Prishtina makes serious allegations: An attempt was made to manipulate the match with Trepça

KB Prishtina issued a statement on Saturday making serious allegations of an attempt to manipulate the match against Trepça, which was played on Sunday at the Palace of Youth and Sports.

According to the capital club’s statement, two foreign referees officiating the basketball playoff games were offered a bribe to manipulate Sunday’s match, which was won by the capital club and took the series to 2:1 in its favor.

In the statement, Prishtina claims it prevented such an attempt “thanks to information from honest people,” who, according to the club, saw the referees getting into a Mercedes-type car and someone offering them a bribe. According to Prishtina, the referees themselves admitted it after speaking with officials from the Kosovo Basketball Federation (FBK). 

The match between Prishtina and Trepça was officiated by local referees, without any prior announcement. 

Full statement:

Dear citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,

Respected sports fans and basketball enthusiasts,

Thanks to the vigilance and information from honest people in our city, as well as the intelligence of the dedicated people at our club, following several well-founded suspicions, we inform you that on April 20, specifically on the day of the third playoff semifinal between KB Sigal Prishtina and KB Trepça, we uncovered the biggest scandal in Kosovo basketball since its inception and prevented the greatest sporting and ethical harm to our club, the many supporters of the most decorated Albanian club, and all those fans and sports enthusiasts who passionately follow their beloved club, believing in the integrity of the competition and the honesty of officials.

Unfortunately for these innocent and loyal fans and sports enthusiasts, but fortunately for the good of sport and the integrity of the competition, on the basis of well-founded suspicions, confirmed by information and verified by video recordings, and subsequently acknowledged by the actors involved themselves, we uncovered the case and then filed a criminal complaint against a person who is seen getting the match’s two Greek referees, Zacharis and Vardaris, into a Mercedes-type car and offering them a bribe to manipulate the match between KB Sigal Prishtina and KB Trepça in favor of the visitors. Once we had verified the case, we notified FBK officials, who, after learning of it, spoke with the aforementioned referees, and they admitted what had happened. This is also why these referees did not officiate the match.

After uncovering the case, we reported it to the competent Kosovo Police authorities before the match began, and we expect criminal proceedings to be opened as soon as possible against all those involved.

Dear citizens of our country,

We are fully committed to achieving sporting results by sporting means alone, and in no other way. We have professional, moral and civic responsibilities to everyone, especially to honest spectators and innocent children who come to watch a beautiful sporting event and support their beloved team so that it can win fairly, and never through corrupt methods.

For the sake of the future, we call on the competent authorities to mobilize in accordance with the law to save sport and basketball, punish everyone involved, and permanently ban them from sporting events where they seek to corrupt justice and fair play.

In the meantime, we will also reach out to the largest basketball organization, FIBA, its Secretary General Zagklis, as well as the Hellenic Basketball Federation, so that each of them takes the measures provided for to punish and prevent the worst practices in sport.

Dear fans, dear Plisa,

We promise that our club will cooperate with all authorities and continue to be an example of fair sporting achievement. Only victories and trophies earned with honor and integrity have meaning; otherwise, they are worthless, because wrongdoers, cheats and corrupt people become the protagonists of unfair sporting success.

FOR VICTORY, WITH SWEAT AND HONOR, UNTIL OUR LAST BREATH, PRISHTINA!