

“Having full confidence in both you as well as the refereeing body, and respecting existing Greek and international legislation, I will once again publicly reiterate the proposal I made to you three years ago—a proposal that, at the time, all professional basketball clubs without exception (I repeat, ALL professional basketball clubs) rejected it, while concealing this fact from your fans. I therefore propose once again that you yourselves be responsible for appointing GBL referees. By the teams themselves, and at the same time, your league should prohibit you from publicly criticizing the referees (such as counting free throws, calling fouls, or singling out plays, etc.) to cover up your own mistakes and thereby undermine the credibility of your own league. I will wait 7 days until next Tuesday, September 15, for your response. I hope you will take responsibility and not reject my proposal again, as you did three years ago. We all make mistakes. All of us. Officials, coaches, and players alike. So referees make mistakes, too. Respect them. Respect refereeing. Respect the sport. And above all, respect your fans,” said Vangelis Liolios.

At the same time, he announced strict penalties for teams that publicly criticize the referees. “From now on, we will not tolerate any insult to the sport by anyone. No matter who that person is. We will do what the teams are asking of us. We will do what the officials—who honored us with 80% of their votes—are asking of me. We will do what Greek sports fans are asking of us. Order will prevail. Equality before the law and the rule of law will prevail. And anyone who tries to undermine the efforts of so many years and sow division and toxicity will face exemplary punishment. Just as is the case in all leagues around the world.”

Regarding the comments made by Panathinaikos and Marousi about professional refereeing, the president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation replied: “In light of some misguided remarks made last year by certain individuals regarding professional refereeing, etc., which, to my regret, I note are still circulating today and have led to the misinformation of fans, I would like to inform both you and the fan base of the actual facts.

1) Refereeing in the GBL is professional. All referees are professionals, just as they are in the other major European leagues.

2) Referees undergo continuous training and monthly exams and evaluations of both their performance and their physical condition.

3) Throughout the world, in all approximately 200 federations, the KED is subordinate to the federations. Only in 1 of the 200 is it not subordinate. Furthermore, as you are well aware, sports law prohibits the KED from not being appointed by the EOK and from being subordinate to another body such as the ESKE. I mention this so that sports fans are not misled by sound bites and slogans.

It is also obvious that certain officials and coaches use the referees as a scapegoat for their teams’ on-court failures, and instead of self-criticism and assigning responsibility to management and the coaching staff, there is slander directed at the referees and, on several occasions, intimidation of the referees—without the referees themselves having the right to react or respond to the accusations. If this continues this year, it will destroy the league and bring even greater toxicity to the sport. Rest assured, however, that from my position and with the authority granted to me by law, I will not allow this to happen.”

The president of the Greek Basketball Federation (EOK) reviewed the first five years of his administration with regard to refereeing. “Five years ago, when I assumed the presidency of the EOK, I mentioned in my first statements the need for a complete overhaul of the model for developing refereeing in Greece, taking full responsibility for its progress.

A. Five-Year Plan 2021–2026

This action plan included:

1) Breaking away from outdated approaches to referee management and their
professional development 2) Retiring veteran referees and replacing them with promising young referees
3) A continuous focus on referee
training and evaluation 4) The promotion of young international referees and their development in top European competitions
5) Establishing an independent body of commissioners and observers with ongoing training and professional
development 6) Introduction of new technologies in training and monitoring
7) Full autonomy for the refereeing body

B. Five-Year Review

Five years later, the time has come for our first review.

-We inherited an aging refereeing corps, and now we have new referees—a fact that is widely acknowledged. The average age of GBL referees has decreased by eight (8) years!

-We inherited a refereeing corps with few prospects at the European level, and now we have a wealth of younger referees who are officiating with great success in top European competitions.

In 2021, there were three referees officiating at top European competitions, and today there are seven. In fact, their average age is 34, down from 42 back then.

–We inherited a refereeing corps with no substantive training, and now their training is ongoing and up-to-date.

–We inherited a body of referees that was under control, and now it is autonomous, free from interference.

After all this, I believe that the groundwork has now been laid for the next step in Greek refereeing and the next five-year plan. That is why we need the help of all the teams, and especially the GBL teams. That is also the reason for today’s meeting.

C. The Current Situation

I am particularly pleased because this year we will witness the best league in the last 30 years, and I consider it the best league in Europe. With a very strong ARIS and PAOK, together with three other teams—AEK, OLYMPIACOS, and PAO—creating incredible momentum in the league.

However, this league needs your protection—from all the teams—so that fans can enjoy it and sponsors can embrace it.

You must avoid defamatory statements and behavior, and as a league, every team must realize that any rivalry is strictly confined to the four lines of the field.

Beyond that, we are all united—through our mistakes, our good moments, and our bad ones. In any case, however, we must remain united. And this should be the central message from all of you: “Unity.”

Finally, he announced the gradual introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in referee assignments in the national leagues. “The process for assigning referees in all basketball leagues in Greece is gradually changing starting this year. It is becoming cutting-edge, modern, transparent, objective, and innovative. This is a true revolution in the field of refereeing. All referee assignments, both in national leagues and in local leagues— that is, approximately 30,000 basketball game assignments starting this year, will be made gradually with the help of AI and based on strict criteria and parameters, creating conditions of objectivity and eliminating the influence of human factor. It goes without saying that the Referee Committees will retain responsibility for match pairings as required by law, but the digital tools and the level of transparency are changing. No favoritism, no subjectivity, no “flawed” decisions. Our society is changing, and we are moving forward with it. This process is unprecedented on a global scale, and Greece is leading the way. I am very pleased with the work and groundwork that the Hellenic Olympic Committee (EOK) has done over the past two years on this issue, and that we are now ready to implement it. We have been working on this specific project for over two years, and it will begin to be implemented starting this year. I therefore call on all of you—the GBL teams—to take the lead and accept my proposal.”

*photo source: KYPE