68 people from the football world have been charged with a variety of offences including illegal gambling, fraud, extortion and money laundering. The culture minister, Giorgos Nikitiadis, described the alleged scandal as “the darkest page in the history of Greek football”, but promised to investigate the case and go “as deep and as high as necessary”.
Among the 68 suspects named by judicial authorities on Friday were Vangelis Marinakis, Greece’s top football league official and Chairman of champion club Olympiakos Piraeus, and Avraam Papadopoulos, National Team and Olympiakos defender. They both denied involvment in the scandal.
Late on Friday, a court order banned all suspects from leaving the country. The names of the suspects as well as transcripts of recorded telephone conversations were publicised. One could hear corrupt team officials deciding match results, using players and referees’ names. Bets on the allegedly fixed games were placed online or with betting agencies in Greece, Europe and Asian countries.
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