Forest owner Marinakis sues Palace over gun banner

What the report says

Greek businessman Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of Nottingham Forest, has filed a defamation claim against Crystal Palace in the UK High Court, according to reporting cited by Nile Post from BBC Sport. The case centres on a fan banner displayed during a 1-1 Premier League match at Selhurst Park last August, which showed Marinakis holding a gun to Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White’s head. A separate message on the banner said Marinakis was not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.

Court documents list CPFC Limited as one of the defendants. Marinakis has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in connection with those allegations. The public reporting does not say what damages he is seeking, only that his lawyers lodged the claim on Monday.

The dispute comes against a wider backdrop of tension involving the clubs and English football’s conduct rules. In November 2025, the Football Association charged Palace with failing to ensure supporters did not act in an improper, offensive, abusive or provocative way, although the banner was not named as the specific reason. Separately, Palace were previously affected by UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, which allowed Forest to take their Europa League place last season, according to the report. Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest have been approached for comment.