Forest Dismiss Confrontation Claims After Marinakis Entered Pitch Post-Injury | OneFootball

Marinakis Stands Firm as Forest Reject Confrontation Narrative

Club Defends Nuno and Owner After Awoniyi Injury Incident

In a sport often dominated by cold calculations and distant boardroom decisions, Evangelos Marinakis stands as something of an outlier. Passionate, present, and at times volatile, the Nottingham Forest owner has always worn his heart on his sleeve. On Sunday at the City Ground, that emotion spilled onto the turf – literally.

After a dramatic 2-2 draw with Leicester City, Marinakis was seen animatedly speaking with Nuno Espirito Santo on the pitch. Amid swirling speculation and post-match commentary labelling the incident as “scandalous” or “not a great look,” Nottingham Forest have moved to set the record straight.

In a detailed and emotive club statement, Forest denied any confrontation, branding the ensuing media coverage as “fake news” and “baseless and ill-informed outrage for the purposes of personal social media traction.”

Photo: IMAGO

Injury to Awoniyi Sparks Instinctive Reaction

At the centre of the incident was Taiwo Awoniyi, who collided with the post in the 88th minute while chasing a cross. Forest had exhausted their substitution windows, forcing the visibly injured striker to play on. It was later revealed he required “urgent surgery on a serious abdominal injury.”

The club confirmed Awoniyi is recovering well but were clear that Marinakis’ intervention stemmed from care, not conflict. “To Evangelos Marinakis, this isn’t just a football club – it’s family,” Forest said. “In the final ten minutes of the game, when he saw our player clearly in discomfort, struggling through visible pain, it became increasingly difficult for him to stay on the sidelines.”

Forest were unequivocal in their defence of both their manager and owner: “There was no confrontation, with Nuno or with others, either on the pitch or inside the stadium. There was only shared frustration… that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue.”

Photo: IMAGO

Call for Perspective Amid Media Reaction

The club also issued a strong appeal to pundits and former professionals to resist “the urge to rush to judgement.” While Gary Neville called the moment an “absolute joke” and Danny Murphy claimed it was “not a great look,” former striker Chris Sutton, who attended the match, countered those claims: “I think there was a real overreaction… the anger came because Marinakis cared – this wasn’t aimed at Nuno.”

Forest’s statement demanded greater respect for player welfare and urged public figures to prioritise empathy over engagement metrics. “Let concern come before commentary,” they urged.

Unity Over Spectacle

Amid the noise and reaction, Forest are making a clear statement: emotion in football still matters, but so does clarity. Marinakis’ entrance onto the pitch may have drawn headlines, but his intent, as the club insist, was one of instinctive concern for a stricken player, not public posturing.

At a time when leadership is often judged in carefully worded PR releases, Marinakis showed his through presence – however imperfect or unorthodox. It may not conform to every expectation, but it underlines a truth central to Forest’s ethos: this club is built on unity, loyalty and an ever-beating heart.