By Martin Graham
Evangelos Marinakis made his presence felt once again as he stepped onto the pitch at the City Ground following Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw with Leicester. Despite stepping away as a “person with significant control” due to UEFA regulations, Marinakis clearly remains an influential presence at the club.
The Greek businessman, who also owns Olympiakos, transferred his stake in Forest to a blind trust to comply with rules preventing clubs under the same ownership from competing in the same European tournament. Olympiakos have already secured their place in the 2025-26 Champions League, meaning Forest’s ambitions in Europe required this move.
After the final whistle on Sunday, Marinakis confronted head coach Nuno Espirito Santo in a brief but heated exchange. The moment, though public, was not considered serious by the Premier League, and within Forest, the incident is viewed as resolved. Marinakis later explained that his actions were sparked by concerns over how substitute Taiwo Awoniyi’s late-game injury was handled.
Awoniyi, who clashed with the post late in the match, was initially cleared to continue before eventually being substituted in stoppage time. He was later taken to hospital for abdominal surgery after complications were discovered. Marinakis was reportedly upset with the medical staff’s response to the injury.
Marinakis founded and leads Capital Maritime & Trading Corp, a global shipping company. He was named Greek Shipping Personality of the Year by Lloyd’s List in 2017. His business interests also include media; through Alter Ego Media, he owns major Greek newspapers Ta Nea and To Vima, and launched One Channel in 2019. Alter Ego Media, now the largest media organisation in Greece, was listed on the Athens stock exchange in early 2025.
He has been the owner of Olympiakos since 2010. Under his leadership, the club has claimed 11 league titles and won the Europa Conference League in 2024. Marinakis also owns a stake in Portuguese team Rio Ave and has held talks about acquiring Brazilian side Vasco da Gama.
Since acquiring Forest in 2017, when they narrowly avoided relegation to League One, Marinakis has overseen the club’s rise to the Premier League and now, European qualification for the first time since 1996. His long-term ambitions for Forest have included returning the team to the top tier, which they achieved in 2022 under Steve Cooper.
In a sign of those ambitions growing, former Arsenal sporting director Edu is expected to take a senior role overseeing football operations across all Marinakis-owned clubs. Although not officially announced, Edu’s presence at Forest’s FA Cup semi-final suggests the move is imminent.
Marinakis’ tenure in football has been shadowed by legal attention and disciplinary action. Upon buying Forest, he faced match-fixing accusations in Greece but was cleared in 2018. He had been accused of fraud, blackmail, and running a criminal organisation, but those charges were eventually dismissed.
He was also investigated in connection to a 2012 incident involving the bombing of a referee’s bakery following a loss by Olympiakos to Xanthi. The referee, Petros Konstantineas, said he had received indirect threats before the match. Marinakis denied involvement and was not charged.
Additionally, Marinakis was named during the investigation into the ‘Noor 1’ heroin trafficking case in 2014, in which over two tonnes of the drug were smuggled into Greece. He was placed under judicial investigation but never faced charges, strongly denying any links to the network.
Most recently, Marinakis is under scrutiny in a civil case related to the death of a police officer after a flare incident at a volleyball game between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos in 2023. He has denied the claims, describing them as a baseless blackmail attempt.
Marinakis has also faced disciplinary measures for conduct during matches. In 2021, he received a five-month ban from entering the pitch in Greece for insulting a referee. In England, he was handed a five-game stadium ban in September for improper conduct after allegedly spitting on the floor near match officials following a loss to Fulham.
He was also at the center of a controversy involving a social media post from Forest that questioned the integrity of VAR official Stuart Attwell after a match against Everton. The club was fined £750,000 for the post, but Marinakis stood by his decision to call out officiating errors.
