Evangelos Marinakis Takes Legal Action Against Crystal Palace
Evangelos Marinakis has launched legal action against Crystal Palace over a provocative banner displayed by home supporters during last season’s meeting with Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park.
The Forest owner has filed a defamation claim in the High Court, with CPFC Limited named as one of two defendants. His move drags a flashpoint from a 1-1 draw in August back into the spotlight and pushes it into a far more serious arena.
The banner that crossed a line
In the Holmesdale end that afternoon, Palace fans unveiled a banner depicting Marinakis holding a gun to the head of Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. Across it ran a pointed, heavily loaded message: “Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.”
The wording was framed as denial. The implication was anything but subtle.
Marinakis has repeatedly and firmly rejected any wrongdoing in relation to allegations of that nature. Now he is taking the matter to court, seeking to challenge what he views as a defamatory portrayal played out in front of a global television audience.
Palace already in the dock with the FA
The Football Association had already taken notice of events at Selhurst Park. In November 2025, Palace were charged with failing to ensure that their supporters did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive or provocative way.
The charge did not explicitly single out the Marinakis banner. It did not need to. Regulations around supporter messaging are tight, especially on anything that can be construed as defamatory, political or overtly offensive. Clubs are expected to police what appears in their stands. When they do not, the FA tends to follow.
Now, with Marinakis’ legal team stepping in, the fallout moves beyond football’s disciplinary framework and into the courts.
Gibbs-White at the centre of the storm
Caught in the middle of the imagery was Morgan Gibbs-White, a key figure for Forest and an England international. The banner tapped directly into a transfer saga that had rumbled through the previous summer.
Tottenham had appeared to trigger a £60m release clause in Gibbs-White’s contract, putting him on the brink of a high-profile move. The midfielder ultimately stayed put, signing a new deal at Forest. He later discussed that decision in an interview conducted alongside Marinakis, a public show of unity between player and owner.
That context gave the Selhurst Park banner extra sting. It did not just depict Marinakis as a villainous figure; it placed Gibbs-White as a hostage in a narrative about power, money and control in modern football.
European tension in the background
The relationship between the two clubs has hardly been straightforward off the pitch either.
Marinakis-owned Forest took Palace’s place in the Europa League last season after the south London club were relegated to the Conference League for breaching UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules. Palace’s demotion opened the door for Forest to step up a tier in European competition.
That reshuffle added another layer of friction between the clubs’ hierarchies, long before any banner was unfurled.
Now, with a High Court defamation claim running alongside the FA’s earlier disciplinary action, the dispute between Marinakis and Crystal Palace moves into a new phase. The next chapter will not be written on the pitch, but in a courtroom.
