Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has been handed a five-match stadium ban after being found guilty of improper conduct for spitting on the floor as match officials walked past in the tunnel. The incident occurred following Forest’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to Fulham at the City Ground on 28 September. An independent regulatory commission issued the ban, describing Marinakis’ actions as an “egregious display of disrespectful behaviour.”
The controversy unfolded after Forest’s unbeaten start to the season was broken by a VAR-awarded penalty in favour of Fulham. Referee Josh Smith, assistant referee James Mainwaring, and fourth official Tim Robinson reported that Marinakis spat on the floor in their direction while walking through the tunnel after the match. In their written statements, the officials noted the owner’s disrespectful behaviour.
In his defense, Marinakis claimed that his actions were not intentional, attributing them to a hacking cough caused by his habit of smoking two to three cigars daily. However, the commission rejected this explanation, noting that none of the officials mentioned coughing in their statements, and CCTV footage of the tunnel supported their version of events. The commission concluded that Marinakis “deliberately spat in a disrespectful and disgusting display of contempt towards the match officials.”
The commission emphasized that there was “no excuse” for Marinakis’ behaviour and deemed it necessary to issue a strong punishment to serve as a deterrent. Marinakis had argued that a ban from the tunnel and dressing room areas would be sufficient, but the commission disagreed, stating that since he is not required in those areas after games, the punishment needed to reflect the severity of the misconduct. As a result, Marinakis was banned from attending matches for five games.
In addition to Marinakis’ ban, Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo and midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White faced penalties for swearing at match officials during Forest’s 2-2 draw against Brighton on 22 September.
Nuno, who was shown a red card for his reaction to Gibbs-White’s dismissal, received a three-match touchline ban. He was reported to have sworn at referee Robert Jones and gesticulated aggressively, though he apologized to the officials after the game. The commission acknowledged Nuno’s honesty and remorse but issued a harsher punishment due to his previous misconduct record, which included a suspended one-match ban from comments made after a defeat to Everton in April. As a result, the two-match ban was extended to three, with the activation of the suspended ban.
Gibbs-White was given a one-match ban after being sent off for foul and abusive language. His genuine remorse and apology led the commission to reduce the standard two-game ban to one.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, who was also sent off during the same incident, was fined £8,000. However, Hurzeler avoided a touchline ban, as the commission deemed his behaviour less severe in comparison to the others involved.
The bans and fines handed out by the independent regulatory commission underline the importance of respect towards match officials. While Marinakis’ actions were deemed deliberate and unacceptable, both Nuno and Gibbs-White’s expressions of remorse allowed for slightly mitigated punishments. The incident highlights the need for stricter conduct on and off the pitch, especially from those in positions of power and influence within the sport.
