Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was given a five-match ban for spitting on the floor as the match officials walked past him following their 1-0 loss against Fulham last month.
Marinakis’ ban was confirmed last week after an independent regulatory commission investigated him following a Football Association (FA) charge of misconduct. That commission has now released the reasons for its decision, including the testimonies of the parties involved.
Referee Josh Smith, assistant James Mainwaring and fourth official Tim Robinson all testified that Marinakis spat on the floor by them as they walked in the tunnel to their changing room.
Marinakis denies that he spat at them but that he “felt a cough coming and he coughed on the floor, down and to his right which was away from the path the officials were taking”.
Marinakis’ evidence also states that he “smokes 2 or 3 cigars a day” and “often needs to expectorate and/or coughs. His coughs contain phlegm”.
It adds: “If he (Marinakis) has to spit, he spits in a tissue if one is available or on the floor if he does not have one available. Sometimes when he coughs spit or phlegm can go to
the floor.
“On the day of the incident he was suffering from a hacking cough. He was taking lozenges.”
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The match officials rejected Marinakis’ account of events when it was put them, asserting that he spat, rather than coughed.
That view was shared by the independent commission, which said: “We unhesitatingly reject (Marinakis’) account 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. Regrettably, we regard (his) attempt to explain and justify his conduct as completely implausible.
“The only reasonable inference we can draw from our rejection of (Marinakis’) explanation for the spit is that (he) deliberately spat in a disrespectful and disgusting display of contempt towards the match officials.
The commission added that Marinakis’ behaviour “clearly amounts to misconduct within the meaning of Rule E3”.
It also found that Marinakis’ “position as the owner of a football club aggravates the situation.
“His conduct was entirely unacceptable and deserving of a serious punishment. We also regard his implausible attempt to explain his conduct as aggravating.”
Marinakis has already served one match of his ban after Forest beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at the City Ground on Monday. The Greek businessman will also be unable to attend their games against Leicester City, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Arsenal. Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo remains banned for two more matches after his separate FA charge.
(Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)