Nottingham Forest Owner Marinakis Sues Crystal Palace Over Fan Banner Depicting Gun to Gibbs-White's Head
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has launched a defamation lawsuit against Crystal Palace over a fan-made banner that depicted him holding a gun to midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White's head.
Marinakis' lawyers lodged the claim in the High Court on Monday, with CPFC Limited — Crystal Palace's parent company — listed as one of two defendants, according to BBC Sport and Reuters.
The banner appeared in the Holmesdale End at Selhurst Park during the first half of a 1-1 Premier League draw between the two clubs last August. It showed Marinakis holding what appeared to be a pistol to Gibbs-White's head, accompanied by a speech bubble reading: "Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption." Sky Sports did not broadcast the banner during its live coverage, as The Athletic reported at the time.
The irony was thick, and it was not accidental. The banner's wording inverted the serious allegations that have circled Marinakis for years — allegations he has consistently denied.
Crystal Palace were fined £50,000 by the Football Association over the display, as BBC Sport reported in July. The FA had charged the club in November 2025 with failing to ensure supporters did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive or provocative way, though the charge did not specifically name the banner.
Behind the provocation lies a genuine rivalry with real stakes. Crystal Palace, the 2025 FA Cup winners, were demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League last season for breaking Uefa's multi-club ownership rules — the regulation preventing one entity from controlling two clubs in the same competition. Marinakis-owned Forest took Palace's vacated Europa League place. Palace fans, according to AP News, blame Marinakis for fuelling the Uefa investigation that led to their demotion.
The banner's target, Gibbs-White, had been at the centre of his own summer drama. Tottenham appeared to trigger a £60 million release clause in his contract last summer, putting his Forest future in doubt. Instead, the midfielder signed a new deal and stayed, discussing his decision in a joint interview alongside Marinakis — a public show of unity that the Selhurst Park banner set out to mock.
A club being sued for something its fans unfurled in the stands is unusual but not unprecedented. Clubs bear responsibility for crowd behaviour under FA rules, and the £50,000 fine already reflected that. A High Court defamation claim, though, raises the stakes considerably — it turns a terrace provocation into a legal matter with potential financial consequences far beyond a regulatory fine.
Neither Crystal Palace nor Nottingham Forest have publicly commented on the lawsuit. The case now moves through the High Court, where the question of whether a satirical fan banner can defame a football club owner will be tested.
