Evangelos Marinakis sues Premier League club for 'defamatory' banner as strict rule broken

Evangelos Marinakis is taking legal action over a controversial banner that was held up during Nottingham Forest's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace last season.

Marinakis dominated the headlines last summer during his transfer saga with Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White.

In July 2025, Tottenham Hotspur triggered the £60 million release clause in Gibbs-White's contract.

A medical was even booked in for the 26-year-old, who seemed increasingly likely to join then-manager Thomas Frank in north London.

But his potential switch to Spurs quickly unravelled when Forest owner Marinakis accused their Premier League rivals of making an 'illegal approach'.

The transfer eventually collapsed, with Marinakis successfully persuading the Englishman to commit his future by signing a new three-year contract at the City Ground.

"Morgan is a special player - not just in terms of talent, but character and mentality," Marinakis said in July last year. "He represents everything we want this football club to be: he is a winner, talented, ambitious, fearless, and proud.

"There was significant interest from various clubs, but we were determined to build our future with Morgan at the heart of it. I promised our fans we would not only compete, but grow stronger and stronger every season. Today is another big step in that journey."

Gibbs-White ended up having an incredible campaign at Forest and was unfortunate to miss out on Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the World Cup after scoring 15 Premier League goals.

The talented attacking midfielder looks set to stay on Trentside for another season, too, as the Tricky Trees have no intention of selling their prized asset, who should reach even new levels under Oliver Glasner.

Evangelos Marinakis sues Crystal Palace for defamatory Morgan Gibbs-White banner

While Forest are currently focused on assembling a squad capable of challenging in the top half of the Premier League, a legal case against Crystal Palace is bubbling in the background.

BBC Sport have revealed that Marinakis is 'suing' Palace for a banner unfurled by their fans depicting the Nottingham Forest owner holding a gun to midfielder Gibbs-White's head during a 1-1 draw last August.

"Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption," the banner read.

Marinakis' lawyers have since launched a defamation claim against the south London side in the High Court on Monday, with CPFC Limited listed as one of the two defendants.

Although the banner was not specified as the reason for the charge, there are strict rules regarding messaging containing defamatory, political and offensive slogans.

Palace are no strangers to being on the end of controversy, as the FA charged the Eagles in November 2025 for failing to ensure that supporters did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive or provocative way.

Marinakis-owned Forest had taken Palace's place in the Europa League last season after the south London club were relegated to the Conference League for breaking Uefa's multi-club ownership rules.

Glasner's first Premier League game in charge of Forest is on August 22, as they host Leeds United at the City Ground.