Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was caught up in a heated courtside row during the Euroleague Basketball final in Athens on Sunday evening. The 58-year-old, who also owns Greek side Olympiakos, was filmed seeming to quarrel with Grigoris Dimitriadis, nephew and former close advisor to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whilst being separated by a barrier and security staff. Footage shared on social media appeared to show Marinakis in a torn shirt during the confrontation at the event, where Olympiakos achieved a 92-85 victory over Real Madrid. The incident comes during continuing tensions between the pair, with Marinakis-owned media outlets in Greece having reported extensively on a phone spyware scandal that resulted in Dimitriadis’s resignation in 2022.
The Athens incident develops
The confrontation between Marinakis and Dimitriadis erupted during what should have been a celebration night for the Olympiakos owner, whose hoops team secured triumph in one of European sport’s most prestigious events. Witnesses at the Athens arena stated that tensions intensified quickly between the two men, with security personnel compelled to step in to prevent the situation from deteriorating. The altercation was captured by multiple spectators and rapidly spread across social networks, attracting considerable focus to the personal animosity between the pair.
The beginnings of their dispute date from 2022, when Dimitriadis was forced to resign from his position as general secretary in the Prime Minister’s office following a serious phone spyware scandal. In the time since, Marinakis’s Greek media outlets have provided continuous coverage of the affair, maintaining the controversy in the public domain. This continuous reporting is thought to have intensified personal tensions between the two men, culminating in Sunday’s encounter at the basketball final.
- Marinakis controls both Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos basketball team
- Dimitriadis stepped down over phone spyware scandal in 2022
- Marinakis-owned media outlets extensively covered the scandal
- Olympiakos beat Real Madrid by a score of 92-85 in the final
A chronicle of contention
Marinakis’s conduct at athletic competitions has generated significant attention over recent times, with the billionaire businessman emerging as a divisive figure in football circles. His ownership of Nottingham Forest has been marked by volatile decision-making, including the dismissal of three managers within a one season. Beyond the dugout, his actions has continually drawn criticism from regulatory authorities, setting a pattern of controversial incidents that extend far beyond the pitch into his broader sporting ventures across several continents.
The Athens incident represents merely the latest chapter in a expanding record of disagreements surrounding the Greek magnate. His tendency towards public confrontations, paired with his considerable media reach through his control of multiple platforms, has made him a controversial figure in both Greek and British sports circles. The pitch-side incident highlights how individual disputes and business competition can converge forcefully in prominent sports settings, especially where significant financial interests and political ties are at play.
Earlier conduct matters
In 2024, Marinakis received formal disciplinary action from English football authorities when he was deemed culpable of improper conduct and handed a five-match ground exclusion. The incident happened after Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 top-flight loss by Fulham, when he was observed expectorating on the ground as referees passed by. The punishment constituted a significant rebuke from the Football Association, showing their dedication to maintaining standards of conduct among club personnel at the top tier of English football.
Several months later, Marinakis became central to what the Football Association described as “an attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale.” A Forest social media post challenged video assistant referee Stuart Attwell’s integrity after contentious penalty calls in a defeat at Everton. The club was handed a significant £750,000 fine, with the FA condemning the post as “ill-chosen and irresponsible,” though Marinakis maintained he had “no regrets” discussing the official’s conduct.
Forest’s turbulent campaign
Nottingham Forest’s 2025-26 season proved to be one of the most disruptive in recent years, characterised by constant managerial change and unpredictable results that caused supporters to question the club’s path forward. Marinakis’s decision to appoint and subsequently dismiss three managers in total over the course of one season demonstrated the chaos at the City Ground, with every exit followed by much debate and controversy amongst the fanbase. The revolving door at the top generated a sense of instability that spread through the club, damaging squad morale and tactical cohesion at key points.
Despite the management turmoil, Forest eventually achieved Premier League safety by finishing in 16th place, playing to a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on the final day of the season. The point was enough to keep the club in the top flight, though the way they escaped from relegation danger emphasised the vulnerable position of their campaign. Additionally, the club reached the semi-finals of the Europa League before suffering a 4-1 aggregate loss to eventual champions Aston Villa, a result that constituted a significant missed opportunity for European silverware.
| Manager | Tenure outcome |
|---|---|
| Nuno Espirito Santo | Sacked during season |
| Ange Postecoglou | Sacked during season |
| Sean Dyche | Sacked during season |
| Vitor Pereira | Secured Premier League safety |
- Forest completed 16th in the Premier League, just escaping relegation on the final day
- Europa League campaign ended in semi-final defeat to Aston Villa with 4-1 aggregate loss
- Multiple managerial changes created considerable disruption across the whole season
Political conflict and media influence
The clash in Athens appears to be grounded in deep-seated tensions between Marinakis and Dimitriadis, originating in the latter’s role in a spyware scandal involving phone surveillance that forced his resignation from his role as chief secretary in the administration of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in 2022. The incident had considerable political consequences in Greece, and Marinakis’s news organisations have provided ongoing coverage of the incident in the time that has followed. This continued coverage has evidently kept tensions simmering between the two men, with the sideline confrontation indicating that ill feeling continues unresolved despite the passage of time.
Marinakis’s control over Greek media organisations has formerly drawn scrutiny concerning his use of news outlets to advance personal and political grievances. The coverage of Dimitriadis’s scandal represents one notable example of how his media influence overlaps with his personal conflicts. The tense confrontation at the Euroleague final, captured on film and widely shared across social media channels, illustrates how these tensions can escalate into public clashes, further increasing the prominence of their ongoing dispute and raising questions about the appropriate boundaries between media ownership and personal disputes.