Marizeta Antonopoulou and New Democracy press spokesperson Alexandra Sdoukou clashed on Greek television channel Action24 on Monday morning over the match fixing case in Greek basketball.
The argument broke out during the morning show Proini Zoni as the two politicians debated the investigation known in Greece as basketgate. Antonopoulou, the head of social policy for ELAS, sought to link changes in the election rules for the Hellenic Basketball Federation to the election of Vangelis Liolios as federation president.
She claimed the institutional changes made under former deputy sports minister Lefteris Avgenakis were designed to install Liolios as the chosen candidate of the Maximos Mansion. Sdoukou accused Antonopoulou of slander and arbitrary conclusions, while host Nikos Ypofantis asked Antonopoulou to clarify whom she meant.
Clashes over basketball federation election reforms
Antonopoulou opened the exchange by saying the government was burdened by a series of scandals. Sdoukou replied that they should be clear and asked whether the government was to blame for a basketball ring dating back to 2016. Antonopoulou answered that since Sdoukou started the discussion that way, she would continue.
She asked why Avgenakis had created conditions allowing one specific person rather than another to become president through what she called ludicrous justifications. According to Antonopoulou, Avgenakis excluded candidates on the grounds of age so the preferred choice of the Maximos Mansion could take office. Sdoukou urged Antonopoulou to show seriousness in her opposition politics.
Antonopoulou said she had not wanted to start aggressively on a Monday morning, but was ready to proceed. Ypofantis then asked who the chosen candidate of the Maximos Mansion was and why she was speaking in hints, while Sdoukou called that ambiguity a usual tactic.
Debate over Giorgos Vassilakopoulos and Alexis Tsipras
Antonopoulou replied that she was stating what everyone had denounced, noting Avgenakis had barred former federation president Giorgos Vassilakopoulos from running because of his age. Sdoukou asked whether Antonopoulou was claiming Avgenakis wanted to install someone else and asked if she was in her right mind, to which Antonopoulou replied that they would see.
Sdoukou condemned Antonopoulou for drawing arbitrary conclusions and asked whether that style of opposition represented former prime minister Alexis Tsipras. Antonopoulou answered that this was who they were, prompting Sdoukou to say Tsipras remained unchanged and relied on slander and mudslinging.
The Hellenic Basketball Federation, known by its Greek acronym EOK, governs basketball in Greece, while the Maximos Mansion in Athens is the official seat of the Greek prime minister. Near the end of the broadcast, Antonopoulou asked again whether Avgenakis had enacted the changes, while Ypofantis noted she still had not named the candidate.
Sdoukou closed by asking whether Antonopoulou had any proof that changing the framework for federation boards and age limits constituted government involvement in the basketball scandal.
