Evangelos Marinakis Sues Crystal Palace for Defamation

Evangelos Marinakis is suing Crystal Palace for defamation over a controversial banner displayed at Selhurst Park last season, escalating a dispute that has already led to Football Association sanctions.

The Nottingham Forest owner has lodged a claim in the High Court after a large flag was unfurled in the Palace end last August, depicting him holding a gun to the head of Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. The image appeared shortly after Gibbs-White’s proposed move to Tottenham collapsed, a saga that ended with the player signing a contract extension at the City Ground instead.

The banner did not stop at the provocative artwork. It also carried lurid, unsubstantiated allegations about the Greek billionaire’s business dealings, pushing the incident beyond the usual boundaries of terrace taunting and into the legal arena.

An FA investigation followed in November. Crystal Palace were charged over the incident and ultimately fined £50,000 for failing to control their supporters. That, though, has not drawn a line under the matter.

Sky Sports News understands Marinakis believes the punishment falls well short of addressing what he considers to be global damage to his reputation. Convinced that the episode has harmed him far beyond English football’s borders, he is determined to pursue the south London club “to the full extent of the law”.

At the heart of his case is the contention that Palace did nothing meaningful to stop the banner being displayed, nor to ensure it was removed swiftly once it appeared. His legal team are now seeking clarity on exactly how responsible the club can be held for the actions of supporters inside their stadium.

FA regulations state that clubs must ensure their fans do not behave in a way that is “improper, offensive, abusive, insulting and/or provocative”. That duty of care, Marinakis argues, was not met on the day the banner appeared.

Defamation law offers three main avenues for a claim: the publication of alleged false statements, the creation of an image, or allowing such an image to be displayed. Marinakis’ action is understood to rest on that final point, with the depiction of him on the flag forming the core of his complaint.

Crystal Palace have been contacted for comment. Nottingham Forest, approached over their owner’s legal move, declined to comment on an ongoing case.

The courtroom, rather than the pitch, will now decide how far a club’s responsibility stretches when the most inflammatory messages come not from the boardroom or the dugout, but from the stands.