Greek league

A prosecutor has recommended that the boss of Olympiakos soccer club, Vangelis Marinakis, should stand trial for four felonies linked to an alleged "criminal gang" involved in match-fixing in the Greek league.

Organizers of the Greek league say games will start on Saturday after a two-week delay imposed by the government, which is struggling to tackle ongoing violence and alleged corruption in the sport.

On Tuesday, organizers posted a timetable of matches in the 16-team league, following talks between club and government officials on referee oversight and other issues.

Olympiakos football club added another Greek league title to their illustrious history, bringing their total to 43! The club, which has dominated Greek football for the past two decades, celebrated their title before their home crowd at Georgios Karaiskakis football ground in Piraeus with a 5-0 win against lowly placed Kaloni of Mytilene.

Turkish club Fenerbahçe, which was knocked out of Champions League competition by Shakthar Donetsk on Aug. 5, was drawn against Atromitos of Greece on Aug. 7 in the Europa League playoff stage.

The Istanbul club will play the first leg on Aug. 20 at Atromitos, which finished fifth in the Greek league last season, with the return leg scheduled for Aug. 27 in Istanbul. 

By George Georgakopoulos

Panathinaikos, PAOK and Aris have advanced to the semifinals of the Greek league after their home wins on Tuesday that saw them all win their series with a 2-1 score.

Panathinaikos strolled to a 100-70 home win over Kolossos Rhodes behind closed doors, with young Giorgos Papayiannis getting the opportunity to shine, scoring 14 points.

Greek champion Olympiakos faces a tough task if it is to prevent last season's beaten finalist Atletico Madrid sealing its passage into the last 16 of the Champions League at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday.

By George Georgakopoulos

Less than two days after thrashing Milano for the Euroleague, Panathinaikos preserved its perfect record in domestic competitions to remain joint top of the Basket League table along with PAOK, who beat Panionios in Athens.

Two prosecutors who were investigating cases involving alleged corruption in soccer have been replaced.

The new head of the first instance court prosecutor’s office, Ilias Zagoraios, took the decision, which surprised the two judicial officials – Haris Lakafosis and Aristidis Koreas – as neither prosecutor had asked to be replaced.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul has signed contract with Greek forward Stratos Perperoglou, a three-time Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion, for the next two seasons, the club announced June 18. The 28 year old arrives from Olympiacos Piraeus after the best season of his Euroleague career.

By George Georgakopoulos

Panathinaikos came from 2-1 down in the final series to win the 34th Greek league title in its history beating Olympiakos 82-71 on Wednesday, and 3-2 in the best-of-five series thanks to an imposing performance at home.