The Premier League in recent weeks have witnessed controversial moments on and off the pitch. While some teams have been skeptical of the officiating, some are having issues with the usage of VAR.
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has now been caught in a new controversy as he’s accused of spitting at an official. However, he claimed he was simply coughing as a result of him smoking cigars.
The Greek businessman has been hit with a five-match ban as a result of his antics that followed Forest’s recent loss to Fulham.
Marinakis and those in Nottingham have long had issues with refereeing decisions having been on the end of some controversial calls. Marinakis appealed against his ban and put forward his case – claiming he had spat to the side of the officials, not at them.
Evangelos Marinakis, Owner of Nottingham Forest (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
An independent commission branded Marinakis’ explanation “completely implausible” and said that his conduct was “disrespectful and disgusting”.
The written reasons stated that Marinakis “smokes 2 or 3 cigars a day. He often needs to expectorate and/or coughs. As the officials approached he felt a cough coming and he coughed on the floor, down and to his right which was away from the path the officials were taking. He did not speak to the officials.”
However, the commission findings was published on Tuesday and it says: “We are satisfied that he deliberately spat on the floor as the referee walked past him. Regrettably, we regard EM’s (Marinakis’) attempt to explain and justify his conduct as completely implausible.
“The only reasonable inference we can draw from our rejection of EM’s explanation for the spit is that EM deliberately spat in a disrespectful and disgusting display of contempt towards the match officials. In our view, there is no other credible explanation for his conduct. In the circumstances, it clearly amounts to conduct within the meaning of Rule E3. Consequently, we found the (FA) charge proven.
“An egregious display of disrespectful behaviour such as this fuels disrespect towards match officials. This was not conduct triggered in the heat of the moment as a result of a decision on the field. There is no excuse for it EM’s position as the owner of the football club aggravates the sanction. His conduct was entirely unacceptable and deserving of a serious punishment.”
Forest in the past few weeks have been in the news for wrongdoings. The club manager Nuno Espirito Santo was banned for three matches and fined £55,000 for his behaviour after the 2-2 draw at Brighton last month.
Meanwhile, their star forward Morgan Gibbs-White was handed a one-match ban and fined £20,000 for incidents in the same game.
