Greek basketball chief Liolios steps back amid match-fixing probe

Hellenic Basketball Federation president Vangelis Liolios has stepped back from basketball while a match-fixing investigation against him continues, informing Greek authorities in a written statement presented during his hearing that he is ceasing his involvement with the sport, at least during the legal proceedings.

Liolios and former player turned businessman Giorgos Mavraganis arrived at the Evelpidon courthouse in Athens at 10.00 local time on Sunday to give their statements to the prosecutor in the scandal that has shaken Greek basketball, specialist outlet Eurohoops reported. Euronews described the move as Liolios resigning as federation president.

Both men are accused of bribery and match-fixing. Following Liolios’s move, a new basketball federation president must be elected or appointed, Eurohoops reported, with former Greece captain and coach Panagiotis Giannakis widely considered the leading option to succeed him. Giannakis is expected to testify in the case on Monday.

Liolios has denied the charges against him, and his defence team has argued there is no solid evidence linking him to match-fixing, describing the case as a conspiracy.

The broader judicial probe spans a ten-year window from 2016 to 2026 and involves six suspects facing charges of bribery and unfair interference across roughly 50 suspicious games. Liolios was arrested on 21 October alongside five others, including referees, and police reported seizing 931,463 euros in cash during the investigation.

Sources: Eurohoops, https://www.eurohoops.net/en/heba/2025732/former-greek-federation-president-vaggelis-liolios-ceases-his-involvement-with-basketball/ ; Euronews, https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/25/hellenic-basketball-federation-president-resigns-amid-match-fixing-investigation