Will FA Take Actions Against Crystal Palace Fans for Displaying Offensive Banner Against Nottingham Forest Owner?

Ahead of the second matchweek action in the English Premier League at Selhurst Park in South London, Crystal Palace fans exhibited a banner that shook the English football fraternity. In the poster, Nottingham Forest co-owner Evangelos Marinakis was shown holding a gun to the head of English midfielder Morgan Gibbs White. This came recently after a failed transfer of Morgan from Nottinghamshire to North London, as he was all set to join Tottenham Hotspur, but Forest made his move difficult, and Morgan signed a new contract extension at City Ground. The poster wrote, “Mr Marinakis is NOT involved in blackmail, match fixing, drug trafficking, and corruption."

Why is there a rift between Palace and Forest?

The poster also portrayed Nottingham co-owner John Textor as a puppet and a clown. This comes after Textor's stakes in multiple clubs led to UEFA banning Crystal Palace from the Europa League, and they got relegated to the UEFA Conference League. Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, were handed a promotion to the UEL. The match ended in a draw. Despite the home side taking a lead in the 37th minute via Ismaila Sarr's goal, Forest netted the equaliser after Hudson Odoi found the back of the net in the 57th minute. A few months ago, after Forest failed to win against Leicester, which cost them a spot in the UCL, Nottingham owner was publicly seen expressing his rage against coach Nuno. When Nuno was asked about his relationship with the owner, he replied, “This narrative is absurd. I cannot answer that question, but. I’m working and trying to do my job the best that I can. We are responsible players, and we’re going to have a good conversation. What is more important, the team?”

What Action could FA Take against Crystal Palace Fans?

The FA strictly prohibits fans from any violent, provocative, or actions that endorse racism, hatred, or violence. The FIFA Code of Conduct states that, “Banners, streamers, posters, signs or other similar items are permitted only if they are not larger than 2 m x 1.5 m, support teams or players, and do not contain offensive, obscene, political, discriminatory or provocative content.” The poster was so disgraceful that Sky Sports didn't even show it on public television. If the culprits are identified, they may face at least a ten-match suspension under Article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC).