It is very easy to say Nottingham Forest are slowly morphing into the Premier League’s version of Olympiacos.
Angry statements on social media, questions raised about the allegiances of match officials and looming appearances in the tunnel after games — all will feel entirely familiar to those who follow the fortunes of the Greek side.
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And at the centre of it all is one imposing figure — the owner of both clubs, Evangelos Marinakis.
It was Marinakis, 56, who wanted Forest to put out their statement denouncing the decisions made by referee Anthony Taylor and video assistant referee (VAR) Stuart Attwell at Goodison Park last weekend at half-time.
The tweet was ultimately sent just after full time, but even then the Greek shipping magnate needed some persuading to tone down the contents of a statement that ended up making headlines across the world.
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It came after Marinakis had made his way down to the touchline at the City Ground last month to question referee Paul Tierney, whose decision to incorrectly return possession to Liverpool contributed to the visitors netting a late winner.
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While Marinakis continues to stamp his influence in Nottingham, it is worth remembering that he is a product of his environment — one that is very different to what is considered normal in the Premier League.
Many, including former Forest favourite Roy Keane, have criticised the club for their recent behaviour, which escalated after the 2-0 defeat at Everton when the officiating team turned down three penalty appeals.
“I don’t think Forest are showing any class, the way they are carrying on,” said Keane, speaking on the Overlap podcast. “They were on the pitch against Liverpool and they have statements coming out.
“I was lucky enough to play for Forest and I don’t like the behaviour at the moment. If they want to come out and defend themselves, fight their corner, of course — but I don’t like what I see at ownership level.”
Forest’s conduct, led by Marinakis, has been extreme. Keane is not the only one to suggest that it has crossed the line of what is acceptable from a Premier League club.
Nottingham Forest has today submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to release into the public domain the audio recordings between officials during yesterday’s match against Everton at Goodison Park.
The club has requested this be shared for three key match incidents – Ashley…
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 22, 2024
All of it now means that if Luton Town are the team most neutrals are rooting for in the relegation fight, Forest might be the opposite.
In Greece, such behaviour would barely raise an eyebrow. Club statements, which are sometimes more strongly worded than the one issued by Forest, are a regular occurrence — not just at Olympiacos, but across the Greek Super League.
In February, Olympiacos’ rivals PAOK issued a statement amid the threat of having to play behind closed doors after a fan let off a firework in the stands.
They took aim at the Greek government for their “hypocrisy”, saying: “We once again call on our people to understand that we are fighting against everyone, to stand by us and to be our shield.”
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More broadly, accusations of corruption among the football authorities, match officials and club owners happen regularly. Marinakis himself has been accused of fixing matches and bribing and intimidating referees.
He has always strenuously denied any wrongdoing and nothing has ever been proven as, one by one, the allegations that have been levied against him have been dismissed.
Football clubs in Greece are intertwined with politics, while club owners, including Marinakis, often have media interests. They own newspapers, radio stations and television companies, all of which are used to deliver a narrative or message that serves them best. Mud is thrown daily, and some of it sticks.
None of this excuses the behaviour of Forest and their owner but it does go some way towards explaining it.
“Every club will regularly issue these 1,000-word diatribes about the state of Greek football,” says Ari Bouloubassis, a host on the Olympiacos fan podcast, Gate 7 International. “The Greek environment around football is very toxic, there are corruption allegations all the time, some of which are unfounded. This environment has created zero trust in the football authorities and zero trust in referees. This is not Marinakis just being a certain way, it is indicative of Greek football and Greece in general.
“There is always an underlying belief that something might be going on behind closed doors because, unfortunately, a lot of the time there is. People throw around accusations in public all the time.
“If you put Arsenal’s front office setup into a Greek club — their hierarchy, their ownership, coaching staff, scouting and everything else — would that group have the same success in Greek football? Absolutely not.
“They would fail because they would not know how to play the game in Greek football. The political aspect of it, the referees… there are so many things working against you on and off the field.
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“You cannot do business in Greece in the way you do business in other countries. Every country will have their unique aspects and ways of doing things. Football is a different beast in Greece.
“It is not, ‘Marinakis is bad’. The environment is different here and Marinakis is just a product of that environment.”
Marinakis grew up around Olympiacos as his father, Miltiadis, was part of the club’s hierarchy in the 1980s when allegations of corruption were especially rife in Greek football. Not much has changed since.
In September 2020, Olympiacos issued a statement “withdrawing their confidence” in Mark Clattenburg, not long after he had been appointed head of refereeing in Greek football, with the club taking issue with some of the staff he appointed around him — who had also been part of the previous regime.
The statement warned: “Following a ready-made and already failed formula, the only thing for certain is that he will link his name and destiny with those who have caused unrepairable damage to Greek football over the past years, and he will certainly be led to utter disaster.”
Clearly, there was no bad blood — Forest appointed the former Premier League official as a ‘referee analyst’ in February.
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In Greece, trust in referees has been eroded and overseas match officials are used in big games, particularly derbies. In December, referees themselves wrote a letter to the refereeing committee and the Greek FA warning that their patience was running thin after they were the subjects of physical attacks and death threats.
“In the past years, Greek and foreign referees have been a permanent target, a punching bag and a scapegoat in shifting responsibilities,” the Super League referees said. “Announcements that go unpunished, bullying, threats, verbal and physical attacks — these are just some of the issues that have made football toxic.”
In comparison, Forest voicing their concerns — in public and private to Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL, English professional football’s refereeing body) — over Attwell’s allegiance to Luton all seems rather tame.
“You think Forest are having a bad time of things with officials… Olympiacos will say they are having it worse. The number of goals ruled out by VARs is incredible,” says Bouloubassis. “When you look at VAR decisions, you find yourself looking to see whether the lines drawn to check offsides are even straight.
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“This is the environment in Greece. I love Greece, I love Greek football, but these allegations of corruption do not go away. You can understand why Marinakis behaves the way he does in Nottingham — this is the environment he is used to.”
In Athens, Olympiacos are on their third head coach of the season, with Diego Martinez (hired in June, sacked in December) and Carlos Carvalhal (December to February) departing before Jose Luis Mendilibar resurrected their season and led them in the Super League post-season championship stage. However, a 1-1 draw with Aris on Wednesday damaged their chances of qualifying for Europe next season, let alone catching AEK Athens at the top of the table.
In Nottingham, as in Athens, Marinakis is a fiercely driven, demanding character. He was not content to merely survive in the Premier League following promotion in 2022, he wanted to thrive. When he arrived at the City Ground he was mystified by seeing people celebrate a draw, even if it had come via a late equaliser. To Marinakis, only victories should be celebrated, nothing else.
After home games, music is only played after the final whistle if Forest have won, at the behest of the hierarchy. Following a defeat, staff around the club expect the mood to be dark and for emotions to run high. It can be a challenging environment to work in.
But that is a product of an environment that has seen Olympiacos win the title in Greece 10 times since Marinakis first became president in 2010. It is a complex, politically charged culture where you can be conditioned to believe that the world is against you.
As Forest fight to avoid relegation amid a backdrop of VAR controversy and a four-point deduction for breaching profitability and sustainability regulations, there is certainly a feeling at the club that the world is against them.
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If they return to the Championship, Forest intend to take legal action over the refereeing decisions that have gone against them.
Whatever happens, Marinakis will remain a divisive and controversial figure — but he is used to that. And, as has become increasingly clear over the last few weeks, his experiences in Greek football are shaping his behaviour as Forest battle to stay in the Premier League.
(Top photo: Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
