A Greek court ruled on Wednesday that Olympiacos Piraeus and Nottingham Forest owner Vangelis Marinakis is to face trial on charges of match fixing in Greece.
The 49-year-old shipping magnate is the most prominent among 28 people who will be put on trial on felony charges following a probe on suspect Greek football match outcomes. The three-bench Athens Court of Appeal ruling came after a 2-1 majority vote.
Marinakis denied any wrongdoing during the investigation. His lawyers were not immediately available for comment. Olympiacos, one of Greece’s most popular teams, was also not available for comment.
According to a document seen by Reuters, Marinakis also faces misdemeanor charges of allegedly colluding with others to altering the outcome of fixtures.
A date for the trial has not yet been announced, but court sources said it could possibly take place next year.
In a posting on Facebook, Konstantinos Karapapas, the communications director for Olympiacos, urged fans be patient, and said the club would comment once it had something official. The date of the posting was Nov.7.
“Be certain of one thing. Mr. Marinakis will continue to grow our club Olympiacos in spite of those who dream up and execute their plans against the biggest team on this Earth,” Karapapas wrote.
Among the other people accused are former Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) officials, former referees and referee officials, players.
The cases which covered a period between 2011 and 2013, are the latest in a long line of corruption inquries into Greek football.
