Former Manchester United defender, Gary Neville, has been embroiled in a legal storm involving Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi. The incident has sparked widespread criticism of Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis and led to a £2.1m libel suit.
Awoniyi suffered a life-threatening injury during Forest’s Premier League encounter with Leicester City earlier this month. In an attempt on goal, he collided with the goalpost and was later diagnosed with a ruptured intestine. Despite remaining on the pitch for several minutes post-injury, he was eventually hospitalised and placed in an induced coma.
Following the match, visibly distraught Marinakis entered the pitch to express his concern over the handling of Awoniyi's injury incident by manager Nuno Espírito Santo. Marinakis' gesture drew condemnation from several pundits including Neville who described it as “scandalous” during his live Sky Sports commentary. He further urged Nuno to “negotiate his exit” from the club via social media posts. These remarks have now landed Neville in hot water as they have been cited in a £2.1m libel suit filed by Marinakis against him.
Allegations against Marinakis
Marinakis alleges that there is a coordinated smear campaign against him leading to “hostile and ill-founded criticism” from high-profile media figures like Neville. Legal documents presented by his solicitors list journalists and pundits allegedly targeted as part of this misinformation campaign.
The owner of Nottingham Forest also owns Greek side Olympiacos claims that Irini Karipidis (owner of rival club Aris) and Ari Harow (a former Israeli political adviser) orchestrated this defamation campaign against him. He accuses them of falsely labelling him as involved in criminal activities like match-fixing, arson, fraud, and international drug trafficking. Both Karipidis and Harow have denied these allegations.
Ongoing debate
As the legal battle unfolds, the handling of Awoniyi’s injury by Forest continues to be a point of debate. A club statement defended Marinakis's actions as legitimate concern for the player’s wellbeing.
Sources within the club expressed disappointment that Marinakis's emotional reaction has been weaponised in public discourse. Awoniyi is currently recovering after emergency surgery and was present in the stand during Forest's final 2024/25 EPL game against Chelsea which ended in a 1-0 defeat for Forest.
Despite this setback, Forest officials have reiterated their full support for Awoniyi and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from fans and the wider football community.
