2015 Greek football match-fixing scandal
| Date | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Location | Greece |
| Also known as | Criminal organization controlling Greek football |
| Suspects | Theodoros Kouridis, Georgios Sarris, Aristidis Stathopoulos, Ioannis Kompotis, Georgios Spanos, Giorgos Arvanitidis, Ioannis Papakonstantinou, Nikos Prountzos, Pafsanias Papanikolaou, Christos Ifantis, Giorgos Douros, Thanasis Briakos, Thanasis Giahos, Ilias Spathas, Alexandros Dimitropoulos, Apostolos Amparkiolis, Giannis Kampaksis, Kostas Ioannidis, Giannis Agkelopoulos, Giorgos Lanaris, Giorgos Vlassis, Maria Anastasaki, Lefteris Zampras, Harilaos Zigogiannis, Ioanna Pantelopoulou |
| Convictions | All suspects cleared of wrongdoing, and acquitted. |
The 2015 Greek football scandal was a sports scandal in Greece’s top professional association football league that involved numerous executives from different clubs and from Greek Football Association and referees.[1] The scandal emerged in 2014 when prosecutor Aristidis Korreas' 173-page work was revealed.[2] The prosecutor’s report was mainly based on telephone tappings, operated by the National Intelligence Service of Greece, that allegedly showed relations between clubs’ executives and Greek Football Association. According to that report various executives, including football players, referees, club and association executives, had formed a criminal organization in order to control the Greek football through fixing matches and blackmailing.[2]",[3]
The case led to the court, after the most of charges had been dropped by judicial councils, and finally on January 28, 2021 the three-member Criminal Court of Appeals acquitted unanimously all the defendants in the case.[4]
Investigation
In the summer of 2011, the Greek football was under the storm of Koriopolis scandal, a massive match-fixing case with many officials involved. In December 2014 it came to light that the prosecutor Aristidis Korreas had pressed charges against 16 individuals including officials from football teams, the Greek football federation and referees and particularly for offenses including setting up, participating in and directing a criminal organization, fraud, attempted criminal extortion and corruption that were committed between 2011 and 2013.[5][6] The investigation was initiated by anonymous complaints regarding the bombing of referee Kontantinea’s bakery and by an article of Kathimerini newspaper about the appointments of refereeing officials for Super League and Football League matches.[2][7] The allegations were mainly based on Telephone tapping that had been operated by the National Intelligence Service of Greece.[2]
According to the prosecutor’s report the ex president of Greek Football Federation, George Sarris, along with other members of GFD and football executives met at Hilton Hotel in order to talk about the furthercoming elections in GFD. According to that report the decisions that they came up with after their meeting were to support Sarris' candidacy for the presidency of the Greek Football Federation in the upcoming election, aiming to control it, and that Evangelos Marinakis, president of Olympiacos, would have a leading role in the organization. The prosecutor in his report concluded that Sarris, Kouridis and Stathopoulos along with their colleagues and former referees Briakos and Douros, compiled the referees' charts for the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons of Greek Leagues, including referees of their utmost trust, such as Ioannidis, Amparkiolis and Kampaksis, who were used in crucial games in favor of the organization's interests. Among others, they refereed the match of Apollon Smyrni F.C. against Panionios, being ordered to favor Panionios, as well as the match of Levadiakos F.C. against Panetolikos F.C., being ordered to favor Levadiakos. Levadiakos' owner Giannis Kompotis, having acquaintances among the organization's circle, regularly benefit from them. The defendants denied all charges.
