Evangelos Marinakis, the Nottingham Forest owner, is fighting a case in Greece alleging he financed “sports violence” in an investigation relating to the death of a police officer last year.
Olympiacos, who are also owned by the billionaire, immediately hit out at “yet another attempt to blackmail” Marinakis and the club to fulfil “specific political and business interests”. Marinakis and four other Olympiacos executives had been charged with covertly running a violent group of ultra hooligans, according to Skai and various news outlets in Greece.
A case was launched after riot police came under attack last December from a group of Olympiacos ultras following a volleyball match in Athens. During clashes, a 31-year-old police officer was struck in the thigh by a flare, and was taken to hospital, where he died three weeks later. Days after the attack, authorities arrested 167 individuals suspected of being involved in the officer’s death, with 25 of those placed in pre-trial detention, including an 18-year-old accused of launching the flare.
Prosecutors handling the case have been reportedly investigating the possibility that fan group “Gate 7”, which was blamed for the attack, was “covertly directed at the highest level by members of the management or executives” at the club.
Olympiacos rejected the charges, saying that Marinakis and the Olympiacos family “have a crystal-clear conscience”. “The development, which had been announced for weeks by specific political and business centres, constitutes a new attempt to blackmail Olympiacos FC and its president,” a statement read.
“It follows the unjust collective targeting and characterisation of our fans as part of an alleged criminal organisation. Even the most naive observer can see that the timing of these allegations is far from coincidental. This orchestrated manoeuvre bears clear political motives, shamefully weaponising the judiciary system. Those responsible for this conspiracy are individuals who operate with underhanded tactics, akin to a shadow state, in the public life of the country.”
The case comes to light three weeks after Marinakis launched a £2.1 million High Court libel claim against a Greek rival’s “smear campaign” accusing him of being a crime boss, match-fixer and heroin trafficker. Marinakis is suing Irini Karipidis, the owner of league rivals Aris, over a list of allegations published online last year.
A hearing on Thursday was told the allegations, which Marinakis vehemently denies, include “match-fixing practices including extortion, fraud and arson”.
Barrister David Sherborne, representing Marinakis, said 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.”
