'Medical misjudgement': On-field altercation between Nottingham Forest's owner and manager down to player injury
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis gave his club's manager Nuno Espirito Santo an explosive on-field spray after his team's 2-2 draw with Leicester City.
The owner was seen fuming, storming onto the pitch to confront Santo following the final whistle.
After the altercation, Marinakis put out a statement online to explain the moment, saying that it was fuelled by the team's decisions surrounding Taiwo Awoniyi's injury, which the owner believed were misguided.
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"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," Marinakis said in his statement.
"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.
Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Nottingham Forest, looks on during a Premier League match. Getty
"Everybody -- coaching staff, players, supporters and including myself -- we were frustrated around the injury of Taiwo and the medical staff's misjudgement 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!"
The aforementioned injury happened late in the match after Awoniyi collided with both Leicester City's Facundo Buonanotte and the goal post but he was not replaced, leaving the striker to limp through the closing stages.
Sunday's result means that Nottingham Forest will finish at least in a top-seven spot in the English Premier League but will not qualify for the Champions League, after dropping valuable points that leave them outside the top-five.
But they will be returning to European football for the first time since 1996 as the team will be heading into the Europa Conference League at the very least.
It comes only three years after Nottingham Forest were promoted to the Premier League off the back of 23 years outside the top league.
Since the altercation, Santo has defended Marinakis' outburst and actions online.
"It was due to the situation," Nuno said to media.
"There was a confusion over the situation of [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.
"Football is emotions. It's difficult to control, especially when we had so much expectation today."
Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo before the Premier League match at the City Ground, Nottingham. Getty
When asked about whether he was comfortable being spoken to on the pitch by an owner, Santo admitted that the team "needed to do better" and it was "passion and desire" that fuelled Marinakis' emotional outburst.
"I have been in football so many years as a player and as a coach," he said.
"It is the passion and desire. The players feel it, we feel it and the fans feel it."
This is not the first time Marinakis has caused problems at Forest games, he served a five-game stadium ban after being found guilty of improper conduct in September last year.
He was seen spitting on the floor as match officials walked past him after his team's defeat to Fulham came off the back of a VAR-awarded penalty.
Nottingham Forest have their next game on Sunday against West Ham, before their final game of the Premier League season against top-five placed Chelsea.
