Nottingham Forest Owner Marinakis Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Crystal Palace Over Gun Banner
Key Takeaways
- •Evangelos Marinakis filed a High Court defamation claim against Crystal Palace nearly a year after a fan banner showed him holding a gun to Morgan Gibbs-White's head during a 24 August 2025 match.
- •The Football Association fined Crystal Palace £50,000 in February for failing to prevent supporters from displaying improper and provocative material.
- •Marinakis has never been charged with any of the offences referenced on the banner and has consistently denied all related allegations.
- •The lawsuit names both Crystal Palace and unidentified individuals as defendants, using a legal mechanism that allows unnamed parties to be added later.
- •Relations between the two clubs have been strained by a Europa League qualification dispute and Oliver Glasner's subsequent move from managing Palace to managing Forest.
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has initiated defamation proceedings against Crystal Palace in the High Court, nearly a year after supporters of the south London club displayed a banner depicting him holding a gun to a player's head. Direct defamation claims between Premier League clubs or their owners are rare in English football, where most disputes are typically channelled through FA or Premier League disciplinary processes rather than civil litigation.
Lawyers for the Greek shipping magnate — who also owns Super League club Olympiacos — filed the claim today. The banner in question appeared during a Premier League match between the two clubs on 24 August 2025. It portrayed Marinakis holding a firearm to the head of Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White, reportedly referencing the player's decision to reverse a proposed transfer the previous summer. The banner also carried the text: "Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption."
Marinakis has never been charged with any of the referenced offences and has previously and vigorously denied all such allegations.
The High Court claim names both Crystal Palace and "Persons Unknown" as defendants. The latter is a recognised procedural device in English civil law that allows claimants to pursue unidentified individuals who can later be joined to proceedings once named.
Football Association Charges and Fine
The Football Association charged Palace in November with failing "to ensure its spectators and/or supporters (and anyone purporting to be supporters or followers) didn't behave in an improper, offensive, abusive, insulting and/or provocative way at this match." In February, the club was fined £50,000. The FA noted at the time: "The fact that Crystal Palace had a policy to prevent banners being smuggled into the stadium demonstrates that it was aware of the risk." (Reuters)
Background: Europa League Dispute Between Palace and Forest
The episode unfolded against a backdrop of tension between the two clubs over Europa League qualification. Palace had earned a place by winning the FA Cup in the 2024-25 season but were removed from the competition after being found in breach of third-party ownership rules. Forest subsequently took their place.
Palace were relegated to the third-tier Europa Conference League, which they went on to win — the club's first European title — thereby securing a spot in this season's Europa League.
In a further twist, manager Oliver Glasner departed Palace at the end of last season and has since assumed the same role at Nottingham Forest, working under Marinakis.
Lawyers representing Marinakis were approached for comment. A spokesperson for Crystal Palace declined to comment.
