Soccer

Forest owner got stadium ban for spitting on floor as match officials passed

The incident happened at the City Ground after Forest had been beaten 1-0 by visitors Fulham.

Evangelos Marinakis has been handed a five-game stadium ban
Evangelos Marinakis has been handed a five-game stadium ban (Mike Egerton/PA)
By Sunny Badwal, PA

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis received a five-match stadium ban for spitting on the floor as match officials walked past.

The incident happened at the City Ground after Forest had been beaten 1-0 by visitors Fulham in the Premier League on September 28.

Marinakis was found guilty of improper conduct by a Football Association independent regulatory commission, after denying the charge.

It was ruled that Marinakis’ decision to spit was serious misconduct and required a serious punishment
It was ruled that Marinakis’ decision to spit was serious misconduct and required a serious punishment (Mike Egerton/PA)

The written reasons were made public on Tuesday, stating there was “no excuse” for such ‘an egregious display of disrespectful behaviour’ that could  ‘fuel disrespect towards match officials’.

It was ruled that Marinakis’ decision to spit was serious misconduct and required a serious punishment.

Nuno Espirito Santo received a three-match touchline ban
Nuno Espirito Santo received a three-match touchline ban (Bradley Collyer/PA)

A separate commission revealed that Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo and midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White were punished for swearing at match officials following the Premier League clash at Brighton on September 22.

Nuno received a three-match touchline suspension, with Gibbs-White landing a one-match ban for his reaction to being dismissed in the 2-2 draw.

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, also sent off in the aftermath of the incident, avoided a touchline ban but was fined £8,000.