Evangelos Marinakis has filed a defamation lawsuit against Crystal Palace over a banner displayed by Palace supporters that portrayed the Nottingham Forest owner pointing a gun at midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. His lawyers submitted the claim to the High Court on Monday, naming CPFC Limited as one of two defendants.
The banner, shown during a 1-1 Premier League draw at Selhurst Park last August, read: “Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.” Marinakis has consistently denied any wrongdoing connected to such allegations.
In November 2025, the Football Association charged Palace with failing to prevent improper, offensive, abusive or provocative supporter behavior. While the FA did not specify the banner as the cause, regulations restrict defamatory, political, and offensive messaging.
Gibbs-White nearly left Forest last summer after Tottenham appeared to trigger a £60m release clause, but he signed a new contract and discussed his decision in an interview alongside Marinakis. Marinakis-owned Forest took Palace’s Europa League spot last season after the south London club were moved to the Conference League for breaching Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules. BBC Sport has requested comment from both Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.