The Football Association has issued a misconduct charge to Crystal Palace after the club’s supporters displayed a provocative banner aimed at Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis during a Premier League match earlier this season.
The banner, unveiled during Palace’s 1-1 draw with Forest at Selhurst Park in August, depicted Marinakis holding a gun to the head of Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. It was accompanied by the message: “Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.”
Marinakis has repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing relating to those claims.
Although the FA did not specifically reference the banner in its statement, the governing body confirmed that Crystal Palace have been charged with failing to ensure their supporters refrained from “improper, offensive, abusive or provocative” behaviour. FA rules strictly prohibit defamatory, political or offensive messages being displayed inside stadiums.
The incident came at a time when Gibbs-White was the subject of transfer speculation, with Tottenham Hotspur believed to have met a £60 million release clause during the summer window. The midfielder eventually signed a new deal to remain at Forest and later discussed the decision in a joint interview with Marinakis.
The fixture on 24 August also held extra significance, marking the first meeting between the two clubs since Palace were removed from the Europa League and demoted to the Europa Conference League for breaching UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations, with Forest taking their place in the competition.
Crystal Palace have been given until Tuesday to respond to the FA charge.
