Nottingham Forest's owner, Evangelos Marinakis, is taking legal action against a Greek football rival for over £2.1m in a high court libel case related to an alleged 'smear campaign' involving 'false' accusations of match-fixing. Marinakis, a shipping magnate who also owns Olympiakos, is suing Irini Karipidis, the owner of Aris, over allegations posted on a website, social media, and mobile billboards from November 2023 to March 2024.
A hearing on Thursday revealed that the allegations, which Marinakis denies, include his involvement in match-fixing and a high-profile drug trafficking case in Greece. Marinakis's barristers argued that the claims are 'completely untrue' and that the case should proceed in an English court as it has a 'real prospect of success'.
David Sherborne, representing Marinakis, stated in written submissions: 'The allegations which Mr Marinakis complains of are completely untrue and nothing in the defendants’ evidence comes anywhere close to substantiating them.' He further detailed that the accusations involved 'false allegations highly defamatory of Mr Marinakis,' including being the leader of a criminal organization, match-fixing practices involving extortion, fraud, and arson, as well as strong suspicions of involvement in international heroin trafficking.
The court heard that the allegations were made on nottinghamforestfire.co.uk, with three articles published in November 2023. Additionally, an account on X was created with several posts in December 2023 and six videos uploaded to a YouTube channel. The allegations were also displayed on mobile billboards around the City Ground on two matchdays. The YouTube channel, X account, and website were subsequently removed.
Sherborne noted that the publications were intended to 'give the false impression' that the campaign was a 'grassroots' initiative led by Nottingham Forest fans concerning the club's ownership. Marinakis is also suing Amani Swiss (Cyprus) Limited, a company where Karipidis is president, and the Israeli national Ari Harow, along with his company, Sheyaan Consulting Limited.
Matthew Hodson, for Karipidis, informed the court that the publications were 'procured or created by a US PR firm' named Harris Media, which was paid $25,000 but is not involved in the case. Hodson argued that the social media campaign had 'limited publication' and that there was no evidence of 'actual harm' to Marinakis's reputation.
Hodson further explained that the dispute originated from an incident during a match between Olympiakos and Aris. It was claimed that in the 2022-23 season, Marinakis approached Theodoros Karipidis to fix a 'critical' game, which Theodoros refused. The game ended 2-2, causing Olympiakos to miss out on a fourth successive title. Hodson detailed that Marinakis allegedly threatened Theodoros during the game and afterward, initiating a campaign of intimidation and interference with the lives and businesses of Irini Karipidis and her brother.
The barrister continued that Marinakis 'seeks to harass the defendants' and that Irini Karipidis and her family had suffered 'very real criminal damage and arson' as a result. The hearing before Richard Spearman KC, sitting as a deputy high court judge, continues.
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