Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has suspended his direct involvement with the club to comply with UEFA’s regulations on multi-club ownership. With Forest currently in sixth place in the Premier League and on the verge of qualifying for European competition for the first time since 1996, the decision comes at a pivotal time.
Marinakis also owns Greek side Olympiakos, who competed in the Europa League this season and have already secured a Champions League spot for next year. Should Forest finish in the top five, they would also qualify for European competition—potentially the same one as Olympiakos. UEFA rules prohibit clubs under shared ownership from competing in the same tournament.
To navigate this, Marinakis has taken steps to distance himself from Forest’s operations. According to The Telegraph, he has transferred his shares into a blind trust, following a path taken by Manchester United co-owners Ineos (who also own Nice) and the City Football Group (owners of Manchester City and Girona). Official filings with Companies House confirm that Marinakis is no longer listed as a “person with significant control” over Forest’s parent company, NF Football Investments Limited.
Despite this, Marinakis remains “fully committed” to the club.
Forest recently slipped to sixth after Manchester City, Newcastle, and Chelsea all secured wins. They still have a game in hand, having lost to City in the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend. That match postponed their league fixture, which will now be played Thursday. A win against Brentford would lift them back to third place.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has called on his squad to recover quickly from their cup disappointment.
“It’s always more difficult to regroup after a tough loss,” he said in a club interview. “Building momentum is much easier after a win, but we need to show character now.”
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