Nottingham Forest Owner Marinakis Expresses “No Regrets” Amidst VAR Controversy

Nottingham Forest is currently positioned sixth in the Premier League. Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of Nottingham Forest, has stated he has “no regrets” regarding his conduct after highlighting “big mistakes” attributed to the video assistant referee (VAR). In October, Marinakis received a five-game stadium ban. This sanction followed an incident on 28 September at the City Ground, after Forest’s 1-0 Premier League loss to Fulham, where he spat on the floor as match officials passed him in the tunnel. Speaking to Sky Sports News, Marinakis asserted, “We have seen things that are unbelievable and you need to have the courage and the power to stand by what you say and to be able to prove that what you say is correct.” He further added, “This duty of responsibility towards the clubs is to make sure that there is justice. And when mistakes happen, to be able to rectify them is very important.” Marinakis concluded by stating, “This is something that I have no regrets [about] and it will continue to be the case.” The Football Association previously fined Forest £750,000 for what it termed an “attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale.” This fine stemmed from a social media post on X last season, in which the club alleged that VAR Stuart Attwell supported Luton Town, a team also contending with relegation at the time. The post also raised concerns about three penalty decisions that were not awarded in their favor during a 2-0 loss to relegation rivals Everton on 21 April. Marinakis further commented, “Unfortunately, we have seen big mistakes take place with VAR.” He elaborated, “Being a human being, you are obliged to make mistakes, it’s natural to make mistakes, but when you see repeated mistakes from the same people, this is something that needs to be corrected, and needs to be corrected immediately. Authorities or organisations – the FA, the Premier League, Uefa, Fifa – they have a duty to all of us to rectify all this.” Edu departed the Brazilian FA to join Arsenal in 2019. The Greek billionaire Marinakis finalized his purchase of Nottingham Forest in May 2017. He has also owned the Greek club Olympiakos since 2010 and expanded his football portfolio in 2023 by acquiring Portuguese side Rio Ave. The 57-year-old provided the financial backing for Forest’s promotion from the Championship during the 2020-21 season and has consistently invested substantial amounts to help the club establish itself in the Premier League. Beyond the pitch, Marinakis has been associated with the prospect of bringing former Arsenal sporting director Edu, who resigned from his position on 4 November, into his organization. Marinakis commented on Edu, stating, “I have a lot of respect for him [Edu].” He continued, “What I can say is that I would like to cooperate with him on a much bigger project, a global project. I’m optimistic that in case all this goes ahead, it will be another successful venture for both of us.” Marinakis concluded, “I’m very optimistic about it, but we need to see how this will be developed and will be finalised, if and when time allows.”