Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was involved 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 appearing to argue with Grigoris Dimitriadis, nephew and former trusted advisor to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whilst being separated by a barrier and security personnel. Footage shared on social media appeared to show Marinakis wearing a ripped shirt during the confrontation at the event, where Olympiakos secured a 92-85 victory over Real Madrid. The incident comes during ongoing tensions between the pair, with Marinakis-owned media outlets in Greece having covered extensively a mobile phone spyware scandal that resulted in Dimitriadis’s resignation in 2022.
The Athens incident emerges
The altercation between Marinakis and Dimitriadis broke out during what should have been a celebration night for the Olympiakos owner, whose basketball team achieved success in one of the most esteemed sporting events. Witnesses at the Athens arena stated that tensions intensified quickly between the two men, with security staff compelled to step in to avoid further deterioration. The incident was recorded by multiple spectators and rapidly spread across social media platforms, attracting considerable focus to the personal animosity between the pair.
The beginnings of their dispute trace back to 2022, when Dimitriadis was forced to resign from his role as general secretary in the Prime Minister’s office in the wake of a serious phone spyware scandal. In the period following, Marinakis’s Greek media outlets have maintained sustained coverage of the affair, maintaining the controversy in the spotlight. This continuous reporting is thought to have intensified personal tensions between the two men, resulting in Sunday’s encounter at the basketball final.
- Marinakis owns both Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos basketball club
- Dimitriadis resigned over wiretapping controversy in 2022
- Marinakis-owned media outlets gave substantial coverage to the scandal
- Olympiakos beat Real Madrid by a score of 92-85 in the final
A record of dispute
Marinakis’s conduct at athletic competitions has generated substantial examination over recent years, with the wealthy business magnate becoming a controversial figure in the football world. His control of Nottingham Forest has been marked by erratic decision-making, including the dismissal of three managers within a single season. Beyond the dugout, his behaviour has consistently drawn criticism from football authorities, creating a pattern of controversial incidents that stretch well past the pitch into his broader sporting ventures across numerous continents.
The Athens incident constitutes merely the latest chapter in a lengthening catalogue of disagreements surrounding the Greek magnate. His tendency towards public confrontations, alongside his significant media control through his control of multiple platforms, has established him as a contentious personality in both Greek and British sporting establishments. The pitch-side incident demonstrates how private conflicts and business competition can collide powerfully in high-profile sporting environments, notably when significant financial interests and political relationships are at play.
Earlier disciplinary matters
In 2024, Marinakis received formal disciplinary action from the Football Association when he was deemed culpable of misconduct and handed a five-game stadium ban. The occurrence took place after Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 top-flight loss by Fulham, when he was observed spitting on the floor as match officials passed by. The punishment represented a major reprimand from the Football Association, showing their dedication to maintaining standards of behaviour amongst club officials at the highest level of English football.
Several months later, Marinakis played a key role in what the Football Association termed “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 following contentious penalty calls in a defeat at Everton. The club was handed a substantial £750,000 fine, with the FA criticising the post as “ill-chosen and irresponsible,” though Marinakis insisted he had “no regrets” commenting on the official’s conduct.
Forest’s turbulent season
Nottingham Forest’s 2025-26 season proved to be one of the most chaotic in recent years, characterised by constant managerial change and erratic form that had supporters questioning the club’s trajectory. Marinakis’s move to recruit and later remove three separate managers within a single campaign highlighted the turmoil at the City Ground, with each managerial change followed by much debate and controversy amongst supporters. The constant turnover at the managerial position created an atmosphere of doubt that ran through the club, damaging team morale and tactical unity at key points.
Despite the management turmoil, Forest managed to secure Premier League survival by securing 16th place, playing to a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on the closing day of the season. The point proved adequate to maintain the club’s position in the Premier League, though the manner of their escape from the drop zone highlighted the fragile state of their campaign. Additionally, the club made it to the semi-finals of the Europa League before suffering a 4-1 aggregate loss to eventual competition winners Aston Villa, a result that amounted to a significant missed opportunity for continental honours.
| 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, narrowly avoiding relegation on final day
- Europa League run finished in semi-final loss to Aston Villa with a 4-1 aggregate defeat
- Three managerial changes caused major disruption across the whole season
Political tensions and media impact
The altercation in Athens seems to be grounded in longstanding tensions between Marinakis and Dimitriadis, arising from the latter’s connection to a phone spyware scandal that led to his resignation from his position as general 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 kept up continuous reporting of the incident in the time that has followed. This continued coverage has apparently maintained simmering tensions between the two men, with the courtside confrontation suggesting that ill feeling continues unresolved despite the passage of time.
Marinakis’s ownership of Greek media organisations has previously drawn scrutiny regarding his use of news outlets to advance personal and political grievances. The coverage of Dimitriadis’s controversy constitutes one notable example of how his media influence intersects with his personal conflicts. The tense confrontation at the Euroleague championship match, captured on film and extensively circulated across social media channels, illustrates how these tensions can boil over into public clashes, further amplifying the visibility of their ongoing dispute and raising questions about the proper limits between media ownership and personal disputes.