Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek shipping magnate and owner of the English Premier League club Nottingham Forest, has been accused of attempting to fix a Greek soccer match as part of a London libel lawsuit he filed in response to what he claims is a smear campaign against him in Britain.
Marinakis initiated the libel case against Irini Karipidis, chair of Greek Super League club Aris Thessaloniki, and several others in the High Court earlier this year. He alleges that Karipidis orchestrated a campaign that included a website accusing him of match-fixing, drug smuggling, and shipping Russian oil in violation of sanctions. Marinakis has vehemently denied these accusations.
According to Marinakis’ legal team, the smear campaign included the use of a mobile billboard that was driven around Nottingham Forest’s ground prior to two matches in 2023, directing fans to the defamatory website.
In response, Karipidis asserts she has a “clear defence of truth” regarding the allegations in the libel lawsuit. She has requested the court to overturn a prior ruling that allowed the lawsuit to be served on her outside of England.
Her lawyer, Matthew Hodson, contends that Marinakis initiated a campaign against Karipidis after her brother, Theodoros, refused to fix a match between Aris and Olympiacos, which Marinakis owns, in 2023. Hodson claimed that during the 2-2 match, Marinakis threatened Theodoros, stating he “would not leave the field alive” if Olympiacos lost.
Marinakis’ lawyer, David Sherborne, countered that the allegations made against him in open court were intended solely to generate negative publicity. He described Karipidis’ motion to revoke permission to serve the lawsuit as a “transparent attempt” to continue the campaign against Marinakis.
Ari Harow, a former aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is also named as a defendant in the case. Marinakis accuses Harow of facilitating payments that supported the alleged smear campaign. Harow’s attorney, Ali Sinai, has called for the dismissal of the case against his client as well.
(Source: Reuters)
