Nottingham Forest’s club owner has been Evangelos Marinakis since May 2017. The Greek shipping magnate bought the City Ground side from their previous owner, Fawaz Al Hasawi.
Marinakis headed a consortium involving compatriot Socrates Kominakis to end Al Hasawi’s five-tenure tenure as Nottingham Forest’s owner. The English Football League (EFL) ratified the 100% coup after Marinakis passed its owners’ and directors’ after a drawn-out process.
When did Evangelos Marinakis become the owner of Nottingham Forest?
Al Hasawi sold Nottingham Forest to Marinakis in May 2017 for £50m under the magnate’s company, NF Football Investments. The Reds had just ended the Championship campaign by sealing their survival on the final day of the season on goal difference over Blackburn Rovers.
Marinakis is one of the most successful businessmen from Greece and acquired 100% of the shares in the club. Al Hasawi had earlier held negotiations with a US consortium led by John Jay Moores for a £50m buyout. But the takeover collapsed at the 11th hour in January 2017.
The takeover Marinakis eventually agreed to saw Al Hasawi relinquish all of his shares having sought to remain a 20% owner of Nottingham Forest. He had overseen the Reds for the prior five years after the Kuwaiti businessman bought the stakes of the late Nigel Doughty in 2012.
Marinakis followed his takeover by investing heavily as the owner of Nottingham Forest. The Greek also turned £41m worth of loans into extra shares in March 2023 to support the club’s 2021/22 financial year. He had already done so in multiple years since buying out Al Hasawi.
Nottingham Forest announced in 2018 that Marinakis had strengthened his controlling stake as the club’s owner by converting £5m worth of loans into shares. He did so again in 2019 for £14.5m, in 2021 for £21m and in 2022 for £12m as a sign of Marinakis’ further commitment.
What have Nottingham Forest won since Evangelos Marinakis became their owner?
Marinakis’ tenure as the owner of Nottingham Forest has so far seen the Reds return to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years. The City Ground side sealed their long-awaited return to the top-flight by winning the Championship play-off final for the 2021/22 season.
Nottingham Forest finished fourth in the regular second-tier campaign before securing a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town at Wembley. The Reds had not finished in the play-off positions since the 2010/11 season. While the club also made it to the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2021/22.
No major titles have yet been added to Nottingham Forest’s trophy cabinet since Marinakis became the club’s owner. But their run to the FA Cup quarter-finals – featuring wins against Arsenal and Leicester City – was their best run in the competition since the 1995/96 season.
Nottingham Forest also made the English Football League Cup (EFL Cup) semi-finals during the 2022/23 season. The Reds had not advanced as far in the competition since losing in the 1991/92 final. Steve Cooper was the manager of Nottingham Forest for Marinakis’ triumphs.
What other sports franchises does Evangelos Marinakis own?
Along with Nottingham Forest, Marinakis is also the owner of Greek giants Olympiacos. The businessman is also now exploring purchasing another football club to further his stable, per The Sun. He is keen to buy an Italian Serie A side and has instructed advisors to find the club.
How much is Evangelos Marinakis worth? What is his net worth?
Marinakis first made his worth through the shipping industry before investing in media and football in Greece and the UK. He started Capital Maritime in 2005 and bought Olympiacos in 2010. He also joined Crude Carriers in 2010 and later established Alter Ego Media during 2016.
Now, Marinakis’ investments put the Nottingham Forest owner’s net worth at around $3bn (£2.5bn), per Nottinghamshire Live in September 2022. But The Sun credited the member of the Piraeus city council’s net worth to be considerably less in August 2022 at around £505m.