Nottingham Forest boss Evangelos Marinakis has responded to criticism of his behaviour after the final whistle in his side’s 2 – 2 draw with Leicester City on Sunday.
The Tricky Trees have secured qualification for European football for the first time in 30 years after a stellar season by their standards. Their fight now is to ensure that the competition they play in next season is the UEFA Champions League. This would have been wrapped up a while ago, but their stuttering form of recent has put their participation in Europe’s most elite competition in doubt.
Their recent outing against the already relegated Leicester City made matters worse for them in their pursuit of Champions League football. They fell behind the Foxes, came back to take the lead, only to lose it again and share the spoils. It was a match that had everything a neutral would enjoy and one that disappointed everyone associated with the club.
Marinakis embodied that frustration as he stepped out onto the pitch at full time to exchange words with the team’s manager, Nuno Espirito Santo. His approach received a lot of criticism from fans and the media.
He has now come out with a statement to the club’s fans, explaining his actions and calling for more support in their final matches as they continue to chase Champions League football.
He wrote: “Today 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!
“With two more games to go in the Premier League, we must keep believing and keep dreaming, right to the final kick in the final game. We are extremely proud and close to Nuno and the team, and we must all celebrate the historic achievements of this season.
“Everybody – coaching staff, players, supporters and including myself – we were frustrated around the injury of Taiwo and the medical staff’s misjudgment on Taiwo’s ability to continue the game.
“This is natural, this is a demonstration of the passion we feel for our club. Let’s all be grateful, passionate and keep on dreaming!”
Nuno Espirito Santo defended his boss with a statement. “It was due to the situation,” he began. “There was a confusion over the situation of T [Taiwo Awoniyi]. “There was frustration to play 10 minutes with a player that had so much confidence and being positive that he’s going to score. We made the sub, then played with one man less. That causes frustration, it’s obvious.”
