In one of the most scandalous scenes of the Premier League season, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis stormed onto the pitch following a disappointing 1-1 draw against Leicester City on Sunday to launch a public verbal tirade at head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.The Greek tycoon confronted Nuno in full view of the players, thousands of fans at the City Ground, and millions watching on television worldwide. His frustration stemmed from what he perceived as a missed opportunity to strengthen Forest’s push for Champions League qualification.Marinakis is a shameful fuck. A constant embarrassment. An absolute weapon. #NFFC pic.twitter.com/LCYegu9wtf— Phil (@phil_from_NG) May 11, 2025 While Forest have recently seen a sharp dip in form – undoing much of the promising progress made earlier this season – it’s worth noting that Nuno inherited a side flirting with relegation just last year. Under his guidance, the team has already secured European football for next season, likely a Europa League spot, if not the Champions League.Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, former Manchester United captain Gary Neville condemned Marinakis’ actions as “an absolute joke.””What the Forest owner has just done on the pitch over at the City Ground is absolutely scandalous,” Neville said. “If I was Nuno, I’d be having a strong word with him. He’s just qualified for European competition. To be remonstrated with on the pitch in front of their own fans is an absolute joke.”Scandalous from that Forest owner. Nuno should go and negotiate his exit tonight with him! The Forest fans,players and manager do not deserve that— Gary Neville (@GNev2) May 11, 2025 Neville later took to X (formerly Twitter) to urge Nuno to “go and negotiate his exit,” stating that the manager “does not deserve that.”In an attempt to clarify the outburst, Marinakis later explained that his anger was directed not at the result, but at the handling of Taiwo Awoniyi’s late-game injury. The 27-year-old forward was down for several minutes receiving treatment, disrupting Forest’s momentum as they sought a late winner. Awoniyi signaled he could continue, and Nuno chose to keep him on, using the final substitution to bring on Jota Silva for midfielder Elliot Anderson. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8916698##However, Awoniyi remained visibly uncomfortable, which Marinakis said infuriated him.”We were frustrated around the injury of Taiwo and the medical staff’s misjudgement of his ability to continue,” Marinakis said. “This is natural. It’s a demonstration of the passion we feel for our club.”He added: “Today is a day for celebration. After 30 years, Nottingham Forest is now guaranteed to be competing on the European stage once again – something I promised our supporters when we achieved promotion. With two Premier League games remaining, we must keep believing and dreaming until the final whistle. We are extremely proud of Nuno and the team, and we must celebrate the historic achievements of this season.”##EDITORS_CHOICE##Nuno, for his part, appeared calm in the aftermath and downplayed the confrontation.”Football is emotion,” he said. “It’s difficult to control them – especially when there is so much expectation and the fans were incredible.”When asked if he was comfortable being publicly confronted in such a manner, Nuno praised Marinakis rather than criticize him.”It is because of the owner and his passion that we are growing as a club. He pushes us. He wants us to be better,” he said. “It is his passion and desire to become a big club. Thirty thousand people felt the same today – many of them would have run onto the pitch to shake us down. As a club, we owe a lot to the Marinakis family.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8916688##However, there remains a potential twist: UEFA regulations prohibit two clubs owned by the same individual from competing in the same European competition. That rule could complicate matters if both Nottingham Forest and Marinakis’ other club, Olympiakos, qualify for the Champions League next season.
