Legal action follows controversial banner shown during Palace v Forest match
Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of Nottingham Forest, has issued a defamation claim at the High Court against Crystal Palace’s commercial company, CPFC Ltd, and against "persons unknown" over a banner shown by Palace supporters at Selhurst Park almost 12 months ago.
The banner, displayed midway through the first half of the Premier League fixture between Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest on 24 August, showed an image of Marinakis apparently holding a gun to the head of Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs‑White. The same banner included the text: "Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match‑fixing, drug trafficking or corruption." Marinakis has consistently rejected those allegations.
What the claim alleges and whom it names
Lawyers acting for Mr Marinakis lodged the writ for defamation on Monday in the High Court. The claim is brought against CPFC Ltd and against "Persons Unknown" — the latter to cover individuals responsible for the banner but not yet identified. No further detail on the relief sought was disclosed in the filing seen by reporters.
Forest sources were not available for comment when approached, and Marinakis’s legal team did not offer an immediate public statement. A Palace spokesperson declined to comment.
FA action and the club context
The incident has already been the subject of regulatory action. In February the Football Association fined Crystal Palace £50,000 after finding the club guilty of 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."
"The fact that Crystal Palace had a policy to prevent banners being smuggled into the stadium demonstrates that it was aware of the risk."
The FA’s written finding highlighted Palace’s existing measures to stop banned banners entering Selhurst Park and concluded the club had nonetheless failed to prevent the offending material from being displayed.
Broader tensions between the clubs
The banner episode sits within a period of strained relations between the two clubs. Last summer Palace and Forest clashed when Forest wrote to UEFA expressing concerns that Palace could be in breach of multiclub ownership rules. That dispute had competitive consequences: Palace, despite winning the FA Cup, were subsequently demoted to the Conference League, with Nottingham Forest promoted in their place following the respective processes.
On the pitch, the clubs also saw contrasting fortunes. Palace went on to win the Conference League under their then‑manager, Oliver Glasner, while Forest reached the Europa League semi‑finals. Glasner later left Palace at the end of his contract and, in a move that surprised supporters of both clubs, joined Nottingham Forest.
In recent public comments Glasner said Mr Marinakis had persuaded him to change his mind about joining Forest after an earlier refusal, telling how discussions in Athens were a factor in his decision — a point that added to the sense of intertwined relationships off the pitch between the two clubs.
Local significance and next steps
For Nottingham supporters the action by the club owner is significant for two reasons: it seeks to challenge a public portrayal that links him to serious criminality, and it brings the matter into the civil courts where a judge will consider whether the banner amounted to unlawful defamation.
- Claim filed at the High Court against CPFC Ltd and "Persons Unknown".
- Banner depicted Marinakis pointing a gun at Morgan Gibbs‑White and carried allegations he has denied.
- Crystal Palace were fined £50,000 by the FA over the banner incident in February.
The timing and particulars of any hearing before the High Court have not been disclosed. The civil claim will run on a separate track to football disciplinary processes and any potential criminal inquiries, and its outcome could have implications for how clubs manage and are held responsible for supporters' conduct at matches.
Nottingham Forest supporters will be watching closely as the case progresses, both for its reputational consequences and for what it may mean for relations between the two clubs going into the new season.
