Vangelis Liolios jailed over Greek basketball match-fixing scandal

On October 25, 2026, Vangelis Liolios resigned from his position as president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK) before appearing before a judge to testify regarding an ongoing match-fixing investigation. Liolios and his close associate, Giorgos Mavraganis, were interrogated by the investigating magistrate for several hours, with Liolios vehemently denying all charges of bribery and manipulation, which he labeled a fabrication, while presenting ten years of tax records as evidence. Despite his defense, the investigating magistrate and the prosecutor ordered both Liolios and Mavraganis to be remanded in custody, following the earlier detention of former referee Petros Papapetrou on Friday.

Following the resignation, the EOK held an emergency board meeting and elected Angelos Papanikolaou as the new president. The federation also saw the resignation of four board members, with replacements such as Periklis Dorkofikis filling the vacancies. While the EOK has pledged to continue all athletic competitions uninterrupted, the scandal continues to expand, with additional interrogations of other basketball officials, including Vaso Tsaroucha, Tasos Piloidis, and Ilias Koromilas, scheduled to occur on Monday.