Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has filed a defamation lawsuit against Crystal Palace in the High Court, following the display of a banner at Selhurst Park last August that depicted him holding a gun to the head of Morgan Gibbs-White.

The banner appeared shortly after Gibbs-White's proposed transfer to Tottenham collapsed, leading the midfielder to instead sign a contract extension at the City Ground. Beyond the inflammatory image, the banner also contained unsubstantiated claims about Marinakis's business affairs.

FA fine not enough for Marinakis

The Football Association launched an investigation into the incident in November, and Crystal Palace were subsequently charged and fined £50,000. However, Sky Sports News understands that Marinakis regards that penalty as wholly inadequate given what he views as extensive damage to his reputation on a global scale.

Marinakis lodged his claim in the High Court last week and is determined to pursue Crystal Palace to the full extent of the law.

The legal argument

His case rests on the contention that Crystal Palace failed to prevent the banner from being displayed and did not act swiftly to have it removed. The legal action seeks to establish precisely how much responsibility the south London club bears for allowing the flag to appear at their ground.

FA regulations require clubs to ensure their supporters conduct themselves in a manner that is not improper, offensive, abusive, insulting, or provocative. Under defamation law, a claimant may pursue a case on three grounds: the publication of allegedly false statements, the creation of a damaging image, or permitting such an image to be displayed.

Sky Sports News contacted Crystal Palace for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication. Nottingham Forest declined to comment, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.