Nottingham Forest and owner Evangelos Marinakis were on the end of an apparent dig by Crystal Palace
09:40, 28 May 2026Updated 09:40, 28 May 2026
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis
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Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis(Image: PA)
Crystal Palace and chairman Steve Parish appeared to aim a couple of digs at Nottingham Forest and owner Evangelos Marinakis after the club’s Conference League win.
Palace toppled Rayo Vallecano 1-0 on Wednesday night to claim their first European trophy. Courtesy of their triumph in Leipzig, they will compete in next season’s Europa League.
The Eagles had originally been due to compete in UEFA’s second tier tournament this time around, following their 2025 FA Cup success, but they were demoted for falling foul of multi-club ownership rules. It led to the Reds taking their place in the Europa League, with Vitor Pereira’s side losing out to Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the semi-finals.
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Last summer’s saga surrounding which European tournament Forest and Palace would be in resulted in some needle between the two sides. Parish seemed to direct a broadside in the Reds’ direction after his club’s victory.
"To be in Europe, travelling round Europe (is one thing) but to come and win it is incredible and it hasn't really sunk it,” he told TNT Sports. “It's an incredible achievement.
"The players, the staff, all of the ups and downs we've had this season, it's brilliant to get here and to get into the Europa League where we deserve to be. It just shows that sometimes the good guys win in the end, I think.”
He continued: "When I bought the club I wasn't sure we'd ever play in Europe, let alone win a trophy. It's a dream come true.
“We have got a taste for it now, we want to keep it going. We have gone up a level and we have got to try and stay there. We will have a week to celebrate and then work hard in the summer."
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Palace’s X account also appeared to take aim at Forest and Marinakis. Alongside an image of departing manager Oliver Glasner, they posted: “At the end of the day, we always win…”
The caption appeared to be a reference to an identical remark Marinakis made when talisman Morgan Gibbs-White signed a new deal with the Reds last summer. At the time, the No.10 had been close to joining Tottenham Hotspur but instead agreed a new contract Trentside.
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Manager Glasner said on Wednesday: “I said to the players, get now what you deserve after winning the FA Cup: the Europa League. I think now, this was the one-year delay. Sometimes, clearly, you have to take a round trip and now we are there.”
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