Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was caught up in a intense sideline row during the Euroleague Basketball final in Athens on Sunday night. The 58-year-old, who also owns Greek club Olympiakos, was filmed seeming to quarrel with Grigoris Dimitriadis, nephew and former trusted advisor to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whilst being divided by a barrier and security personnel. Footage shared on social media appeared to show Marinakis wearing a ripped shirt during the altercation at the event, where Olympiakos secured a 92-85 victory over Real Madrid. The incident comes amid ongoing tensions between the pair, with media outlets owned by Marinakis in Greece having covered extensively a phone spyware scandal that resulted in Dimitriadis’s resignation in 2022.
The Athens incident unfolds
The dispute between Marinakis and Dimitriadis flared up during what was meant to be a celebration night for the Olympiakos owner, whose basketball team secured triumph in one of the most esteemed sporting competitions. Witnesses at the Athens arena reported that tensions intensified quickly between the two men, with security staff forced to intervene to stop things from getting worse. The altercation was captured by multiple spectators and quickly circulated across social networks, attracting considerable focus to the personal animosity between the pair.
The foundations of their dispute stem from 2022, when Dimitriadis was forced to resign from his position as general secretary in the Prime Minister’s office after a damaging phone spyware scandal. In the period following, Marinakis’s Greek media outlets have maintained sustained coverage of the affair, maintaining the controversy in the public eye. This relentless reporting is thought to have intensified mutual animosity between the two men, leading to Sunday’s encounter at the basketball final.
- Marinakis controls both Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos basketball team
- Dimitriadis stepped down over wiretapping controversy in 2022
- Marinakis-owned news organisations extensively covered the scandal
- Olympiakos defeated Real Madrid by a score of 92-85 in the final
A record of contention
Marinakis’s behaviour at sporting events has drawn substantial examination over the past few years, with the billionaire entrepreneur emerging as a controversial figure in football’s inner circles. His ownership of Nottingham Forest has been characterised by volatile decision-making, such as the dismissal of three managers within a single season. Beyond the dugout, his conduct has consistently attracted criticism from regulatory authorities, establishing a pattern of disputed incidents that stretch well past the football pitch into his extensive sporting interests across multiple continents.
The Athens incident constitutes merely the latest chapter in a lengthening catalogue of disagreements surrounding the Greek magnate. His tendency towards visible clashes, alongside his substantial media influence through his stake in numerous media organisations, has made him a contentious personality in both Greek and British sporting establishments. The courtside altercation underscores how private conflicts and competitive tensions can collide powerfully in high-profile sporting environments, notably when substantial monetary stakes and political connections are involved.
Prior disciplinary matters
In 2024, Marinakis received formal disciplinary action from English football authorities when he was deemed culpable of improper conduct and given a five-match ground exclusion. The occurrence took place following Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 top-flight loss by Fulham, when he was seen expectorating on the ground as match officials passed by. The punishment constituted a major reprimand from the FA, showing their commitment to upholding conduct of behaviour amongst club officials at the highest level of domestic 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 online statement questioned video assistant referee Stuart Attwell’s integrity following contentious penalty calls in a loss against Everton. The club was handed a substantial £750,000 fine, with the FA criticising the post as “ill-chosen and irresponsible,” though Marinakis maintained he had “no regrets” commenting on the official’s performance.
Forest’s chaotic period
Nottingham Forest’s 2025-26 season proved to be one of the most disruptive in recent memory, marked by managerial instability and inconsistent performances that left supporters questioning the club’s path forward. Marinakis’s choice to hire and then sack three managers in total in one season reflected the instability at the City Ground, with every exit marked by considerable fanfare and debate amongst the fanbase. The constant turnover at the managerial position generated a sense of doubt that ran through the club, affecting player morale and team organisation at critical moments.
Despite the coaching chaos, Forest managed to secure Premier League safety by securing 16th place, playing to a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on the final day of the campaign. The point proved adequate to maintain the club’s position in the top flight, though the way they escaped from relegation danger underscored the vulnerable position of their season. Additionally, the club made it to the semi-finals of the Europa League before suffering a heavy 4-1 aggregate defeat to eventual champions Aston Villa, a result that amounted to a substantial lost 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 finished 16th in the Premier League, just escaping relegation on the last day
- Europa League competition ended in semi-final loss to Aston Villa with 4-1 aggregate loss
- Three managerial changes caused major disruption throughout the entire season
Political tensions and press influence
The clash in Athens seems to be stemming from deep-seated tensions between Marinakis and Dimitriadis, originating in the latter’s connection to a phone spyware scandal that led to his resignation from his position as chief secretary in the administration of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in 2022. The incident produced significant political ramifications in Greece, and Marinakis’s news organisations have kept up continuous reporting of the matter in the time that has followed. This continued coverage has evidently kept tensions simmering between the two men, with the courtside confrontation suggesting that tensions persist unresolved despite the passage of time.
Marinakis’s ownership of Greek media outlets has previously attracted attention concerning his use of news outlets to pursue personal and political grievances. The coverage of Dimitriadis’s scandal constitutes one notable example of how his media influence overlaps with his personal conflicts. The tense confrontation at the Euroleague championship match, captured on film and widely shared across social media platforms, illustrates how these disputes can boil over into public clashes, further amplifying the prominence of their ongoing dispute and raising questions about the appropriate boundaries between media ownership and personal disputes.