Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis filmed in heated altercation at basketball game
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was filmed during a heated altercation at the Euroleague Basketball final in Athens on Sunday, drawing attention away from Olympiakos’ title celebration after the Greek club beat Real Madrid 92-85. Marinakis, 58, who also owns Olympiakos, attended the match in support of the basketball side and was seen in footage circulating on social media appearing to argue in the stands while separated by a barrier and security personnel.
The video shows Marinakis wearing what appears to be a ripped shirt as tensions rose in the arena, but it does not clearly identify the person he was confronting. Greek media reported that the other man involved was Grigoris Dimitriadis, a former close advisor to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The footage has prompted widespread discussion online, though the exact circumstances of the incident have not been publicly confirmed.
BBC Sport has approached Nottingham Forest for comment regarding the episode. The club was also in action on Sunday, drawing 1-1 with Bournemouth on the final day of the Premier League season. That result confirmed Forest’s 16th-place finish in the table as they closed out their campaign.
Marinakis is one of the most prominent figures in European football and Greek sport, with ownership interests in both Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos placing him under regular scrutiny. His appearance at the Euroleague final came at a time of celebration for Olympiakos, who secured a 92-85 win over Real Madrid to lift the trophy, but the post-match conversation was shaped instead by the footage of the confrontation in the stands.
The incident is likely to attract further attention because of Marinakis’ high-profile role in English and Greek football, as well as the political connection reported by Greek outlets. At present, however, only the video and media reports are available, and no official statement has clarified what led to the altercation or whether any formal complaint has been made.
For Nottingham Forest, the episode comes at the end of a season in which the club secured survival in the Premier League and finished 16th after a final-day draw. While the result on the pitch drew the season to a close, the events in Athens ensured Marinakis remained in the headlines for reasons unrelated to football results.
As the footage continues to circulate, attention is likely to remain focused on any response from Forest, Olympiakos, or Marinakis himself. The combination of a major European basketball final, a prominent club owner, and the involvement of a figure linked to Greek politics has made the incident notable beyond the sporting context.
