Nottingham Forest
Stefan Borson
Sun 18 May 2025 10:00, UK
Nuno Espirito Santo and Evangelos Marinakis appeared to clash on the pitch following Nottingham Forest’s draw against Leicester City.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville slammed the Greek billionaire’s decision to enter the field of play and claimed Nuno should negotiate an exit from the club in the aftermath of the incident on 11 May.
Marinakis ceased control of Forest last month in preparation for their qualification for European football.
Nuno’s side and Marinakis-owned Olympiacos will both be competing in Europe next season, with Uefa’s rules prohibiting clubs from being controlled by the same owners or directors from competing in the same competition.
Finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Marinakis could have breached the ownership rules after entering the pitch at the end of the Leicester game.
Forest have explained Marinakis’s anger was aimed towards the medical team after Taiwo Awoniyi continued to play despite colliding with the post in an effort to score late on.
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Awoniyi has since been in hospital and undergone emergency surgery as a result of the injury, but he is expected to make a full recovery after being woken up from an induced coma he was put in earlier this week.
(Credit: Imago)
Nottingham Forest ownership could face new complication
Borson insisted Uefa would have to prove Marinakis has breached the rules before handing out any potential punishment.
He told Football Insider: “The fact is, we all know what’s really going on, right?
“I’m not saying he controls it, but we all know that he still owns it. It’s about control rather than about ownership per se, and we all know that it’s a bit of a game to put it outside of his control. I guess technically you shouldn’t be anywhere near the pitch.
“The facts will be the facts in terms of his level of involvement, either he is in breach of the blind trust and is therefore in breach of Uefa’s rules, factually rather than optically, or he’s not. But we all know the game that’s being played.
“I guess it is more complicated if both Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos qualified for the same competition.
“But to the extent they’re playing on different nights, I would think he will be there. So, what does that mean? Does that mean he’s in control? Does that mean he’s just a fan? I don’t know.
“Everybody knows that it’s a sort of legal game that’s going on with those conflicts, and only if you can prove that there’s been a breach of that lack of independence can you actually do anything about it.”
Nottingham Forest
(Credit: Getty Images)
Nottingham Forest plot Harvey Elliott move
Football Insider revealed on 9 May Liverpool star Harvey Elliott is on Forest’s radar and could be made available by Arne Slot this summer.
Several Premier League clubs, including Wolves, Bournemouth and Newcastle United, are also believed to be keeping a close eye on the winger’s situation.
Appearances 26
Goals 4
Assists 2
Harvey Elliott’s 2024-25 stats (all competitions)
The 22-year-old has registered four goals and two assists in 26 appearances this season.
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