Marinakis and Nuno defend ‘scandalous’ confrontation: ‘This is natural’

Nottingham Forest manager and owner Nuno Espirito Santo and Evangelos Marinakis have defended the very public on-pitch dressing-down delivered by the Greek at the City Ground after a late equaliser from Leicester put their Champions League qualification in major doubt.

Forest would have been fifth and in the final Champions League qualification spot but now sit seventh in the Premier League table, which is a Conference League spot.

Marinakis interrupted Santo in the middle of talking to his former Spurs player Oliver Skipp to seemingly berate his manager on the pitch despite Forest being set for European football just a year after battling against relegation.

“What the Forest owner has just done on the pitch over at the City Ground is absolutely scandalous and if I was Nuno I’d be going and having a strong word with him because that is an absolute scandal,” said Gary Neville on Sky Sports.

“He’s just qualified for European competition. To be remonstrated with on the pitch in front of their own fans is an absolute joke.”

‘Scandalous from that Forest owner,’ he then said on X. ‘Nuno should go and negotiate his exit tonight with him! The Forest fans, players and manager do not deserve that.’

READ: Knackered Nottingham Forest have run out of steam in unexpected Champions League push

But Marinakis and Santo have both since explained that the clash was born of frustration that Forest had ended the game with 10 men after the decision was made to leave Taiwo Awoniyi on the pitch despite colliding with a goalpost.

Marinakis said in a statement: “We were frustrated around the injury of Taiwo [Awoniyi] and the medical staff’s misjudgement on Taiwo’s ability to continue the game.

“This is natural, this is a demonstration of the passion we feel for our club.

“Today is a day for celebration, because after 30 years Nottingham Forest is now guaranteed to be competing on the European stage once again – a promise I made to our supporters when we achieved promotion.

“With two more games to go in the Premier League, we must keep believing and keep dreaming, right to the final kick in the final game. We are extremely proud and close to Nuno and the team, and we must all celebrate the historic achievements of this season.”

And Santo himself said: “It was due to the situation and the confusion over the substitution of [Taiwo Awoniyi].

“We made a [different] sub and after that we played with one man less so that frustrates everyone.

“When a player is down, you get information that he is OK to continue, then we make a sub and it turns out he can’t continue. We are all frustrated with that.

“Football is emotions. It’s difficult to control [and] especially when we had so much expectation and the fans were incredible.”