Nottingham Forest owner banned for ‘spitting at referee’s feet’ after defeat

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis “spat on the floor” towards the referee following his team’s 1-0 defeat to Fulham last month, according to an independent regulatory commission.

Marinakis was charged with misconduct by the Football Association and hit with a five-game stadium ban for his behaviour in the tunnel area at the City Ground, after a controversial defeat for his side last month.

In publishing its written reasons, the FA said the independent commision was “satisfied” Marinakis deliberately spat on the floor as the referee walked past him “in a disrespectful and disgusting display of contempt”.

Marinakis, who has appealed the five-game ban, claimed he had a “hacking cough” and argued in his defence that he smokes “two or three cigars a day”. He denied aiming his spit towards referee Josh Smith’s feet.

Fulham won 1-0 at the City Ground on September 28 after Raul Jimenez converted a second-half penalty, awarded by referee Smith after he was told to consult the pitchside monitor by VAR.

Forest, who have had several brushes with the officials since returning to the Premier League, were further enraged when they had late penalty claims involving Anthony Elanga and Taiwo Awoniyi turned down.

Smith said Marinakis was stood at the end of the tunnel as he and the match officials returned to their changing room after full-time. “As I walked past him, he spat on the floor next to my left foot,” Smith said in an extraordinary incident report filed on the day after the match.

Smith’s report was supported by fourth official Tim Robinson and assistant referees James Mainwaring and Neil Davies. “He [Marinakis] did not say anything but as we approached him and was close, he spat on the ground in front of us,” Mainwaring said in evidence submitted to the commission.

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The witness statement submitted by Marinakis claimed he “often needs to expectorate and/or coughs” as a result of smoking cigars. Marinakis added that “on the day of the incident he was suffering from a hacking cough”.

The 58-year-old’s statement went on to say that as the officials approached he felt a cough coming and “coughed on the floor, down down and to his right” which was away from the path the officials were taking.

Marinakis said he could not remember if any “spittle” left his mouth but “if it did it certainly was not aimed at the referee’s feet and did not hit anybody”.

The Greek businessman concluded by saying he “fails to see how coughing towards the floor in a relatively crowded tunnel is misconduct” and argued in his defence that players and coaches are not punished when they are seen spitting or clearing their nose on the pitch.

The independent regulatory commission rejected this and were not convinced by Marinakis’ defence that he spat, or expectorated, as a result of a cough.

“We are satisfied that he deliberately spat on the floor as the referee walked past him,” the commission said. “Regrettably, we regard [Marinakis’s] attempt to explain and justify his conduct as completely implausible.

“In our view, the only reasonable inference we can draw from our rejection of [Marinakis’s] explanation for the spit is that [Marinakis] 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 misconduct within the meaning of Rule E3. Consequently, we found the charge proven.”