Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of Nottingham Forest, has initiated a lawsuit against Crystal Palace for defamation. This action follows an incident last August where a banner was displayed at Selhurst Park, depicting Marinakis in a threatening manner towards Morgan Gibbs-White.
The banner also made unsubstantiated claims about Marinakis' business dealings. Despite Crystal Palace being fined £50,000 by the FA for the incident, Marinakis believes this punishment does not adequately address the global damage to his reputation.
He is seeking to hold the club accountable for not preventing the display of the banner and for not removing it promptly. Marinakis' case hinges on the notion that Crystal Palace failed to ensure their fans' behavior aligned with FA rules, which dictate that clubs are responsible for their fans' conduct. The lawsuit is based on the publication of allegedly false statements and the display of a defamatory image.
Crystal Palace has been contacted for comment, while Nottingham Forest has declined to comment on the ongoing legal matter.