Evangelos Marinakis Takes Legal Action Against Crystal Palace
Evangelos Marinakis has launched legal action against Crystal Palace over a provocative banner displayed by home supporters during last season’s Premier League meeting with Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park.
The Forest owner has filed a defamation claim in the High Court, with CPFC Limited named as one of two defendants. The case was lodged on Monday, taking a simmering dispute from the stands into the courtroom.
The Banner That Sparked a Lawsuit
The flashpoint came during a 1-1 draw between Palace and Forest last August. In the Holmesdale end, a banner appeared showing Marinakis holding a gun to the head of Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.
Beneath the image ran a pointed line: “Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.”
The wording echoed long-standing allegations that have followed Marinakis during his ownership of clubs and shipping interests. He has repeatedly and consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to such claims, and now he is moving to challenge that depiction formally.
The image, and its timing, cut straight to the heart of the relationship between owner and player. Gibbs-White, one of Forest’s key assets, had been at the centre of intense transfer speculation just weeks earlier.
Gibbs-White, a Release Clause and a U-turn
Last summer, the England international came close to leaving the City Ground. Tottenham appeared to trigger a £60m release clause, putting Forest’s resolve and Marinakis’ ambitions under the spotlight.
The move never materialised. Instead, Gibbs-White signed a new contract to stay at Forest, a clear statement of intent from both player and club. He later discussed his decision in an interview conducted alongside Marinakis, a public show of unity that underlined the owner’s influence and the player’s importance to the project.
That backdrop gave the Selhurst Park banner extra bite. It did not just question Marinakis’ reputation; it did so using the image of one of Forest’s most valuable players, who had recently chosen to commit his future to the club.
Palace in the Dock
The Football Association had already turned its attention to the incident. In November 2025, the FA charged Crystal Palace with failing to ensure their supporters did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive or provocative manner.
The governing body did not explicitly single out the banner in its charge sheet. Even so, the regulations are clear. Clubs are responsible for preventing messaging that is defamatory, political or offensive from being displayed inside stadiums.
The Palace hierarchy now face scrutiny on two fronts: from the FA over their handling of supporter behaviour, and from Marinakis’ legal team over the alleged damage to his reputation.
European Fallout in the Background
All of this plays out against a broader tension between the clubs off the pitch.
Last season, Marinakis-owned Nottingham Forest took Crystal Palace’s place in the Europa League. Palace had been relegated to the Conference League after breaching Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules, a punishment that opened the door for Forest to step up a tier in European competition.
That reshuffle deepened the sense of rivalry. Palace, bumped down the continental ladder. Forest, promoted into the more prestigious tournament. The banner at Selhurst Park arrived in that charged context, with resentment and suspicion already in the air.
Now the argument moves away from the noise of the terraces and into the measured language of legal submissions. Marinakis has made his move. The next word belongs to the courts.
