Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has addressed the incident that followed his team’s 2–2 draw against Leicester City on Sunday, May 11, 2025, where emotions boiled over at the City Ground, Footynaija.com reports.
Forest had just secured a European spot for the first time in thirty years, but the post-match focus turned sharply to Marinakis’s heated confrontation with head coach Nuno Espírito Santo.
The tension was largely sparked by the situation involving Nigeria striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who had crashed into the post during the first half. Awoniyi, who has had an injury-hit season, was initially allowed to continue by the medical staff, only to be taken off moments later.
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That brief period saw Forest playing with ten men, and Marinakis was visibly livid, blaming the misjudgement for disrupting the team’s momentum during a key moment in the match.
Speaking in a later statement via his Instagram account, Marinakis said:
“Everybody — coaching staff, players, supporters and including myself — we were frustrated around the injury of Taiwo and the medical staff’s misjudgement on Taiwo’s ability to continue the game… this is a demonstration of the passion we feel for our club.”
He also used the moment to remind fans of the scale of Forest’s achievement this season. In another part of his statement, he declared:
“Today is a day for celebration… Nottingham Forest is now guaranteed to be competing on the European stage once again, a promise I made to our supporters when we achieved promotion!”
As reported by BBC Nottingham Sport, Manager Nuno Espírito Santo, who appeared calm throughout the pitch-side confrontation, acknowledged the misunderstanding with the medical staff and expressed his gratitude to Marinakis and his family. He described the owner’s influence as central to Forest’s current project and urged unity as the season nears its climax.
Nottingham Forest sit seventh in the Premier League table, just one point behind Chelsea and Aston Villa, who are respectively fifth and sixth. With matches still to come against West Ham and Chelsea, qualification for the UEFA Champions League remains a possibility.
The team’s European return is already historic, and with Awoniyi now back on the radar, all eyes will be on how the season finishes.