In June 2015, suspects were being questioned by investigating judge Georgios Andreadis.[8] Most of the defendants were forced to stop being involved in any football activity until the trial begins.[9][10]
UEFA's reaction and Sporting trial
On 30 June 2015, UEFA's General secretary Gianni Infantino stated that Olympiakos will keep their spot in the Champions League for the time,[11] such as Asteras Tripoli FC. Later, the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed the participation of Olympiakos in the Champions League.[12][13] On 17 June 2015, the English sports-site Inside World Football had revealed that UEFA's integrity officer for the HFF (Dimitris Davakis) didn't state to the UEFA's Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector, Miguel Liétard Fernandez-Palacios, the judicial process and the alleged involvement of Asteras Tripoli in the Greek match-fixing scandal of Koriopolis, regarding their participation in the UEFA Europa League.[14]
According to the Telegraph, UEFA did not respond to a request to confirm whether Infantino's deputy, Theodore Theodoridis, had recused himself from any discussions or decisions about the handling of the Olympiakos case, because of the relationship of Theodoridis's father, Savvas, vice-president of Olympiakos, and Theodoridis Jnr.[15] Due to the involvement of Olympiacos and Atromitos in Match fixing scandal, both clubs were threatened with relegation by the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO).[16]
The defendants, including Marinakis, Sarris, Sa Pinto, Stathopoulos etc, were acquitted by the Ethics Committee for the category of match-fixing for football match between Olympiacos - Atromitos.[17][18]
Trial
In 2017 the Judicial Council decided to put 28 individuals in trial with various charges.[19][20] Among the defendants were Evangelos Marinakis, Georgios Sarris, Stathopoulos, Ioannis Kompotis, Georgios Spanos, Giorgos Arvanitidis, Ilias Spathas, Ioannis Papakonstantinou etc.[21]
In 2018 the Supreme Court dropped most of the charges including the allegations of fraud, blackmail, joining and running a criminal organization and bombing were dropped and sent the case back to judicial court for further examination as regarding match – fixing allegations.[22][23][24][25][26]
In 2019 the Court of Appeals Council ruled that a total of 28 people would face trial over unlawful influence of sporting event results.[9][27] On 28 January 2021, the three-member criminal court of appeal unanimously acquitted all the defendants of match-fixing.[28][29][30] After a thorough analysis of all the elements of the investigation, from the testimony of the witnesses (and the contradictions they encountered) and from the rejection of the pre-investigation conclusion by the lawyers of the accused, the court decided to reject all the accusations.
A case that lasted almost six years and occupied Greek football, tarnishing reputations, closed definitively.[31]
Accusations
| Accused | Position | Accusations | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evangelos Marinakis | Olympiacos F.C. owner and president |
|
|
| Theodoros Kouridis | Former HFF counsel |
|
|
| Georgios Sarris | Former HFF and Referee Committee president |
|
|
| Aristidis Stathopoulos | HFF board of directors member |
|
|
| Ioannis Kompotis | Levadiakos F.C. owner |
|
|
| Giorgos Spanos | Atromitos F.C. owner |
|
|
| Giorgos Arvanitidis | Former Veria F.C. owner |
|
|
| Ioannis Papakonstantinou | HFF board of directors member |
|
|
| Nikos Prountzos | HFF board of directors member |
|
|
| Pafsanias Papanikolaou | HFF executive |
|
|
| Hristos Ifantis | HFF substitute general manager |
|
|
| Giorgos Douros | Former Referee Committee substitute president |
|
|
| Thanasis Briakos | Former Referee Committee member |
|
|
| Thanasis Giahos | Referee |
|
|
| Ilias Spathas | Referee |
|
|
| Alexandros Dimitropoulos | Referee |
|
|
| Apostolos Amparkiolis | Referee |
|
|
| Giannis Kampaksis | Referee |
|
|
| Kostas Ioannidis | Referee |
|
|
| Giannis Angelopoulos | Atromitos F.C. Director of Football |
|
|
| Giorgos Lanaris | Veria F.C. Director of Football |
|
|
| Giorgos Vlassis | HFF Referee Court member |
|
|
| Maria Anastasaki | HFF Appeal Court member |
|
|
| Lefteris Zampras | Former Football League Disciplinary Committee president |
|
|
| Harilaos Zigogiannis | Former Football League Disciplinary Committee member |
|
|
| Ioanna Pantelopoulou | Football League Disciplinary Committee member |
|
|
See also
References
- ^ "Στη σέντρα η δίκη για τα στημένα - Βαγγέλης Μαρινάκης κι άλλοι 27 στο εδώλιο". ethnos. January 1980. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d Μπλούνας, Θάνος (5 December 2014). "Ποινική δίωξη για εγκληματική οργάνωση". kathimerini. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Greece charges 41 over match-fixing as football scandal deepens". europe.newsweek.com. 27 May 2015.
