Nottingham Forest and Evangelos Marinakis are often at war with the FA, with the latest remarkable case providing wins on both sides of the argument.
The Forest owner is known to wear his heart on his sleeve, as seen recently when Marinakis left his seat early during the West Ham defeat in a show of frustration.
His and the club’s passion have led to issues with the governing bodies, too, most infamously when the FA fined Forest after a tweet criticising refereeing decisions in 2024.
In the background, that fine has turned into a legal case between the FA and Forest, which has resulted in a major victory for Marinakis.
Main: Evangelos Marinkais in the stands against West Ham
Credit: Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images
Nottingham Forest win remarkable FA appeal over ‘biased’ allegations
The Forest tweet criticising decisions in a defeat against Everton went viral, given the reference to the VAR official being a Luton fan, a potentially significant factor in what was a relegation six-pointer.
However, the subsequent FA ban and, in particular, the involvement of Graeme McPherson KC on the FA panel led to a case surrounding a potential case of bias against McPherson, a case that the Reds have won.
A Daily Mail report said: “The Football Association will have to pay Nottingham Forest a significant, six-figure sum after losing a landmark legal battle over allegations one of its panel chairs may have been ‘biased’ against the club.
The Premier League was extremely disappointed to read the comments made by Nottingham Forest on social media yesterday, following its match against Everton.
We note The FA has confirmed it will be investigating the club’s statement. It is never appropriate to improperly question…
— Premier League Communications (@PLComms) April 22, 2024
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In a devastating verdict that will trigger red faces and serious questions within the governing body, lawyers found that Graeme McPherson KC had launched what could be viewed as an ‘unjustified, inappropriate, and personal attack on the club’ after it was fined for a now-infamous tweet.”
McPherson was the chair of the FA panel that made the decision to fine Forest over the tweet, so the result of this case will delight Marinakis in particular.
However, a hidden aspect of the decision actually hints that Forest’s run-ins with McPherson may not yet be over.
Nottingham Forest fail in secondary aspect of FA case
Getting into the specifics of McPherson’s involvement in the proceedings between Forest and the FA, the report continued: “They [Forest] were subsequently charged with bringing the game into disrepute for the tweet, which was viewed nearly 40 million times, with the FA initially seeking to impose a £1m fine.
“An outraged Forest hit back, claiming the FA was acting unfairly and effectively plucking a figure out of thin air. However, Mr McPherson, who was chair of the FA panel which made a preliminary decision, said he rejected ‘the club’s somewhat hysterical submission’.
“[…] The panel described Mr McPherson’s use of the word ‘hysterical’ as ‘inherently highly pejorative’ adding: ‘a fair-minded informed person would consider that there was a real possibility that Mr McPherson was biased against the club’.”
However, much to Forest’s disappointment, McPherson will continue to play a role in the FA’s proceedings, even if a case arises that involves the Reds.
The report added: “Forest had also sought to stop Mr McPherson from sitting on any alleged misconduct panels involving the club during this season. However, that request was rejected as such a move would be ‘unfair’.”
Hopefully, Forest won’t need to worry about another run-in with an FA panel, but if they do, McPherson may well be involved once more.