EuroLeague Referee Arrested in Greek Basketball Bribery Scandal

The arrests were made by Greek police within 24 hours of warrants being issued by an investigative judge. In addition to Tsaroucha and Goulis, the detainees include Goulis's advisor and three former referees. Arrest warrants were also issued for two other current EuroLeague referees. During searches of the suspects' homes, police seized significant amounts of cash, with a police spokesperson confirming that the total exceeded 850,000 euros, while some reports indicate it approached or exceeded one million euros.

Tsaroucha, who recently officiated a EuroLeague game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Valencia, was arrested at the airport upon returning from a EuroCup game in Turkey. She is suspected of receiving large sums of money to manipulate game outcomes. While her involvement places the Maccabi Tel Aviv match under scrutiny, the investigation does not currently focus on that specific game.

The months-long investigation was initiated by judicial authorities and the sports prosecutor after two active referees came forward to expose the corruption in exchange for immunity. The suspects face allegations of bribery, game manipulation, and illegal gambling.