Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of Nottingham Forest, is currently on trial in Athens, facing serious charges related to instigating football violence and supporting a criminal organization. Marinakis, who also owns the Greek football club Olympiacos, along with four other board members, is accused of two misdemeanour counts: instigating violence through statements against authorities and supporting a criminal group from 2019 to 2024. Marinakis, represented by his lawyer Vassilis Dimakopoulos, has categorically dismissed the charges as unfounded. “The accusations are totally baseless,” Dimakopoulos stated earlier to BBC Sport. In total, 142 fans are charged with being members of a criminal organization and causing life-threatening explosions at sporting events, with seven individuals specifically charged for leading the criminal organization. These charges arise from a tragic incident involving riot police officer George Lyngeridis, who sustained fatal injuries after being struck by a flare during violent confrontations outside a women’s volleyball match between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos in 2023. Lyngeridis succumbed to his injuries weeks later. The trial is anticipated to extend over several months, with more than 200 witnesses expected to testify. Given the extensive number of defendants and witnesses, the proceedings are being held in a specially designated room adjacent to Korydallos high-security prison in southern Attica, rather than in a traditional courtroom. On the day of the trial, police implemented strict security measures, including ID checks and metal detector screenings for all attendees. Separate entrances were designated for lawyers, witnesses, and journalists, with a makeshift media center established in an adjacent room. The court is comprised of a three-member panel of senior judges who will render decisions by majority vote. The trial commenced in silence as judges took their seats and called the defendants forward, with police officers in attendance wearing hoods and armed. The next hearing is scheduled for November 25.
