AliousOn November 4, Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek shipping magnate and owner of Premier League club Nottingham Forest, initiated a £2.1 million libel lawsuit against a football rival from Greece in the UK’s High Court. Marinakis, who also owns Olympiakos, the dominant club in Greek football, is suing Irini Karipidis, the owner of Aris FC, for allegedly launching a “smear campaign” filled with “false” claims of match-fixing. The accusations were reportedly made through various platforms, including websites, social media, and mobile billboards, between November 2023 and March 2024.
Marinakis, who denies all allegations related to match-fixing and separate claims involving drug trafficking, argues that the defamatory content has seriously damaged his reputation. His legal team claims the accusations are entirely false and that the lawsuit has a strong chance of succeeding in an English court. The Forest owner, no stranger to controversy—he was recently banned for spitting near match officials—has hired top barristers to push the case forward.
David Sherborne, Marinakis’s lawyer, presented written arguments to the court, stating, “The allegations Mr. Marinakis contests are wholly untrue, and there is no evidence from the defendants to back their claims.” Sherborne highlighted that the accusations painted Marinakis as the head of a criminal organization involved in match-fixing, extortion, fraud, arson, and even international heroin trafficking.
The court was informed that these claims surfaced on a Forest-related website, as well as platforms like X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and on mobile billboards seen near Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on matchdays. Although the website and associated accounts have since been taken down, Marinakis is also suing Amani Swiss (Cyprus) Limited, a company linked to Karipidis, along with Israeli national Ari Harow and his company, Sheyaan Consulting Limited.
In defense, Karipidis’s lawyer, Matthew Hodson, told the court that the allegations were produced by a U.S. public relations firm, Harris Media, which was paid $25,000 but is not part of the lawsuit. He further argued that Marinakis had not suffered any “actual harm” to his reputation as a result of the publications.
The legal battle stems from an incident during a 2022/23 season match between Olympiakos and Aris. Marinakis allegedly approached Karipidis’s brother, Theodoros, in an attempt to fix the outcome of the game, which ended 2-2. This result caused Olympiakos to miss out on a potential fourth consecutive league title. Hodson claimed that Marinakis became enraged during the match and threatened Theodoros, saying he “would not leave the field alive” if Olympiakos lost. After the game, Marinakis reportedly warned Theodoros, “You are finished” and “I will destroy you,” before allegedly launching a campaign of intimidation against the Karipidis family.
The case continues before Judge Richard Spearman KC. Despite the controversy surrounding their owner, Nottingham Forest have enjoyed a strong start to their season, currently sitting in 7th place in the Premier League.
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