By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Wrapping up his career, Elias Koromilas retired after officiating games across the world. The Greek referee announced his decision on Monday.
Koromilas, 50, was recently permitted to extend his career in the 2023-24 season by the Greek refereeing committee despite reaching the age limit. However, he decided against returning for another season due to an injury.
“I will be deprived of the thing I love and live by because I want to be able to look everyone in the eye,” he mentioned in the letter delivering his decision, “I leave full and grateful for all my experiences and people I met all these years in the world of basketball.”
Being involved in the allegations of attempted bribery presented by Ukrainian referee Mykola Ambrosov was another recent setback. Shortly following the claims, he was also cleared by FIBA to resume his career.
“I want to firmly assert that these allegations directed at me are entirely without merit, and they carry malicious intent to tarnish my reputation and honor, which are fundamental aspects of my identity as an international referee,” was his immediate reaction via a press release of the Union of Euroleague Basketball Officials.
Koromilas expanded his career from the domestic to the international level in 2007. Besides Greece’s Basket League, he also officiated games between national teams in various FIBA tournaments and until the end of the 2022-23 season was regularly named on the crew of Euroleague Basketball contests, between the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup.