Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has been handed a five-match stadium ban for spitting on the ground as match officials passed by in the tunnel, an independent regulatory commission announced Tuesday.
The Football Association imposed the suspension following an incident after Forest’s 1-0 home defeat to Fulham in the Premier League on September 28. The commission ruled that the 57-year-old owner’s behavior constituted improper conduct, describing it as “an egregious display of disrespectful behaviour” that could “fuel disrespect towards match officials.”
Referee Josh Smith, assistant James Mainwaring, and fourth official Tim Robinson reported seeing Marinakis spit on the floor in their direction as they made their way to the dressing room. While Marinakis claimed the incident was unintentional and attributed it to a cough from smoking cigars, the commission dismissed this explanation, noting that match officials’ statements contained no mention of coughing. Their conclusion was supported by CCTV footage.
The commission determined Marinakis had deliberately spat in contempt, classifying the action as serious misconduct warranting significant punishment. Marinakis’s suggestion of a more limited ban restricting him from the tunnel and dressing room areas was rejected by the commission, which noted he had limited need to access these areas after matches.
In a separate ruling, the commission also disclosed that Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo and midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White received suspensions for using offensive language toward match officials following the club’s 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on September 22.
