Legal Action Over Banner
Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of Nottingham Forest, is suing Crystal Palace for defamation over a banner displayed by their fans during a Premier League match. The banner, shown at Selhurst Park in August, depicted Marinakis holding a gun to the head of midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. It also read: "Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption." Marinakis has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to such allegations.[S1][S2]
Lawyers for Marinakis lodged the defamation claim in the High Court on Monday, with CPFC Limited listed as one of two defendants. The claim comes nearly a year after the banner appeared during the 1-1 draw between the clubs. A defamation specialist noted that the claim was issued shortly before the expiry of the one-year limitation period, suggesting prior settlement efforts may have failed.[S2][S3]
FA Action and Club Tensions
The Football Association charged Crystal Palace in November 2025 for failing to ensure supporters did not behave improperly, although the banner was not specified as the reason. In February, Palace were fined £50,000 after being found guilty of the charge. The FA added that Palace's policy to prevent banners being smuggled into the stadium showed awareness of the risk.[S3][S4]
Tensions between the clubs have been high since Palace were demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League for breaching UEFA's multi-club ownership rules. Forest, who finished seventh, took Palace's place in the Europa League. The banner appeared while that row was still fresh, and Oliver Glasner, who led Palace to three trophies, later joined Forest.[S2][S3]
Gibbs-White Transfer Context
The banner referenced Morgan Gibbs-White's transfer situation. The England international had been close to joining Tottenham last summer after they appeared to trigger a £60m release clause. However, he signed a new contract to stay at Forest and discussed his decision in an interview alongside Marinakis. Palace are due to face Forest at Selhurst Park on October 10.[S1][S5]
