Nine held over match fixing scandal

Two of Greek football's most controversial figures, the president of Olympiakos Volou, Achilleas Beos, and the owner of Kavala, Makis Psomiadis, are among those accused of organising an extensive match-fixing network that authorities started cracking on Wednesday 22 June.

 It is also reported that the prosecutor proposed that charges should be laid against the Pesident of Olympiakos Vaggelis Marinakis and at least 20 more people. Police released the names of the ten men arrested on Wednesday in connection with 41 suspicious football games during the last three seasons, as well as the names of five more men that remain at large while the extent of the scandal of match-fixing in the Greek game, dubbed 'Calciopoulos,' is yet to be made known.

The ten men arrested are: Beos, son of Psomiadis, Stavros, president of Kavala; owner of second-division club Ilioupoli, Giorgos Tsakogiannis; former Ilioupoli president Nikos Chalkos; coach of second-division side Ethnikos Asteras Nikos Pantelis; former player Dimitris Zavandias; bookmakers, Andreas Dimopoulos and Vassilis Karakoulias; player agent Thanasis Dotsis; and Nikos Zamanis, identified as Beos's bodyguard.

All ten appeared before the prosecutor at noon on June 23, while Beos claimed he was ill, before being taken to the hospital for a short while. All are likely to be detained until Monday, when they will appear before a prosecutor again. The five men the police have arrest warrants for are :Makis Psomiadis; coach of second-division Levadiakos Yiannis Papacostas; Ilioupoli player; Michalis Nikolopoulos,; Greek federation official Yiannis Papadopoulos; and bookmaker Vassilis Geortsiakos. The prosecutor has also filed charges against another 70 people who have not been named, but rumors are raging that they concern very well-known names from Greek sports and society. According to unconfirmed reports, the list includes the head of a major Super League club, whose voice is allegedly heard on one of the 85 CDs in the prosecutor's possession.

The suspect had been involved in the fixing of his team's match against another major club this season and was asking for the protection of the game's referee. Police spokesman Thanassis Kokkalakis stated that more arrests are in the pipeline. The charges concerning fraudulent betting, money laundering, participation in a criminal gang, and even possession of guns would bring prison terms ranging from five years to life, while the clubs found guilty will face relegation and a ban from European competitions.