Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has filed a defamation lawsuit against Crystal Palace after fans unfurled a banner which showed him holding a gun to player Morgan Gibbs-White’s head.
Marinakis’ legal team lodged the claim on Monday, nearly a year on from the banner’s display during the Premier League clash between the two clubs at Selhurst Park.
The banner, raised in the Holmesdale Road End where the club ultras are situated, referenced Forest talisman Gibbs-White’s sudden transfer U-turn and the awkward interview he subsequently did with the club, during which Marinakis was anchored to his side.
The banner also included unsubstantiated claims against Marinakis, a Greek shipping magnate, who has repeatedly, vehemently denied the allegations.
He is now suing in the High Court, with his defamation claim against Crystal Palace and “Persons Unknown”.
Marinakis’ lawyers, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace have been approached for comment by The Independent.
It is the latest action to be taken against Palace as a result of the banner, after the FA charged the club in November with failing “to ensure its spectators and/or supporters (and anyone purporting to be supporters or followers) didn’t behave in an improper, offensive, abusive, insulting and/or provocative way at this match”.
Palace were fined £50,000 four months later, with the FA adding: “The fact that Crystal Palace had a policy to prevent banners being smuggled into the stadium demonstrates that it was aware of the risk.”
The game on 24 August last year took place amid heightened tensions between Palace and Forest after the Eagles were demoted from the Europa League due to a breach of multi-ownership regulations.
Forest voiced their concerns over this to Uefa and were then the beneficiaries of Palace’s removal, which lifted them into Europe’s second-tier competition.