In 2017, Evangelos Marinakis acquired Nottingham Forest. Recently, the Football Association (FA) has charged Crystal Palace with misconduct following an incident involving a banner displayed by supporters during a Premier League match at Selhurst Park, where the teams drew 1-1. The banner controversially depicted Marinakis holding a gun to midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White’s head and included the statement: “Mr. Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking, or corruption.” Marinakis has consistently refuted any allegations of wrongdoing. The FA’s charge against Crystal Palace pertains to their failure to ensure that supporters refrained from engaging in improper, offensive, abusive, or provocative behavior. Although the banner was not explicitly cited as the reason for the charge, the FA enforces stringent regulations against messaging that includes defamatory, political, or offensive content. Gibbs-White was on the verge of leaving Nottingham Forest this summer after Tottenham reportedly activated a £60 million release clause, but he ultimately opted to sign a new contract with the club. He discussed his decision in an interview alongside Marinakis. This match on August 24 marked the first encounter between the two clubs since Crystal Palace’s relegation from the Europa League to the Conference League due to violations of UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations, which allowed Nottingham Forest to take their place in the latter competition. Crystal Palace has until Tuesday to respond to the charge.
