Nottingham Forest Owner On Trial Over Instigating Football Violence

Nottingham Forest proprietor, Evangelos Marinakis, has commenced his court proceedings in Athens concerning claims of provoking football-related unrest and backing a criminal entity within Greece.

The charges pertain to the 58-year-old’s control over Greek powerhouse Olympiacos, where he along with four additional board members stand accused of two misdemeanor offenses, as reported by Mail Online.

These span a five-year period from 2019 through 2024, involving allegations of them purportedly inciting violence via declarations against officials and of sustaining a criminal faction.

Additionally, 142 supporters are facing accusations of operating a criminal syndicate and triggering explosions that endanger lives at athletic venues.

Among that group, seven individuals have been indicted for heading the organization. They have each rejected any misconduct.

Marinakis was absent from the crowded courtroom located at Athens’ maximum-security Korydallos prison on Wednesday and was instead represented by his attorney Vassilis Dimakopoulos.

In comments to BBC Sport on Wednesday, Dimakopoulos dismissed the claims leveled against his client.

‘The accusations are totally baseless,’ he said.

According to Reuters, over 210 individuals are set to provide testimony to the three-judge panel throughout the proceedings, which legal experts predict may extend for years.

The session was postponed until November 25 following the chief judge’s recitation of the defendants’ and witnesses’ names.

The investigation began after the 2023 deadly wounding of 31-year-old riot police officer George Lyngeridis amid confrontations outside a women’s volleyball contest involving Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, typically considered a low-risk fixture. The supporters were detained in 2024.

‘This is a landmark trial,’ said Vaso Pantazi who is defending one of the accused, noting that her client and others ‘were in the wrong place at the wrong time.’

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