Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has defended his actions towards manager Nuno Espirito Santo following Sunday’s 2-2 draw with already-relegated Leicester City, Afrosport reports.
The Greek billionaire approached Espirito Santo after the game to vent his frustration over the use of Nigeria striker Taiwo Awoniyi who came off the bench and was in discomfort after colliding with the goalpost in an attempt to connect with an Anthony Elanga cross.
Marinakis was upset Awoniyi was on the pitch for too long which denied them the chance to chase a winning goal.
The result leaves Forest in seventh on the table, one point away from an automatic Champions League qualification spot for next season.
“We were frustrated around the injury of Taiwo [Awoniyi] and the medical staff’s misjudgement on Taiwo’s ability to continue the game,“ Marinakis said.
“This is natural, this is a demonstration of the passion we feel for our club.
“It is a day for celebration, because after 30 years Nottingham Forest is now guaranteed to be competing on the European stage once again – a promise I made to our supporters when we achieved promotion.”
Today’s result secures our place in UEFA European competition for the 2025/26 campaign.
We keep on fighting and believing.
pic.twitter.com/UlXOwVwirO
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) May 11, 2025
Forest will finish their season with league games against West Ham United and Chelsea.