- ^ Τέσση, Γεωργία (28 January 2021). "Αθώοι όλοι οι κατηγορούμενοι στη δίκη για τα στημένα". efsyn. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Sixteen reportedly charged in Greek football match-fixing investigation". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Criminal charges against 16 over football match-fixing". www.newsbomb.gr. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Παραπομπή Μαρινάκη και άλλων 27 για τα στημένα παιχνίδια". efsyn. 13 October 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Γιώργος Ανδρεάδης, ο άμεμπτος: Ανακριτής που δεν φοβάται". contra.gr. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis facing match-fixing trial". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Owner of Greek champions banned over corruption probe". eurosport.com. 18 June 2015.
- ^ "Olympiakos' Champions League spot safe for now despite owner's crime scandal". 30 June 2015.
- ^ "Match-fixing? Who cares?". 26 August 2015. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ a b Πόρισμα εισαγγελέα Αριστείδη Κορρέα για την ύπαρξη εγκληματικής οργάνωσης στο ποδόσφαιρο (in Greek). Public Prosecutor's Office of District Court Judges. 3 December 2014. p. 168. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ Paul Nicholson. "Exclusive: UEFA ethics chief clears Greeks in match-fixing scandal for Europa League - Inside World Football". Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ "Match-fixing case in Greece just adds to sense of Greek chaos". Telegraph.co.uk. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ "Match fixing scandal brings potential relegation for Olympiacos and Atromitos in Greek Super League". greekherald.com.au. 25 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Μαρινάκης, Σπανός, Σα Πίντο "καθαροί" για το Ολυμπιακός-Ατρόμητος". www.gazzetta.gr.
- ^ "ΕΠΟ: Απαλλάχθηκαν Μαρινάκης, Ολυμπιακός και Ατρόμητος από τις κατηγορίες για "στημένο" παιχνίδι". www.thetoc.gr. 25 September 2020.
- ^ "Σε δίκη Μαρινάκης και άλλοι 27 για τα "στημένα" στο ποδόσφαιρο (UPD)". www.thepressproject.gr. 7 November 2017.
- ^ "Σε δίκη 28 για τα "στημένα" – Τι λέει το βούλευμα του Συμβουλίου Εφετών". www. Protagon.gr.
- ^ "Οι 28 που παραπέμπονται για τα στημένα και οι κατηγορίες τους". www.sport24.gr.
- ^ "Greek soccer officials to stand trial for match-fixing". FoxSports. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Olympiakos, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis cleared of match fixing". www.espn.co.uk. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Απαλλαγή για τα στημένα". www.efsyn.gr. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Άρειος Πάγος: Οριστική απαλλαγή Μαρινάκη για τρία κακουργήματα". www.sport24.gr. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Olympiakos, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis cleared of match-fixing". www.espn.com. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Σε δίκη για τα στημένα ο Βαγγέλης Μαρινάκης". www.gazzetta.gr. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Δίκη των 28: Ομόφωνα αθώος ο Βαγγέλης Μαρινάκης". 28 January 2021.
- ^ "Αμετάκλητα αθώος o Ευάγγελος Μαρινάκης για την "εγκληματική οργάνωση" στο ποδόσφαιρο | ΕΛΛΑΔΑ". 26 March 2018.
- ^ "Greek court clears Marinakis, Sarris and 25 others of match-fixing". insideworldfootball. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Δίκη των 28 : Ομόφωνα αθώος ο Βαγγέλης Μαρινάκης". 28 January 2021.
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