Nottingham Forest's chairman takes Crystal Palace to court over firearm-themed sign incident

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Marinakis

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Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is suing Crystal Palace over a banner unfurled by the London club’s fans depicting him holding a gun to midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White’s head, according to reports on Monday.

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Marinakis’ legal team lodged the defamation claim against Palace and “persons unknown” at the High Court in London on Monday, nearly a year on from the banner being displayed during the 1-1 Premier League clash between the two clubs at Selhurst Park.

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Alongside the image, the banner read: “Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.”

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The Greek shipping and media magnate has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to such allegations.

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In November 2025, the Football Association charged Palace with failing to ensure that supporters did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive or provocative way and later fined the club £50,000 ($67,000).

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The game on August 24 last year took place amid heightened tensions after Forest had taken Palace’s place in the Europa League after the south London club were relegated to the Conference League for breaking UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.

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Marinakis, a 59-year-old Greek businessman, also owns Olympiacos in Greece and Rio Ave in Portugal.

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AFP

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