Nottingham Forest owner Marinakis sues Crystal Palace for defamation

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has filed a lawsuit against Crystal Palace for defamation, according to lawyers representing Marinakis. The claim was lodged in the High Court, almost a year after a banner appeared at a match between the two clubs on August 24, 2025, depicting Marinakis holding a gun to the head of Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White.

The banner also included the phrase "Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption." Marinakis, a Greek shipping magnate, has never been charged with any of the alleged offenses and has consistently denied all accusations. The lawsuit is against Crystal Palace and "Persons Unknown." The Football Association charged Palace in November with failing to prevent improper, offensive, abusive, insulting, and/or provocative behavior from fans during the match, for which the club was fined £50,000 in February.

The ill feeling between Marinakis, Forest, and Palace stems from competition for a Europa League spot last season, with Palace initially qualifying after winning the FA Cup but being demoted due to breaches of third-party ownership rules, while Forest took their place. Palace's manager, Oliver Glasner, later joined Forest, working for Marinakis.