Archive May 13, 2025

Nottingham Forest have denied that owner Evangelos Marinakis’ exchange with manager Nuno Espirito Santo on the pitch on Sunday was a “confrontation”.

And the East Midlands club described subsequent reaction to the situation as “fake news”.

An animated Marinakis spoke to Nuno after Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Leicester.

Forest said the incident was because of Marinakis’ frustration that striker Taiwo Awoniyi had continued to play after an 88th-minute injury which subsequently required ‘urgent’ surgery on Monday night.

The club added Marinakis’ actions were because of his “deep care, responsibility, and emotional investment,” in the player and the club.

“The truth of the matter is there was no confrontation, with Nuno or with others, either on the pitch or inside the stadium,” the club added.

“There was only shared frustration between all of us that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue.

Forest said Awoniyi is “recovering well” after surgery on an abdominal injury.

The Nigeria international, 27, collided with the post in the 88th minute of the draw at the City Ground as he attempted to get on the end of a cross from Anthony Elanga.

He received treatment on the pitch and continued playing, with Forest having used their three substitution windows, but was visibly struggling when the match restarted.

Forest said Marinakis’ decision to go on to the pitch was “instinctive” and “human”, showing “just how much this team and its people mean to him”.

“To Evangelos Marinakis, this isn’t just a football club – it’s family – and he instils that message in all of us,” Forest said.

“In moments like that he demonstrates his leadership, not just through words, but through action and presence.

“In the final 10 minutes of the game, when he saw our player clearly in discomfort, struggling through visible pain, it became increasingly difficult for him to stay on the sidelines.”

Speaking on Sky Sports following the match, former Manchester United captain Gary Neville described Marinakis’ actions as an “absolute joke” and “scandalous”.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said on BBC Sport’s Match Of The Day 2 it was “not a great look” for Marinakis.

In their statement on Tuesday, Forest called some of the coverage of the incident “baseless and ill-informed outrage” for the “purposes of personal social media traction”.

The club added: “At Nottingham Forest, we believe the mental and physical well-being of our players and coaching staff must always take precedence – over media narratives, inflammatory judgements, and certainly over self-promotion.

“Nottingham Forest can confirm that Taiwo Awoniyi is recovering well so far following urgent surgery on a serious abdominal injury sustained during Sunday’s match against Leicester City.

“The seriousness of his injury is a powerful reminder of the physical risks in the game, and why a player’s health and well-being must always come first. At Nottingham Forest, this principle is not just policy for us; it is the deeply held belief and conviction of our owner. To Evangelos Marinakis, this isn’t just a football club – it’s family – and he instils that message in all of us.

“That is why he was so personally and emotionally invested in the situation that unfolded at the City Ground on Sunday. His reaction was one of deep care, responsibility, and emotional investment in one of our own. He didn’t just see it as an isolated incident, but as something that reflected the values and unity of the entire team.

“In moments like that he demonstrates his leadership, not just through words, but through action and presence. In the final ten minutes of the game, when he saw our player clearly in discomfort, struggling through visible pain, it became increasingly difficult for him to stay on the sidelines. His deep frustration at seeing our player lying on the ground in severe pain – something no one with genuine care could ignore – triggered him to go onto the pitch. It was instinctive, human, and a reflection of just how much this team and its people mean to him. He would do the same again if such an unfortunate event were ever to reoccur.

“The truth of the matter is there was no confrontation, with Nuno or with others, either on the pitch or inside the stadium. There was only shared frustration between all of us that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue.

“In light of this, we urge former coaches and players, and other public figures in the game, to resist the urge to rush to judgement and fake news online, especially when they do not have the full facts and context. Baseless and ill-informed outrage for the purposes of personal social media traction serves no one – least of all the injured player. We call on these influential voices to show the same respect for player welfare that they often demand from others. Let concern come before commentary.

As Trent Alexander-Arnold stripped off his training gear on Sunday, ready to make what would likely be his penultimate appearance as a Liverpool player at Anfield, the boos from some had already begun.

After more than two decades with the club he grew up supporting, Alexander-Arnold, now 26, faced the wrath of a percentage of their fans.

It was his first appearance for Liverpool since announcing he would leave when his contract expires on 30 June. He came on as a 67th-minute substitute to a chorus of boos, which drowned out those inside the stadium applauding.

It is expected that the right-back will join La Liga side Real Madrid.

Since bursting on to the scene as a teenager under the management of Jurgen Klopp, Alexander-Arnold has won everything there is to win at club level in England – finishing with a second Premier League title for him and a 20th top-flight success for Liverpool.

So why the animosity?

