By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

Back in July, the EuroLeague decision about the host of the 2026 Final Four was postponed, with Olympiacos raising concerns about the agency KINGBET media presented as mediator with the Greek government on a possible deal.

Those points, which also included concerns about the role of the EuroLeague Head Coach Board (EHCB) executive director, Goran Sasic, in the talks, are presented in a letter sent to EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas on the 3rd of September and also given to the public by Olympiacos, while next week the EuroLeague is expected to decide on the matter.

The press release of Olympiacos is the following: “In response to untrue and misleading publications that lead OLYMPIAKOS to uncritically oppose the holding of the 2026 Final Four in Athens in the Euroleague, we state the following:

OLYMPIAKOS was, is, and will be non-negotiable in its principles. Transparency is one of them.

For this reason and in view of the Euroleague Board of Directors meeting on 10/9, we sent a letter on 3/9 to the CEO of Euroleague Mr. Motejunas, with notification to the President of Euroleague Mr. Bodiroga and the members of the Board of Directors, requesting information and clarifications on issues in the management of the candidacies for the 2026 Final Four that raise reasonable questions.

Unfortunately, as is often the case, some choose to distort reality to suit their own purposes, adding even more fuel to the mill of toxicity that they have been maintaining for many years.

To restore the truth, we are publishing the letter from OLYMPIACOS to the CEO of Euroleague, which reads as follows:

“Dear Paulius,

Subject: FINAL FOUR 2026

In view of the meeting of the Board of Directors on 10.09.2025 and following the information disclosed to the Teams during the meeting of 23.07.2025, for reasons of complete transparency and for the Teams to have a complete picture before deciding the 2026 Final Four, we would appreciate your answers to the following questions:

1. Why was it deemed necessary for Euroleague to assign a mediator to approach the Greek Government to secure a bid for the Athens 2026 Final Four? Is it common for the Euroleague to use such mediators for Final Four bids?

2. By what criteria was KINGBET MEDIA selected as the appropriate and competent body to mediate between Euroleague and the Greek Government? According to its website, KINGBET MEDIA has been active for 17 years in the fields of igaming and sports betting content production and is the administrator of the betting information website kingbet.net. There is no mention of the company’s possible involvement as an intermediary for sponsorships or events, for which Euroleague hired it.

3. Did KINGBET MEDIA approach Euroleague with its services, or did Euroleague seek its involvement? It should be noted that in their public statements regarding Athens’ candidacy for the 2026 Final Four, members of the Greek Government and other public officials never mentioned the existence of an intermediary third party in the candidacy process.

4. Has KINGBET MEDIA been subject to due diligence by Euroleague, including its integrity, reputation, transaction history, and operational capabilities to provide the services it promised?

5. Has a contract been signed between KINGBET MEDIA and Euroleague? If so, please send us a copy.

6. What services did KINGBET MEDIA provide to Euroleague in relation to the bid submitted by the Greek Government for the 2026 Final Four?

7. The amount of 400,000 euros for KINGBET MEDIA’s services is rather excessive and unreasonable based on market data. Please explain.

8. Please send us copies of the contracts signed by Euroleague with KINGBET MEDIA and PPC (Public Electricity Company) regarding the sponsorship of the latter.

9. Please send us copies of all contracts signed for the sponsorship of the Final Four in Abu Dhabi.

10. Please provide us with detailed information on the estimated revenues and expenses associated with both the Belgrade and Athens bids, in order to make a more accurate comparison of the amounts presented. Please clarify whether the expenses related to Athens include a fee for the use of OAKA Stadium.

11. Is it true that the Executive Director of the Euroleague Head Coaches Board, Mr. Goran Sasic, is involved in promoting Athens’ bid for the 2026 Final Four, contacting teams to discuss their concerns and reservations regarding Athens’ bid?

12. If so:

a) Is Mr. Sasic acting individually or in his capacity as Executive Director of the EHCB?

b) Is Mr. Sasic’s involvement in any way related to the gratuitous concession of OAKA Stadium to the EHCB for their 2025 conference?

We look forward to your comments as soon as possible and in any case before the upcoming Board of Directors meeting.”

The Euroleague administration did not provide any substantive answers to our questions, recalling past practices that we considered to be irrevocably gone”.