By Mark Baber
July 31 – A Council of Appeals ruled Thursday that 85 out of a possible 158 original defendants should go on trial for a variety of offences related to the match-fixing scandal of 2010-11, including membership of a criminal organisation, bribery, manipulation of results and illegal betting.
Charges were dropped against the rest of the defendants, including Olympiakos owner Vangelis Marinakis (pictured), due to a lack of evidence – although Marinakis himself continues to face prosecution in a separate case relating to games held between 2011 and 2013.
Those who will face trial in the 2010-11 case include former Olympiakos Volou President and current Volos Mayor Achilleas Beos, Super League President Giorgos Borovilos, Levadiakos president Giannis Kombotis, Asteras Tripolis owner Dimitris Bakos, Panthrakikos owner Thodoris Savvakis and president Dimitris Tzelepis, businessman Giorgos Tsakogiannis, former Greece international defender Avraam Papadopoulos and dozens of players, coaches, betting agents and soccer officials.
Giving his recommendations, Prosecutor Panayiotis Poulios accused Beos of directing a criminal organisation, money laundering and criminal activity that defrauded the then state-controlled gaming company OPAP of millions of euros from 2008 to 2011.
The 2011-13 case involves 33 suspects including two current owners of Super League teams, one former owner, two general managers, nine members of the country’s football federation, three members of the second division Football League committees, two former members of the referee’s selection committee, six active Super League referees and seven Super League players.
Whilst implementing their favoured economic programme may have been stymied by the troika, Greece’s new leftist government is certainly making good on its commitment to ensure steps are taken to tackle the corruption that has bedevilled Greek football.
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