Lifelong Liverpool fan Carl Duffy, 41, was at the game with his daughter in the main stand, and said both of them booed Alexander-Arnold’s introduction.

“The reason we booed comes down to a number of things, some of which in isolation would make this scenario different but combined it was always going to lead to this,” Duffy explained.

“Trent claims to be a local lad whose dreams came true, always talking about watching the 2005 Champions League trophy coming home from his house on Queens Drive. His idol was Steven Gerrard. Everything about him screamed ‘he’s just the same as us’.

“We identified with him, he was living our dream. To us it gets no bigger than Liverpool being on top and being part of that.

“In our minds nothing is bigger than Liverpool, that’s how it is here. It feels like a betrayal, a backstab, like everything that was said before wasn’t really true, or at least not as true as was portrayed.”

Duffy isn’t worried about the hole Alexander-Arnold’s exit leaves in the squad but said the emotional aspect was tough to accept.

“We’ve lost big players before like Michael Owen [to Real Madrid in 2004] – the next year we won the Champions League, so history tells us not to cry about losing a player,” Duffy said. “It’s the hurt and emotion behind it that’s the killer, not the loss of a right-back.

“I think if Alexander-Arnold had anything about him, he’d have signed a new deal with a clause for Real Madrid set at say £40m and said: “‘I’m not going to screw Liverpool out of money. If Madrid want me that much they will pay the fee.'”

Richard Davis, 50, was at the game against Arsenal and also condoned the booing from some supporters.

“Alexander-Arnold is widely known as a local lad that is a Liverpool fan,” he said. “I, and most fans, can’t even begin to imagine how amazing it would be to be in his place so where’s the respect to ‘his’ club?

“If you genuinely love the club, and care, why would you run your contract down for the last year or so, to make sure that the club gets absolutely nothing to replace you after they have invested for the last 20 years in turning you into the superstar that you’ve become?

“No-one begrudges any Liverpool player wanting to change their lives and go elsewhere if they want to, but go the right way. Go with respect and some class. Be honest and straight with the club, and don’t play this ‘will I, won’t I?’ game that he’s been playing with them.

“I am a fan, and this does mean more. Alexander-Arnold would have been a legend of the club had he stayed. He would probably been in most fans’ top 10 Liverpool players of all time – but I think that legacy has all gone now and he’s really tarnished how he’s left so badly.

In 2021, Alexander-Arnold signed a four-year contract with Liverpool. Centre-back Virgil van Dijk followed his lead, and a year later Mohamed Salah did the same – all committing themselves to the club until June 2025.

With those deals up for renewal, only two of the three made the commitment.

In his newsletter for BBC Sport, former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said he can understand both sides: “On the positive side, he has served the club brilliantly and may even have given them the best years of his career.

‌”On the negative, the club will not get a penny for a player worth north of £70m. He may say he is looking for new challenges, but fans will say you could have looked for new challenges without running down his contract and ‘costing’ the club that money.

‌”Others will believe that it is all about the filthy lucre. Liverpool would have offered him a fine contract but only a fraction of what he can now rake in as a free agent.

“‌I understand why Trent has done this. I understand why some fans are furious. I get that others are thankful for his time, effort and indeed regular brilliance.”

Former Arsenal and England winger Theo Walcott told the Monday Night Club that fans need to be wary of player wellbeing: “The underlying question is, is Trent OK? We normalise this and we don’t really know the aftermath of what it will do.

“We talk about mental health and players holding things in and not communicating with each other. His team-mate [Andy] Robertson has come out and protected him in the right way, which he should, but this would’ve damaged him in some way at some point.

“I was a Liverpool fan growing up and I couldn’t imagine booing any player regardless of their situation.

Home favourite Jasmine Paolini recovered from a set down and a 4-0 deficit in the second set to edge past Diana Shnaider and reach the Italian Open semi-finals.

The sixth seed claimed a 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-2 victory to become the first Italian woman to reach the last four in Rome since 2014 when her doubles partner, Sara Errani, was beaten by Serena Williams in the final.

Having won the opening set after a tie-break, Shnaider led 3-0 in the second before rain interrupted play.

Shnaider held serve to stretch her advantage to 4-0 after play resumed but Paolini, backed by the vociferous home support, won the next six games to level the match.

Paolini, who cruised to victory in the deciding set, paid testament to Errani for her influential words of encouragement during the rain delay.

“It was a good thing that it rained for five minutes. I got some coaching from Sara,” Paolini said of Errani, who was watching from the stands.

The 29-year-old will face either two-time Italian Open winner Elina Svitolina or Peyton Stearns in the last four.