Athens, Greece – November 6, 2025 – In a high-stakes courtroom drama that underscores Greece's escalating battle against sports-related hooliganism, Evangelos Marinakis, the billionaire owner of English Premier League club Nottingham Forest and Greek powerhouse Olympiacos FC, has appeared for the opening of his trial on accusations of instigating football violence and supporting a criminal organization. The proceedings, held under heavy security at Athens' notorious Korydallos prison, mark one of the largest cases of its kind in the nation's history, drawing international attention to the shadowy underbelly of Greek athletics.
The 58-year-old shipping magnate, whose empire spans maritime transport, media outlets, and football, did not attend the initial hearing on November 5. Instead, he was represented by his attorney, Vassilis Dimakopoulos, amid a packed courtroom filled with defendants, lawyers, and a smattering of Olympiacos supporters. Masked riot police cordoned off the surrounding streets, blocking access to prevent potential unrest, though reports indicate no major incidents occurred. Some fans gathered quietly outside, but organizers emphasized there was no coordinated demonstration of solidarity.
Marinakis and four fellow Olympiacos board members—identified in court documents as Giannis Moralis, Kostas Karapapas, Michalis Kountouris, and Dimitris Agrafiotis—face two misdemeanor counts. Prosecutors allege they supported an alleged criminal network tied to the club from 2019 to 2024 and incited violence through public statements criticizing authorities. Specifically, a 2023 statement attributed to Marinakis is cited as a catalyst for escalating tensions, purportedly encouraging fan aggression against law enforcement. Dimakopoulos, speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, dismissed the charges outright. "The accusations are totally baseless," he declared, vowing a vigorous defense that would expose what he called a politically motivated witch hunt.
Joining the Olympiacos executives in the dock are 142 Olympiacos fans, arrested primarily in 2024 following a sweeping police investigation. These supporters face felony charges of belonging to a criminal organization, manufacturing and deploying life-threatening explosives—such as flares and improvised devices—at sporting events, and direct involvement in violent clashes. Seven individuals among them are singled out as alleged ringleaders, accused of orchestrating the group's operations, including the procurement and distribution of pyrotechnics. All defendants entered not guilty pleas, with one defense attorney, Vaso Pantazi, describing her clients as "in the wrong place at the wrong time." Pantazi, representing several fans, highlighted the case's unprecedented scale, calling it a "landmark trial" that could reshape how fan culture is policed in Greece.
The trial's origins trace back to a tragic incident on December 7, 2023, outside the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus, where a seemingly innocuous women's volleyball match between Olympiacos and arch-rivals Panathinaikos descended into chaos. What should have been a low-stakes derby erupted into street brawls between rival ultras groups and riot police. Amid the melee, 31-year-old officer George Lyggeridis was struck in the face by a naval flare—a banned pyrotechnic often smuggled into venues—suffering catastrophic injuries. He succumbed to complications three weeks later in a Thessaloniki hospital, leaving behind a wife and young child.
Pre-trial investigations revealed a chilling prelude: hours before the game, a group of Olympiacos ultras allegedly transported a duffel bag containing flares and homemade explosives from a secure storage room at the club's Karaiskakis Stadium football ground to the volleyball arena. Prosecutors claim this operation was coordinated via encrypted messaging apps, with chants of "We'll kill you!" directed at officers during the assault. Lyggeridis's death was not an isolated tragedy; it was the third sports-related fatality in Greece within a 14-month span from late 2022 to 2023, following the stabbing of an AEK Athens fan in August 2023 during clashes with Croatian hooligans and another incident involving a Panathinaikos supporter. These events ignited national outrage, prompting Greece's Supreme Court prosecutor to issue a rare directive for a nationwide purge of "criminal gangs masquerading as fan clubs."
The broader probe, dubbed Operation "Clean Hands" by authorities, has uncovered tentacles extending far beyond flares and fistfights. Police documents detail how Olympiacos ultras, organized into hierarchical "firms," allegedly engaged in extortion rackets targeting street vendors and nightclub owners near stadiums, demanding "protection" fees under threat of arson or assault. In one June 2025 raid, officers seized weapons caches, including knives and bats, alongside evidence of drug trafficking links—cocaine distribution rings purportedly funding fan operations. A parallel investigation into Panathinaikos supporters revealed similar patterns, with hired thugs clashing over territorial control in Athens nightlife districts. UEFA, Europe's football governing body, has repeatedly sanctioned Greek clubs for fan violence, including match forfeits and stadium bans, warning that persistent issues could lead to international suspensions.
For Marinakis, this trial revives a specter of legal woes that have shadowed his ascent from Piraeus shipyard heir to global sports mogul. Acquiring Olympiacos in 2010 for €1, catapulted him to the forefront of Greek football, where the club has since claimed 48 league titles and, triumphantly, the 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League—the nation's first major European trophy. His 2017 purchase of Nottingham Forest for £50 million stabilized the then-struggling Championship side, which he guided to Premier League promotion in 2022 amid controversies over financial fair play breaches. Yet, scrutiny has been relentless. In 2018, Marinakis was exonerated in a high-profile match-fixing scandal, where he was accused of masterminding a 2011 bribery ring involving referees; the court cited insufficient evidence and dropped charges of fraud, blackmail, and organized crime. That same year, he walked free from the "Noor 1" heroin smuggling case—one of Greece's largest drug busts—after prosecutors failed to link him to the 2.1-tonne shipment hidden in fuel tanks. Critics, including opposition politicians, have long painted Marinakis as a puppeteer of influence, leveraging his Alter Ego Media group—owner of dailies Ta Nea and To Vima—to sway public opinion against the conservative government.
Marinakis has fired back, accusing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's administration of weaponizing the judiciary to silence dissent and shield its image amid economic woes. In a statement posted on Olympiacos's website post-indictment, he decried the charges as "blackmail" by a "Mitsotakis system," insisting, "In the end, we will—as always—be victorious." Supporters echo this narrative, viewing the trial as retaliation for Marinakis's vocal criticism of government meddling in football governance.
The Athens proceedings, overseen by a three-judge panel, are poised for a marathon run. Over 210 witnesses—ranging from fellow officers who survived the 2023 clashes to club insiders and forensic experts on explosives—are slated to testify, with lawyers projecting a timeline stretching into 2026 or beyond. The first session adjourned abruptly after the judge recited the exhaustive list of names, reconvening on November 25. Potential penalties for the board members include fines and bans from sports administration, while fan convictions could yield multi-year prison terms, effectively dismantling the accused network.
Lyggeridis's family, who have become poignant symbols of the human cost, attended the hearing. His father, Thanasis, a retired civil servant, told reporters, "My son was just doing his duty. These gangs hide behind team colors, but they're criminals." His widow, speaking through a family spokesperson, expressed hope that the trial would deter future violence: "George didn't die for nothing. Let this be the end of the fear."
As Greece grapples with its football fever—where ultras groups boast paramilitary structures rivaling organized crime—the Marinakis trial transcends one man's fate. It tests the state's resolve to enforce reforms, like mandatory ID checks at gates and drone surveillance over matches, amid UEFA pressure. For Nottingham Forest fans, the saga adds another layer of intrigue to Marinakis's tenure, which has seen on-field success marred by off-pitch drama, including a provocative 2024 banner from Crystal Palace supporters mocking his legal entanglements. Whether vindication or conviction awaits, the case has already ignited debates on accountability in sports, from Athens alleys to English Premier League boardrooms.
