Nottingham Forest Owner Banned For Spitting Towards Match Officials

Evangelos Marinakis, Nottingham Forest’s owner, has received a five-match stadium suspension for spitting on the floor as match officials walked past in the tunnel following a 1-0 defeat to Fulham in September.

Marinakis missed the club’s first home win since April against Crystal Palace on Monday, and he will also be barred from attending games against Leicester, West Ham, Newcastle, and Arsenal.

The incident occurred after Fulham’s Raul Jimenez scored a disputed penalty, which was awarded following a lengthy VAR review.

Forest were further upset when another VAR decision went in Fulham’s favor after Calvin Bassey appeared to bring down Anthony Elanga within the area, but penalty appeals were denied.

An independent regulatory commission’s findings, announced on Tuesday, October 22, stated that Marinakis’ behavior constituted a “egregious display of disrespectful behavior” that “fuels disrespect toward match officials.”

In his defense, the businessman said the spitting episode was inadvertent and caused by a hacking cough from smoking two or three cigars per day.

Earlier this month, Forest were fined £750,000 ($976,000) for a social media post last season that the Football Association judged targeted “the integrity of a match official on an unprecedented scale.”

According to the club’s official social media channel, the VAR official during Forest’s 2-0 defeat to Everton was a supporter of relegation rivals Luton after three penalties were refused.

orest manager Nuno Espirito Santo and vice-captain Morgan Gibbs-White have also been suspended after being sent off in a 2-2 draw with Brighton last month.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli