Nottingham Forest owner hit with five-game stadium ban for ‘improper behaviour’
Evangelos Marinakis was found of ‘improper’ behaviour in the tunnel area following the 1-0 defeat at home to Fulham
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Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has been hit with a five-gave stadium ban for his behaviour in the tunnel following the home defeat to Fulham last month.
Marinakis was charged with misconduct by the Football Association and, although he denied the allegation, an independent regulatory commission found his behaviour after the final whistle was “improper”.
Fulham won 1-0 at the City Ground on September 28 after Raul Jimenez converted a second-half penalty, awarded by referee Josh Smith after he was told to consult the pitchside monitor by VAR.
Forest were further enraged when they had late penalty claims involving Anthony Elanga and Taiwo Awoniyi turned down. The FA have yet to publish their written reasons but said they would do so in due course.
Forest immediately released a statement to say they had appealed the decision, which would see Marinakis, who also owns Greek giants Olympiacos, banned from attending a match until November 30.
“Nottingham Forest Football Club notes the decision of the regulatory commission in relation to its owner, Evangelos Marinakis,” the statement said.
“An appeal has immediately been lodged against this decision in respect of both the liability and the sanction.”
The latest punishment involving Forest comes just days after the club were fined £750,000 following a social media post made in the wake of the 2-0 defeat to Everton last season.
Forest were fined by the FA for an “attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale” after complaining about referee Stuart Atwell’s performance and suggesting he was a Luton fan.
Greek businessman Marinakis, 58, also gave a newspaper interview three weeks after the Everton defeat suggesting there was a “vendetta” against his club by referees.
Additionally on Friday, manager Nuno Espirito Santo was given a three-match touchline ban and fined £55,000 by the FA following Nottingham Forest’s ill-tempered draw with Brighton last month.
The Portuguese boss was handed a two-game ban for comments after the 2-2 draw at the Amex Stadium, with an extra game triggered from a suspended ban following incidents surrounding the Everton game last season.
Midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White has also been banned for one game following misconduct after his dismissal against the Seagulls.
Santo will miss Forest’s games against Crystal Palace, Leicester and West Ham, while Marinakis will be banned from attending further games against Newcastle and Arsenal.
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