Crystal Palace have been formally charged by the Football Association for an incident involving their supporters during a Premier League fixture earlier this season.
The charge relates to a large-scale banner displayed by home fans in the Holmesdale Stand during the club’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park in late August. The display featured an image of Forest’s majority owner, Evangelos Marinakis.
The FA alleges that the club failed to prevent its supporters from engaging in “improper, offensive, abusive, insulting and/or provocative” conduct during the match.
The fixture was played against a backdrop of significant tension between the two clubs, stemming from a protracted dispute over a European qualification place last summer. Both teams were in contention for a spot in the Europa League, with Forest ultimately securing entry into UEFA’s second-tier competition after Palace were ruled ineligible due to a multi-club ownership conflict.
That eligibility issue, which involved Palace’s former co-owner John Textor and his controlling stake in French side Lyon, was only resolved after a lengthy process. Reports at the time indicated Marinakis had communicated with European football’s governing body to question the validity of Palace’s entry.