Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has insisted his on-pitch frustration after Sunday's 2-2 Premier League draw against Leicester was down to "the medical staff's misjudgment on Taiwo Awoniyi's ability to continue the game".
The Greek businessman stormed onto the field at the City Ground and was seen emotionally remonstrating with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo after Facundo Buonanotte's 81st-minute equaliser earned the Foxes a point and meant Forest stumbled again in the race for Champions League qualification, though the result did ensure they would at least be in the Conference League next season.
Marinakis said in a statement: "Today is a day for celebration, because after 30 years Nottingham Forest is now guaranteed to be competing on the European stage once again - a promise I made to our supporters when we achieved promotion!
"With two more games to go in the Premier League, we must keep believing and keep dreaming, right to the final kick in the final game. We are extremely proud and close to Nuno and the team, and we must all celebrate the historic achievements of this season.
"Everybody - coaching staff, players, supporters and including myself - we were frustrated around the injury of Taiwo and the medical staff's misjudgment on Taiwo's ability to continue the game.
"This is natural, this is a demonstration of the passion we feel for our club. Let's all be grateful, passionate and keep on dreaming!"
Marinakis’ confrontation with Nuno led to strong criticism from Gary Neville on Sky Sports, who called it a “scandal” and 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 suggested on social media that Nuno should quit Forest immediately as a result, writing on X: “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.”
However, Nuno defended Marinakis after the game, insisting his passion was a driving force behind the club’s recent rise.
"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 be a big club - 30,000 people felt the same today. For sure, many of them would go on the pitch and shake us down. Us as a club, we owe a lot to the Marinakis family.
“I have been in football so many years as a player and as a coach. It is the passion and desire. The players feel it, we feel it and the fans feel it. We have to do better."
On Neville’s comments, Nuno said: “I am not going to comment too much. I have huge respect for Gary Neville, he is the coach who replaced me when I was sacked at Valencia. So he was a coach himself.
“He knows what it is like to be on the touchline. All the rest, please allow me... I do not want to proceed about (talks of) the future.”
