- Evangelos Marinakis controversies go far beyond firing 24 coaches from Nottingham Forest
- The Greek mogul’s life presents a complicated picture of a man who has a dark past
- His business life is astounding, surrounded by power and smart brains
Evangelos Marinakis controversies go far beyond firing 24 coaches from Nottingham Forest. The Greek mogul’s life presents a complicated picture of a man who has a dark past despite owning one of the most successful shipping companies in Greece. His business life is astounding, surrounded by power and smart brains.
However, he is the king of unending legal scrutiny back in Greece. It goes from the intense passion of Premier League football to the nasty underbelly of Greek court inquiries. He is famous for bringing Nottingham Forest back to life, but his name is also linked to some of Greece’s most famous criminal incidents.
Among them are match-fixing, drug trafficking, and the death of a police officer. This is the back story of the man who brought Forest back to life.
What are Evangelos Marinakis Controversies?
Evangelos Marinakis controversies are alarming. They include the following:
- Match-fixing
- Drug trafficking
- Murder
- Bombing
Mathch-fixing
Eight years ago, the English Football League (EFL) let Marinakis take over Nottingham Forest, aware of his serious legal problems. At the time, he battled serious match-fixing charges in Greece. This case would define the early years of his ownership and set the tone for the endless headlines that would follow. Marinakis battled a high-profile Greek court case which threatened his ownership of Nottingham Forest.
Prosecutors said he was part of a criminal group and charged him with fraud, blackmail, and fixing football games. The issue got a lot of attention across the country because it involved a powerful person in Greek sports. Shockingly, all of the accusations against Marinakis were dropped in 2018. The court cited lack of enough proof to convict him.
Bombing
Although the court cleared him, a bombing incident at a bakery owned by a referee’s family added to Evangelos Marinakis controversy. He strongly denied being involved, and nothing was ever done to him about this incident.
The “Noor 1” Drug Trafficking Case
One of the biggest drug trafficking investigations in Greek history, the “Noor 1” case, has a tangential relation to Marinakis. It’s among the most serious of all the scandals surrounding him. In 2014, officials stopped a vessel carrying 2.1 tons of heroin. This seizure shocked both the political and criminal underbelly of the country.
During the investigation, Marinakis’ name came up because he was thought to be connected to others in the smuggling network. This led to a formal court investigation, which meant that he wasn’t officially charged but prosecutors were quite suspicious of him. The Greek mogul was never charged with or found guilty of any crime in connection with the “Noor 1” case.
Murder
The chronicle of Evangelos Marinakis controversies scandals doesn’t end with the past. A fresh and sad event that happened in December 2023 put him back in the spotlight. After a violent volleyball game between his team, Olympiacos, and their rivals, Panathinaikos, a riot police officer was hit by a flare and died from injuries sustained.
The courts probed the matter, and prosecutors looked into whether the clubs’ officials, including Marinakis, were responsible. He was acquitted once again.
Was Marinakis Guilty of Crime?
Amid Evangelos Marinakis controversies, no court ever found him guilty. He has publicly denied everything. He has always called the charges “totally baseless,” and he often says that they are planned attacks or blackmail attempts by competitors who want to hurt his success and power.
The 58-year-old passed the EFL’s tough Owners’ and Directors’ Test not once, but twice. The first time was during Forest’s purchase, and the second time was when they were promoted to the Premier League, which has its strict ethical and moral standards.
