A major trial begins in Greece against Olympiacos FC president Marinakis, football fans, for sports violence

The trial of the president of the Greek football club Olympiakos, Evangelos Marinakis, and dozens of football fans started on Wednesday in Greece. It is the largest case of its kind linked to sports-related violence and in which authorities have vowed to crack down.

A total of 142 fans are accused of running a crime organization and causing life-threatening explosions at sporting events. They have denied wrongdoing.

Marinakis, a shipping and media magnate who also owns English Premier League club Nottingham Forest, and another four board members are accused of supporting the alleged criminal group between 2019 and 2024 and inciting violence over a 2023 statement. They have dismissed the crime allegations as unfounded.

Marinakis was not present in the packed courtroom of the high-security Korydallos prison in Athens on Wednesday and was represented by his lawyer. Masked police officers guarded some defendants still in custody.

READ ALSO: Crystal Palace charged after fans attacked Forest owner Marinakis with a provocative banner

More than 210 people will testify before the three-member court during the trial, which lawyers estimate could last more than a year. The court adjourned on November 25 after the president read out the names of the accused and witnesses.

Violence has plagued sports in Greece in recent years. Hardcore supporters, who follow the same club in different sports, regularly clash with police outside stadiums and with rival fans in organized street fights. Hooliganism is also a major concern for European football governing body UEFA.

The investigation was launched after the 2023 fatal injury of 31-year-old riot police officer George Lyngeridis during clashes outside a women’s volleyball match between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, a normally low-risk match.

Before the game, some fans moved a bag of flares and improvised explosive devices from a storage room in their soccer stadium to the volleyball venue, the investigation found. Lyngeridis was struck by a flare during the clashes and died of his injuries weeks later.

It was the third fatality in sports violence in Greece in the period 2022-2023 and prompted the country’s top prosecutor to call for a crackdown on criminal gangs linked to the sport.

Published on November 5, 2025