Nottingham Forest owner and Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis has begun his trial in Athens over allegations of instigating football violence and supporting a criminal organisation in Greece.
According to Mail Online, the charges relate to Marinakis’s ownership of Greek football club Olympiacos. The 58-year-old and four other board members are facing two misdemeanour counts, accused of instigating violence through statements against authorities and supporting a criminal group. The alleged offences span from 2019 to 2024.
Additionally, 142 fans have been charged with running a criminal organisation and causing life-threatening explosions at sporting events. Within that group, seven individuals have been identified as alleged leaders. All defendants have denied any wrongdoing.
Marinakis did not appear in person during the proceedings held on Wednesday at Athens’ high-security Korydallos prison but was represented by his lawyer, Vassilis Dimakopoulos.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Dimakopoulos rejected the claims against his client, saying, “The accusations are totally baseless.”
As reported by Reuters, more than 210 people are expected to testify before the three-member judicial panel overseeing the case — a process that legal experts estimate could take several years to conclude.
The court adjourned until November 25 after the presiding judge read out the names of defendants and witnesses.
The investigation was launched following the 2023 death of 31-year-old riot police officer George Lyngeridis, who was fatally injured during clashes outside a women’s volleyball match between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos — a game typically considered low risk. The subsequent arrests of the accused fans took place in 2024.
“This is a landmark trial,” said defence lawyer Vaso Pantazi, who represents one of the defendants. She maintained that her client and others “were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
