Nottingham Forest travel to face Crystal Palace on Sunday in what has become an unexpected rivalry over the summer, with Evangelos Marinakis at the centre of it all.
Forest took Palace’s place in the Europa League after the London club were adjudged to have breached UEFA’s rules around multi-club ownership groups, relating to the involvement of John Textor.
It was far from a simple process, though, as Palace appealed UEFA’s decision, sparking a legal argument that became about Forest as much as it was about UEFA.
However, Palace lost their appeal at CAS, which has seemingly solidified this new rivalry, sparking questions of whether Marinakis would feel safe attending Sunday’s clash.
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis at Wembley Stadium.
Photo by Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
How Crystal Palace feel about hosting Evangelos Marinakis
Palace accused UEFA of double standards as Marinakis owns both Forest and Olympiacos in European competitions, but the Greek businessman was able to comply with the rules through the UEFA-approved ‘blind trust’ model.
However, it’s clear that Palace fans still feel animosity towards Forest and Marinakis for how the situation played out, but the club itself seems content to leave it in the past.
Nottingham Forest have written to UEFA to voice their concerns about Crystal Palace's scheduled involvement in the Europa League next season.
Saying that Palace could be in breach of the multi-club ownership rules. pic.twitter.com/QSaRA1V3Vo
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 9, 2025
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According to The Guardian: “Marinakis will have his own security detail with him at Selhurst Park if he does attend, as is standard practice, while Forest’s safety and security team are involved in discussions with their counterparts at Palace to assess the level of risk.
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“Despite the ill-feeling between the clubs, Palace have made it clear that Marinakis will be welcome in the boardroom.”
Clearly, professionalism comes first in the boardroom but in the stands, Palace fans are expected to make their feelings pretty clear about Forest and Marinakis.
Crystal Palace fans plan protest against Nottingham Forest
It’s understandable that Palace fans would remain angry about the UEFA situation, with Forest seemingly set to remain a target for their vitriol for the foreseeable future.
The Guardian report continued to detail plans that the Selhurst Park faithful have to show their distaste for the Reds on Sunday, which has prompted the two clubs to review policing plans.
The report said: “Crystal Palace are in talks with Nottingham Forest, and the Metropolitan police, over the provision of increased security for the Premier League match between the teams at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
“Palace supporters are understood to be planning a protest at the fixture over Forest’s perceived role in getting them demoted to the Conference League.”
Perhaps the protests were to be expected, but it will be interesting to see whether the rivalry between the fanbases is echoed onto the pitch.