Evangelos Marinakis Files Defamation Claim Against Crystal Palace

Evangelos Marinakis has launched High Court legal action against Crystal Palace over a provocative banner displayed by their supporters, dragging a simmering feud between clubs back into the spotlight.

The Nottingham Forest owner has filed a defamation claim after Palace fans unveiled a giant banner at Selhurst Park during a 1-1 Premier League draw last August. The image showed Marinakis holding a gun to the head of Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, alongside a pointed caption:

“Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.”

CPFC Limited, Crystal Palace’s holding company, is listed as one of two defendants in the claim lodged on Monday. Marinakis, who has long and repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to allegations of criminal activity, has now chosen to challenge the depiction in the strongest possible legal terms.

The banner caused an immediate stir inside Selhurst Park and across the league. It tapped into long-standing accusations that have followed the Greek businessman during his ownerships in football, and framed them in the most confrontational way possible: a club owner, a star player, and a gun.

The Football Association had already stepped into the row last season. 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 single out the banner in that charge, but its regulations are clear: clubs are responsible for preventing defamatory, political or offensive slogans from appearing in stadiums.

This was no throwaway tifosi artwork. It arrived at a moment when Marinakis and Gibbs-White were already central figures in one of the Premier League’s off-pitch storylines.

The England international had come close to leaving Forest last summer after Tottenham appeared to trigger a £60 million release clause in his contract. A move looked likely. Forest risked losing their creative fulcrum. Instead, the narrative flipped. Gibbs-White signed a new deal to stay at the City Ground and later sat alongside Marinakis in an interview to explain his decision, a public show of unity between owner and player.

That image of alignment between club chief and on-pitch leader jarred sharply with the one unfurled in the away end at Selhurst Park.

Tensions between the clubs had already been sharpened by events in Europe. Marinakis-owned Forest took Palace’s place in the Europa League last season after the south London side were demoted to the Conference League for breaching UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules. Palace’s punishment opened the door for Forest; Marinakis’ club stepped through it.

Now the dispute has moved from the pitch and the stands to the High Court, with one of the Premier League’s most outspoken owners attempting to draw a line over how he is portrayed in English football’s most public arenas.