The rivalry between Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace looks set to continue into the upcoming Premier League season.
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has lodged a defamation case against Crystal Palace over a banner displayed by fans.
The banner depicted the owner holding a gun to the head of Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, during Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last August.
It also featured a line stating: “Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.”
The Football Association (FA) fined Crystal Palace £50,000 in February 2026 after an initial charge in November 2025 for failing to prevent supporters from behaving offensively and provocatively.
The FA accompanied the fine with a note that Crystal Palace’s own policy against smuggling banners into the stadium demonstrated it was aware of the risk.
The Premier League club could be set for more fines later this year, as lawyers at London’s High Court on 10 August filed the defamation case against CPFC Limited and “Persons Unknown.”
Money from the FA’s fine against the club went to the governing body, whereas a civil suit lodged by Marinakis seeks personal redress for damages caused to his reputation. However, if Marinakis is to be successful in the case, he must prove that the banner has caused serious harm to his reputation and that the club is legally responsible for the actions of the fans who displayed it.
The story behind the Crystal Palace banner
Marinkis, a Greek shipping magnate, bought Nottingham Forest in 2017. Since taking over the club, he has split opinions across English football.
Perhaps his biggest achievement has been ending a 23-year absence from the Premier League, as well as qualifying for European football. He has done this through investing a lot of money and taking a much more hands-on approach than other owners.
This proactive style has attracted a lot of attention over recent seasons, particularly as the club has burned through managers. Nottingham Forest had four different managers during the 2025/26 season, setting a Premier League record.
He is also active around players, which is the reason for the banner. Last summer, Gibbs-White reportedly came close to leaving the club for Tottenham Hotspur after Spurs appeared to trigger his £60m release clause.
However, he signed a new contract to stay, a decision he later mentioned in a joint interview with Marinakis, who stood by his side.
The text on the banner links to past legal controversies and allegations in Greece about Marinakis regarding match-fixing, bribery, and drug trafficking, though he has denied wrongdoing and been cleared of major charges.
A rivalry rooted in Europe
The tension between the two clubs really took off after Palace’s FA Cup win in May 2025, which was thought to have secured a first-ever Europa League campaign. However, UEFA demoted Palace to the Conference League after ruling that then-investor John Textor‘s stakes in both Palace and French side Lyon, who had also qualified for Europe, breached the governing body’s multi-club ownership rules.
After Forest missed out on European qualification by finishing seventh in the Premier League, they submitted a formal complaint to UEFA arguing that letting Palace’s ownership structure stand would reward a breach of the rules.
When UEFA didn’t reverse its decision, despite Textor selling his Palace stake and a Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal from Palace, Forest were promoted into the Europa League in the South London club’s place.
Crystal Palace went on to win the Conference League, the club’s first major European trophy, securing a route back into next season’s Europa League. Forest, meanwhile, bowed out of the Europa League in the semi-final after losing to Aston Villa.
