Scandal in Greece: Basketball Federation President Arrested

Vangelis Liolios, president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation, was arrested on Wednesday, October 21st. The arrest stems from an arrest warrant issued as part of a sports prosecutor's investigation. According to SPORT24, three other individuals, among the six targeted by the warrant, were also taken into custody.

EuroLeague referee Vaso Tsaroucha was arrested due to her alleged involvement. She was met by authorities at Athens Airport upon her return from Turkey, where she had officiated the Turk Telekom vs. Siauliai EuroCup match. A referee and a close associate of the federation president are currently being sought.

The investigation, which lasted approximately three months, focuses on allegations of active and passive corruption within sports law. Authorities are reportedly examining a suspected network involved in fixed matches across the Greek first division, as well as school and youth championships, with activities dating back at least five years.

The case also includes complaints from agents. Several residential searches reportedly uncovered substantial sums of cash, deemed inconsistent with the financial situations of those involved. Authorities found €820,000 in cash at the home of Petros Papapetrou during searches connected to the case. Variable amounts of money were discovered at the residences of others as well.

The arrested individuals may be presented to a judge within the coming hours. Judicial authorities reportedly considered the suspects a potential flight risk, citing this as a primary reason for issuing the arrest warrants.

Vangelis Liolios was born in Patras, Greece, in 1967. He is married with four children and speaks English and German fluently. He holds a medical degree from the University of Patras and an MBA in healthcare management from the Hellenic Open University. Liolios practiced medicine as a pediatrician for 13 years and presented at national and international medical congresses. In 1999, he founded Coffee Island Company, now Greece's largest coffee chain with over 400 locations.

A former basketball player for Promitheas Patras (1986-1991), he has served as the club's president since 2004. Under his leadership, Promitheas won the Super Cup in 2020, becoming the first provincial club to secure a Greek basketball title. Liolios has been president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation since September 2021.

His election to the federation's presidency in September 2021 ended Giorgos Vasilakopoulos's tenure, who was required to step down due to age limits imposed by new national sports legislation. Liolios secured 335 votes, surpassing Panagiotis Fasoulas (180) and Aggelos Papanikolaou (90).

European refereeing faced scrutiny a year ago when, in October 2025, Euroleague suspended Serbian referee Uros Nikolic. Serbian broadcaster RTS reported that €250,000 was found at his home.

Arrest Warrants Include:

• Vangelis Liolios: President of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (HBF).
• Vasso Tsaroucha: International referee.
• Petros Papapetrou: Retired former referee.
• Tasos Piloidis: Former referee and member of the Central Board of Arbitration (CAC) executive committee.
• Elias Koromilas: Former referee.
• George Mavraganis: Businessman.

English Translation:

Vangelis Liolios, president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation, was arrested on Wednesday, October 21st, based on an arrest warrant issued as part of an investigation by the sports prosecutor's office. According to SPORT24, three other individuals out of the six targeted by the warrant were also arrested.

EuroLeague referee Vaso Tsaroucha was apprehended for her alleged involvement. She complied with authorities who were waiting for her at Athens Airport upon her return from Turkey, where she had officiated the Turk Telekom vs. Siauliai match in the EuroCup on Tuesday. A referee and a close associate of the federation president are now being sought.

The investigation, which lasted about three months, concerns allegations of active and passive corruption in sports law. Authorities are reportedly investigating a suspected network of fixed matches in the Greek first division, as well as in school and youth championships, with incidents dating back at least five years.

The case also includes complaints from agents. Several home searches allegedly led to the discovery of significant sums of money deemed incompatible with the financial situations of the individuals involved. Authorities reportedly found €820,000 in cash at the home of one of them, Petros Papapetrou, during searches related to the case, an amount disproportionate to his income, while varying sums of money were found at each of their homes.

The arrested individuals could be presented to a judge within the next few hours. Judicial authorities reportedly considered the suspects a potential flight risk, citing this factor as a key reason for issuing the arrest warrants.

Vangelis Liolios was born in 1967 in Patras, Greece. Married with four children, he speaks English and German fluently. He holds a medical degree from the University of Patras and an MBA in healthcare management from the Hellenic Open University. He practiced medicine as a pediatrician for 13 years and presented papers at national and international medical congresses. In 1999, he founded Coffee Island Company, the largest coffee chain in Greece with over 400 establishments.

A former basketball player for Promitheas Patras (1986-1991), he has been president of the club since 2004 and led it to victory in the Super Cup in 2020, making Promitheas the first provincial club to win a title in Greek basketball history. He has been president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation since September 2021.

His election to the head of the federation in September 2021 ended the reign of Giorgos Vasilakopoulos, who was forced to retire due to the age limit of the new national sports law. Vangelis Liolios won with 335 votes, ahead of Panagiotis Fasoulas (180) and Aggelos Papanikolaou (90).

European refereeing was previously shaken up a year ago: in October 2025, Euroleague suspended Serbian referee Uros Nikolic, arrested according to Serbian channel RTS, which reported €250,000 found at his home.

The arrest warrants concern:

• Vangelis Liolios: President of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (HBF).
• Vasso Tsaroucha: International referee.
• Petros Papapetrou: Former referee who retired this summer.
• Tasos Piloidis: Former referee and member of the executive committee of the Central Board of Arbitration (CAC).
• Elias Koromilas: Former referee.
• George Mavraganis: Businessman.