Evangelos Marinakis Sues Crystal Palace Over Controversial Banner
Evangelos Marinakis is taking legal action against Crystal Palace following a provocative banner displayed by their fans. The banner depicted the Nottingham Forest owner seemingly holding a gun to the head of midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.
On Monday, Marinakis’ legal team filed a defamation claim in the High Court, with CPFC Limited named as one of the defendants.
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The banner made an appearance during a 1-1 Premier League draw between the teams at Selhurst Park last August. It read: “Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.”
Marinakis has firmly denied any misconduct related to such claims.
In November 2025, the Football Association charged Palace with failing to ensure that supporters behaved appropriately and did not act in an offensive or provocative manner.
Although the banner itself was not cited as the reason for this charge, there are stringent regulations regarding messaging that includes defamatory, political, or offensive content.
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Gibbs-White, an England international, nearly left Nottingham Forest last summer when Tottenham appeared to trigger a £60m release clause.
However, he ultimately signed a new contract to remain at Forest, discussing his decision alongside Marinakis in an interview.
Following a breach of Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules, Marinakis-owned Nottingham Forest replaced Crystal Palace in the Europa League last season after Palace was relegated to the Conference League.
BBC Sport has reached out to both Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest for their response.
Evangelos Marinakis is suing Crystal Palace for a banner unfurled by their fans depicting the Nottingham Forest owner holding a gun to midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White‘s head.
Marinakis’ lawyers lodged the defamation claim in the High Court on Monday, with CPFC Limited listed as one of the two defendants.
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The banner, seen during a 1-1 Premier League draw between the two sides at Selhurst Park last August, read: “Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.”
Marinakis has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to such allegations.
In November 2025, the Football Association had charged Palace with failing to ensure that supporters did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive or provocative way.
While the banner was not specified as the reason for the charge, there are strict rules regarding messaging containing defamatory, political and offensive slogans.
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England international Gibbs-White had come close to leaving Forest last summer after Tottenham appeared to trigger a £60m release clause.
But he signed a new contract to stay at Forest and spoke about his decision during an interview alongside Marinakis.
Marinakis-owned Forest had taken Palace’s place in the Europa League last season after the south London club were relegated to the Conference League for breaking Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules.
BBC Sport has approached Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest for comment.
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