It was the last thing that Nuno Espirito Santo needed.
His Nottingham Forest side had just squandered the chance to
take a significant step towards securing Champions League football next season
by conceding a late equaliser to rivals Leicester City.
The Portuguese coach was shaking hands at full-time with
Leicester midfielder Oliver Skipp, who he briefly managed at Tottenham, when
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis intervened.
The Greek businessman, clearly furious at the result,
delivered what appeared to be the most public of dressings down to his manager.
Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville called Marinakis'
actions "scandalous".
Marinakis defended his actions in a post-match statement,
saying: "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."
Nevertheless, his confrontation with the manager made for an
uncomfortable watch, particularly when you consider the Portuguese coach has
taken the club from the brink of relegation in 2024 to European football in
2025.
Forest are now guaranteed some form of European football
next season, something the club last experienced 30 years ago.
'Football is emotions'
Nuno was keen to stress that the Greek owner's actions were
down to "confusion" over the use of striker Awoniyi.
The Nigerian emerged from the bench following Leicester's
late equaliser, charged with finding a winner.
He showed his desperation to score when he slid in at the
backpost in the hope of connecting with an Anthony Elanga cross, only to
collide with the goalpost.
The 27-year-old was down for several minutes as he received
treatment, inadvertently halting any hopes Forest had of quickly restoring their
lead.
Awoniyi signalled he was fine to continue, persuading Nuno
to leave him on the pitch, instead bringing on Jota Silva for midfielder Elliot
Anderson to use their last substitution window.
But the forward remained in discomfort, which Nuno said
infuriated owner Marinakis.
"It [the conversation with Marinakis] was due to the
situation and the confusion over the substitution of [Taiwo Awoniyi],"
Nuno said.
"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."
Pushed on whether he was comfortable with being approached
in so public a manner by Marinakis, Nuno again praised the owner.
"It is because of the owner and his passion that we are growing as a club. He
pushes us. He wants us to be better,"
Nuno added.
"It is his passion and desire to be a big club - 30,000 people felt the same
today. For sure, many of them would go on the pitch and shake us down.
"Us as a club, we owe a lot to the Marinakis family."
'Nuno should negotiate his exit'
Nuno's defence might not quieten any criticism of Marinakis.
Speaking on Sky Sports following the match, former
Manchester United captain Neville described the Greek's actions as an
"absolute joke".
"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.
"He's just qualified for European competition. To be
remonstrated with on the pitch in front of their own fans is an absolute
joke."
The former England defender later posted on X, urging Nuno
to "go and negotiate his exit" adding the manager "does not
deserve that".
Former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy, told
OceanNewsUK Match of the Day the incident should not be overblown.
He said: "It's not great, but let's put it in
perspective. It is injury time. They are in Europe and have had a great season.
It would be remiss to dwell on some small interaction."
While ex-Southampton boss Russell Martin, added: "It is
an impressive reaction from Nuno. I don't think he could have handled it any
better.
"You cant pin that on one person. The player is
uncertain, maybe in hindsight they should have taken a breath. But the level of
disappointment shows the level of Forest's improvement this season."
Marinakis' latest indiscretion
Marinakis' time at Forest has not been without incident
since he bought a controlling share in 2017.
The businessman, who also controls Greek team Olympiakos and
Portuguese side Rio Ave, has helped to make the club a Premier League force.
The 57-year-old was handed a five-match stadium ban in 2024
after spitting on the floor towards match officials following a 1-0 defeat to
Fulham.
He later said he had "no regrets" over his actions
because they were due to "big mistakes" by the officials.
In April, documents filed at Companies House showed that
Marinakis had ceased to become a "person with significant control" of
NF Football Investments Limited, the vehicle that owns the City Ground club.
The Greek had taken the decision to dilute his shares,
placing them in a blind trust.
However, he remains Forest owner and is committed to the
club. Instead, the move has been seen as a decision taken in preparation for
the club potentially qualifying for the Champions League.
Uefa's rules would not allow both Forest and Olympiakos to
play in the Champions League next season given both sides are owned by
Marinakis.
