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Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo defended Evangelos Marinakis after the owner stormed on to the pitch having watched his side fumble Champions League qualification.
Marinakis was seen emotionally remonstrating with Nuno after Facundo Buonanotte’s 81st-minute strike earned Leicester a 2-2 Premier League draw at the City Ground, inflicting a damaging blow to Forest’s hopes of finishing in the top five.
They were unsavoury scenes, especially as Forest confirmed they will at least be playing in the Europa Conference League next season, with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville saying the Portuguese should “negotiate his exit tonight”.
Nuno laughed off those suggestions and insisted the Greek businessman’s frustrations came because of a miscommunication between the bench and medical staff after an injury to striker Taiwo Awoniyi in the dying stages of the match.
“It is because of the owner and his passion that we are growing as a club. He pushes us. He wants us to be better,” he said of Marinakis, who served a five-match stadium ban earlier this season.
“It is his passion and desire to be a big club – 30,000 people felt the same today. For sure, many of them would go on the pitch and shake us down.
“Us as a club, we owe a lot to the Marinakis family.”
Asked whether he was comfortable being spoken to like in such a way in a public arena, Nuno added: “I have been in football so many years as a player and as a coach.
“It is the passion and desire. The players feel it, we feel it and the fans feel it. We have to do better.”
Neville, working on Liverpool’s Premier League game with Arsenal, waded into the debate, by saying on X: “Scandalous from that Forest owner. Nuno should go and negotiate his exit tonight with him!
“The Forest fans, players and manager do not deserve that.”
But Nuno responded: “I am not going to comment too much. I have huge respect for Gary Neville, he is the coach who replaced me when I was sacked at Valencia. So he was a coach himself.
“He knows what it is like to be on the touchline. All the rest, please allow me… I do not want to proceed about (talks of) the future.”
Chris Wood’s 20th goal of the season had put Forest on course to beat their East Midlands rivals, after Morgan Gibbs-White earlier cancelled out Conor Coady’s opener.
But Buonanotte’s late strike means they are no longer in charge of their own destiny. Winning their final two games, including a final-day meeting with Chelsea, might not be enough to secure Champions League football unless Aston Villa, Manchester City or Newcastle drop points along the way.
They are confirmed, however, to be in at least the Europa Conference League and could be in the Europa League by the time they next play if Manchester City beat Crystal Palace in next week’s FA Cup final.
Despite an upturn in performances since relegation was confirmed, boss Ruud van Nistelrooy is no closer to knowing whether he will be in charge next season.
“No, for me it’s important that I connect with the players and vice-versa, that they are buying into the way of playing and performing as good as we can towards the end of the season,” he said.
“It’s from day-to-day and game-to-game. I spoke about initiative months and months ago in conversations with the ownership and leadership at the club.
“Now for weeks I don’t have news and my focus is on the next training session and the next game.
“In the interests of the club, it’s very important and the sooner the better, I said that as well.
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