Nottingham Forest Owner’s Stadium Ban Appeal Rejected

The appeal filed by Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis regarding his five-game stadium ban has been unsuccessful. Marinakis, aged 57, was found to have engaged in improper conduct by spitting on the ground as match officials passed by after Forest’s 1-0 Premier League loss to Fulham at the City Ground on September 28. The commission, in its published written rationale for the decision, stated that there was “no excuse” for what it described as “an egregious display of disrespectful behaviour” capable of “fuel[ing] disrespect towards match officials”. Marinakis, who has already completed three games of the suspension, had denied the accusation. The Football Association confirmed, “An Appeal Board has dismissed an appeal by Nottingham Forest’s Evangelos Marinakis in relation to misconduct at their Premier League fixture on Saturday, 28 September against Fulham.” The FA added, “It was alleged that the behaviour of Evangelos Marinakis around the tunnel area after full-time of that match was improper. He denied this charge, but it was found proven by an independent Regulatory Commission, and a five-match stadium/ground suspension was imposed.” This incident took place after Forest, currently third in the Premier League standings, suffered a defeat to Fulham due to a penalty awarded by VAR. Written statements from Referee Josh Smith, assistant referee James Mainwaring, and fourth official Tim Robinson indicated that they observed Marinakis spitting on the floor in their vicinity while they were heading to the dressing room. Marinakis’s defense asserted that he had an uncontrollable cough, attributed to smoking two or three cigars daily, and that the act was accidental. However, the commission dismissed this defense, noting that no official’s statement referenced coughing, and CCTV footage from the tunnel area corroborated this finding. The commission stated its belief that Marinakis “deliberately spat in a disrespectful and disgusting display of contempt towards the match officials”. It determined this constituted serious misconduct, meriting a stringent penalty to serve as a deterrent. Marinakis contended that a ban solely from the tunnel and dressing room areas would be adequate, but the commission rejected this, considering he has no operational requirement to be in those specific zones post-match. This sanction follows a three-game touchline ban issued to manager Nuno Espirito Santo in October for his reaction to Morgan Gibbs-White’s red card during a match at Brighton. Additionally, the head coach’s previously suspended one-game ban was activated due to comments made after Forest’s 2-0 loss to Everton in April.