5 hours ago
11
Evangelos Marinakis will be permitted to continue his hands-on approach to running Nottingham Forest next season despite relinquishing his shares in the club.
The Greek billionaire was strongly criticised for storming on to the pitch to confront the manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, following Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Leicester, which left Forest seventh in the table as they attempt to qualify for the Champions League for the first time.
Marinakis’s Greek club, Olympiakos, have already secured their Champions League place for next season and he announced last month that he has placed his Forest shares in a so-called “blind trust” to ensure compliance with Uefa regulations if they also qualify.
Marinakis’s Forest shares are now managed by several trustees who were appointed directors of the club last month – Matthew Shayle, Matthew Cain and Timothy Osborne – although Marinakis was not actually on the board in the first place.
The Guardian has learned, however, that there are no conditions in the blind trust arrangement sanctioned by Uefa to restrict Marinakis’s attendance at matches, deny him access to any part of the stadium or to prevent him speaking to the manager or players. A source close to the 57-year-old added that he will continue offering opinions and guidance in a personal capacity.
The day-to-day running of Forest is in the hands of chief executive officer, Lina Souloukou, who is close to Marinakis after spending four years as chief executive at Olympiakos, while 20% shareholder Sokratis Kominakis returned to the club’s board last month.
Marinakis’s compliance with Uefa’s regulations will be monitored by its Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), although it will focus on restricting his financial rather than his emotional involvement. Forest have already submitted details of their new ownership structure to Uefa, who have passed it on to the CFCB for approval.
Marinakis’s response to Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules is considerably different to that of Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The Manchester United co-owner did not attend a single Nice match this season after he parked his shares when both the French club and United qualified for the Europa League.
The Leicester draw secured European qualification for Forest for the first time in 30 years, although reaching the Champions League is no longer in their hands, as Chelsea and Aston Villa both have one more point with just two games remaining.
after newsletter promotion
Beyond the disappointing result Marinakis was unhappy with Nuno on Sunday for failing to replace substitute Taiwo Awoniyi after he collided with a post. Awoniyi could barely run for the last 10 minutes leaving Forest short as they chased a late winner after relegated Leicester twice came from behind.
Marinakis was given a five-game stadium ban by the FA earlier this season after spitting on the floor as match officials walked past him in the tunnel following a home defeat by Fulham in September. The FA is not intending to take further disciplinary action against him following his one-man pitch invasion against Leicester.
