Marinakis sues president of Aris soccer club over ‘smear campaign’
In a high-profile defamation case unfolding in London, Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis is suing Aris Football Club President Irini Karipidis over an alleged online smear campaign accusing him of match-fixing and more.
The owner of Olympiakos and Premier League side Nottingham Forest claims Karipidis has been spreading false accusations against him, damaging his reputation. He accused her of being behind a website containing allegations Marinakis was involved in match-fixing, drug smuggling and shipping Russian oil in breach of sanctions, which he strongly denies.
Karipidis has also questioned the legitimacy of Forest’s promotion to the Premier League, further escalating the legal conflict.
During the proceedings, Karipidis’ lawyer accused Marinakis of launching a campaign against her brother and major shareholder of Aris, Theo Karipidis, after he refused to fix a match between Olympiakos and Aris in 2023.
