The English Football Association has charged Crystal Palace with misconduct after a banner by their fans showed Greek businessman Evangelos Marinakis pointing a gun to one of his own players. The FA did not mention the banner, but it has charged the south London club of "failing to ensure that supporters did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive or provocative way".
The banner, displayed in August during a Premier League match ended 1-1, showed Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis holding a gun to the head of player Morgan Gibbs-White, with a speech bubble saying that "Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match fixing, drug trafficking or corruption", mocking the numerous controversies that have followed the Greek businessman.
The midfielder Gibbs-White was close to leaving Forest at the end of last season, but ended up signing a new contract and gave a press conference alongside Marinakis, a moment mocked by Crystal Palace fans, with a banner that broke FA's strict rules about defamatory, political and offensive slogans.
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Marinakis has never been convicted on any of those charges, but the shadow of suspicion has followed him for over a decade. This year, he has been implicated in the death of a police officer involving over 140 Olympiacos fans, with Marinakis accused of supporting and financing those ultras groups and inciting violence.