Greek minister of sports: “The government only talks with the Euroleague, no other company”

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

The Greek Government’s response to the questions raised by Olympiacos in a letter sent to the Euroleague was provided by Minister of Sports Giannis Vroutsis.

After the Euroleague Head Coaches Board clarified the role of its executive director, Goran Sasic, in the case, Yiannis Vroutsis took a distance from the involvement of the KINGBET company as a mediator in the bid for the Final Four.

The deputy minister spoke on Greek radio station Parapolitika 90.1 and stated that “the Greek government and the Ministry of Sports, which is also responsible for the negotiation, are talking exclusively with the Euroleague, and not with any other company.”

Specifically, Giannis Vroutsis said, speaking about Greek basketball: “We dealt with Olympiacos as a government and as the Ministry of Sports, we recently made a deal with them for the Peace and Friendship stadium, rightly so, in a very nice way, proportionate to the one that was done with OAKA to Panathinaikos. We put a period on this matter. Secondly, we are proud of Greek basketball, of our national team, of Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, or if you prefer Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, PAOK, Aris, AEK, all the teams.

Greek basketball is at the top of Europe.

The Greek government has been trying for five months through the Ministry of Sports to host the Final Four 2026 in Athens. Yesterday, Olympiacos issued an announcement raising as a controversial point the existence of an intermediary company that will receive a large sum of money to bring the Final Four to Athens.

I want to assure you most explicitly and categorically that the Greek government and the Ministry of Sports, which is also responsible for the negotiation, are talking exclusively with the Euroleague, with no other company. We are clear that there is a fee involved; we are talking with the Euroleague, and we are looking forward to hosting the Final Four. If this success is achieved, it concerns Greece as a whole, it is a national matter, it will be a national victory for Greek sports.”