Evangelos Marinakis Takes Legal Action Against Crystal Palace Over Controversial Banner

Evangelos Marinakis has launched legal action against Crystal Palace over a controversial banner displayed by their supporters, dragging a simmering off-pitch feud between the clubs into the High Court.

The Nottingham Forest owner has filed a defamation claim after Palace fans unveiled a giant banner at Selhurst Park during a 1-1 Premier League draw between the sides last August. The image showed Marinakis holding a gun to the head of Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, alongside a pointed slogan:

“Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.”

CPFC Limited is listed as one of two defendants in the claim, lodged on Monday, as Marinakis moves to challenge what his camp view as a serious and public attack on his reputation. He has repeatedly and firmly denied any wrongdoing relating to allegations of criminal or corrupt activity.

The banner became one of the most striking – and inflammatory – images of last season’s Premier League campaign, cutting through the usual colour and noise of a matchday with a direct shot at one of the league’s most high-profile owners.

The Football Association had already stepped into the fallout. In November 2025, the FA charged Palace with failing to ensure their supporters did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive or provocative manner. The governing body did not explicitly single out the banner in its wording, but the regulations are clear: clubs are responsible for preventing defamatory, political or offensive messaging inside stadiums.

This was not just a piece of terrace theatre. It landed in the middle of a delicate period for both Marinakis and Gibbs-White.

The England international came close to leaving Forest last summer, with Tottenham believed to have triggered a £60m release clause. A move of that scale would have reshaped Forest’s project and Gibbs-White’s career. Instead, he stayed. He signed a new contract, recommitting to Marinakis’ regime, and later spoke about that decision in an interview conducted alongside the owner himself – a visible show of unity between player and hierarchy.

That context sharpened the edge of the Palace banner. It didn’t just mock an owner; it placed Gibbs-White at the heart of the imagery, a player whose future and loyalty had been a live topic across the division.

There is another layer to the tension. Marinakis-owned Forest took Palace’s place in the Europa League last season after the south London club were relegated to the Conference League for breaching UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules. One club stepping up as the other stepped down, both operating under the scrutiny of European football’s regulators, created an uneasy backdrop that this legal battle now brings into even sharper focus.

What began as a flashpoint in the away end at Selhurst Park has become a case for the High Court. The next chapter in this rivalry will be written not under floodlights, but under oath.