Evangelos Marinakis Banned for Five Matches

Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Nottingham Forest, has received a five-match stadium ban for spitting on the ground as match officials walked by, an act deemed a 'flagrant display of disrespectful behaviour' by the Football Association (FA). The incident occurred following Forest's 1-0 defeat to Fulham, during which the home side was frustrated by a penalty awarded to Fulham after VAR consultation. Marinakis denied the charge, claiming he was merely coughing due to his cigar habit, but the independent regulatory commission dismissed his defense as implausible, citing the absence of any mention of coughing in officials' statements and supporting CCTV footage. The commission found that Marinakis's actions could fuel disrespect towards match officials and classified his behavior as serious misconduct. Despite the ban, Marinakis has lodged an appeal against the verdict. This incident reflects ongoing tensions in football regarding respect towards officials.