The Football Association is looking into a banner displayed by Crystal Palace fans that illustrated Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis pointing a gun at midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White’s head.
Sources indicate that Forest is extremely disappointed that fans were allowed to bring the banner into Selhurst Park.
The match between Palace and Forest ended in a 1-1 draw on Sunday, but the game was overshadowed by the banner, which not only depicted Marinakis with a gun aimed at Gibbs-White but also included the message: “Mr. Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking, or corruption!”
Marinakis has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing regarding these allegations.
The FA is investigating the banner and will determine if Palace will face any consequences.
There are strict regulations concerning the content of such banners, particularly regarding offensive language and defamatory or political messages.
The banner is likely to escalate tensions between the two clubs following a contentious summer that saw Palace relegated to the Europa Conference League while Forest took their spot in the Europa League after Palace violated UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
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Last month, Palace chairman Steve Parish described the decision to exclude Crystal Palace from the Europa League as “the biggest injustice in the history of football.”
However, there is significant frustration at the City Ground over the lack of action to prevent the banner from being displayed.
Forest views the banner as inflammatory and xenophobic and is privately questioning why Palace and its ownership group, which includes Woody Johnson, Parish, Josh Harris, and David Blitzer, have not publicly condemned it.
Gibbs-White nearly transferred to Tottenham earlier this summer after the London club seemingly activated his £60 million release clause, but he ultimately decided to remain at the City Ground, signing a new contract and discussing his choice to stay in an interview alongside Marinakis.
