Evangelos Marinakis is taking legal action against a Premier League club over a ‘defamatory’ banner after a strict rule was broken.
Evangelos Marinakis is taking legal action over a banner shown during Nottingham Forest’s Premier League game against Crystal Palace last season.
Last summer, Marinakis made headlines because of a transfer drama involving Nottingham Forest’s star player, Morgan Gibbs-White. In July 2025, Tottenham Hotspur activated the £60 million release clause in Gibbs-White’s contract. The 26-year-old even had a medical booked and looked set to join Spurs and their then-manager Thomas Frank.
However, the deal quickly fell apart when Marinakis accused Spurs of making an “illegal approach.” In the end, the transfer collapsed, and Marinakis convinced Gibbs-White to stay by signing a new three-year contract with Forest.
“Morgan is a special player – not just because of his skill, but also because of his character and mindset,” Marinakis said last July. “He represents everything we want this club to be: a winner, talented, ambitious, fearless, and proud. We had many clubs interested, but we wanted to build our future around Morgan. I promised fans that we’d not just compete but get stronger every season. Today is a big step in that journey.”
Gibbs-White had an amazing season and scored 15 Premier League goals. He was unlucky not to make England’s World Cup squad under Thomas Tuchel. It looks like he will stay with Forest for another season, as the club has no plans to sell him. Under new coach Oliver Glasner, he’s expected to keep improving.
While Forest focus on building a squad to challenge in the Premier League’s top half, a legal case against Crystal Palace is brewing. BBC Sport reports Marinakis is suing Palace over a banner their fans displayed during a 1-1 draw last August. The banner showed Marinakis holding a gun to Gibbs-White’s head, with the words, “Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.”
Marinakis’ lawyers filed a defamation claim against Crystal Palace in the High Court on Monday, listing CPFC Limited as one of the defendants. Although the banner wasn’t specifically named in the charge, there are strict rules against offensive or defamatory messages.
Palace have faced controversy before. In November 2025, the FA charged them for not stopping fans from behaving offensively during matches. Last season, Marinakis’ Forest took Palace’s place in the Europa League after Palace were relegated to the Conference League for breaking UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
Glasner’s first Premier League game in charge of Forest is on August 22 when they host Leeds United at the City Ground.