EuroLeague closes investigation on alleged bribery attempt in EuroCup final / News - Basketnews.com

The EuroLeague initiated an internal investigation following Ukrainian referee's Mykola Ambrosov claims about an attempt to bribe him during the EuroCup final in 2021. However, the ensuing results didn't lead to clear evidence and the case was dismissed.

Credit: Alexey Nasyrov/NurPhoto via Getty Images Credit Alexey Nasyrov/NurPhoto via Getty Images

In light of Ukrainian referee's Mykola Ambrosov claims about an attempt to bribe him during the EuroCup final in 2021, the EuroLeague announced on August 3, 2023, that an internal investigation on the matter would be carried out.

However, the internal investigation conducted through an independent investigator, and based on the evidence that was gathered and analyzed, showed "that there is no clear evidence that allows to establish an attempt of bribing," the organizing authority of Europe's top club competition announced Friday.

This development, therefore, renders the case inconclusive against the related individuals and has been therefore dismissed.

According to Ambrosov, just before Game 2, well-known Ukrainian referee Boris Ryzhik approached him in a "coded way," offering him a bribe of 10,000 euros to favor UNICS in the crucial match.

"He informed me that UNICS was in the final, which had a Greek coach and a Greek assistant. Ryzhik explained that Ilias Koromilas, a former EuroLeague referee, had approached him with a proposition, attempting to reach an agreement with me. If I agreed, Koromilas would directly negotiate for Kazan's victory with me."

Ambrosov decided to turn down the offer and resist the temptation of the monetary reward.

"I took no action then, and Ryzhik suggested I think about it for 24 hours. If I changed my mind and followed the plan, I was promised 10,000 euros. He even provided me with a Viber number to contact after the game. However, as we all know, Monaco won by 3 points," Ambrosov stressed.

The interview section from 38:00:

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