Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis' five-match stadium ban for "improper conduct" came because of him being found guilty of spitting at the feet of referee Josh Smith.

Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis claimed he had a ‘hacking cough’ and blamed his spit on smoking ‘two or three cigars a day’

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis “spat on the floor” towards the referee following his team’s 1-0 defeat to Fulham last month, according to an independent regulatory commission.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was given a five-match ban for spitting on the floor as the match officials walked past him following their 2-2 draw with Fulham last month. Marinakis’ ban was confirmed last week after an independent regulatory commission investigated him following an FA charge of misconduct.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was given a five-match stadium ban for spitting on the floor as the referee walked past him.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis spat towards match officials in a “flagrant display of disrespectful behaviour”, the Football Association successfully claimed to a commission.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has denied spitting at a referee's feet after being hit with a five-match stadium ban, instead claiming that he was only coughing.