Today, May 29, is the final of the Conference League. The Olympiacos – Fiorentina poster itself does not guarantee surprising drama and the fact that in the evening you will fall on the sofa to watch the match. However, it is worth it for at least one reason: the owner of the Greek club is a cult figure throughout the country. Businessman Evangelos Marinakis bought Olympiacos in 2010 and since then his life has become a series of incredible adventures. Marinakis has collected a collection of high-profile criminal cases, but at the same time manages to maintain the image of a person who can get out of any situation.
How many club owners do you know who have been accused of murdering a judge, arranging deals, and even selling illegal substances? As a rule, these people are quickly forgiven. And they silently disappear from public space. But Marinakis is not like that. He is still in the public eye and tonight the Club can give him a great gift: win the first major European trophy in history.
In general, Marinakis builds boats. A long time ago, his family founded a company that achieved great popularity in the market. There are oil tankers and container ships sailing all over Europe. But at some point, Evangelos got bored of simple business. What do respectable men do during such a period? That’s right, they either go into politics or buy football clubs. For the Greek there was no choice. He did it both ways: he became a member of the Piraeus city council and then bought Olympiacos, after having worked for the football federation and the league a few years before. Around this time the most interesting part of Marinakis’s biography began.
Evangelos Marinakis
Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
His club flew. Decent financial injections have led to seven consecutive championships since 2010. And at the same time, the businessman himself again and again got into scandals. Not the little things. He clearly loves to play big. In 2015, prosecutors launched an investigation, accusing Marinakis of organizing match-fixing, corruption, fraud and even an attempt on the life of a referee. Apparently he organized an entire syndicate called System for all of this.
Journalists began to investigate the case and the Mirror discovered interesting details. According to them, in 2012 unknown people approached referee Petros Konstantineas and demanded that he guarantee the desired result in one of the Super League matches. He himself later said that he refused. However, that same night he faced death threats at the hotel and then ran out of business: his bakery exploded. The referee was forced to retire.
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The prosecution had no doubt about Marinakis’ guilt. But internal conviction is one thing and evidence is another. For some time, Evangelos was even suspended from football; There were many investigations by local authorities and even UEFA. As you will understand, they all ended in nothing. The businessman was completely acquitted in 2021. All this did not affect Olympiacos in any way: no one thought about removing it from European competitions or cutting funding. The club continued to live in abundance and win trophies.
Parallel to that investigation, Marinakis found himself involved in an even dirtier scandal. In 2018, he was accused of organizing the transport of a large shipment of hard drugs. The Greek coastal police seized just over two tons. The businessman denied everything. And he referred to a conspiracy against him by political rivals. One way or another, he got his way again. The Greek was never accused in this case, which he is already falling into oblivion.
Evangelos Marinakis
Photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images
In 2017, Olympiacos alone was not enough for him: Evangelos also acquired Nottingham Forest. He promised a heavenly life with a new stadium, a foundation and everything else. Not all of this was achieved, but the club returned to the Premier League, where he still plays. Although in England at first they were very skeptical that the league would allow this deal in principle. After all, the Greek’s reputation was not very good. We even consulted with UEFA. But they said everything was fine.
In general, they say that Marinakis has a powerful “ceiling.” Both in political matters and in football matters. For example, his closest friend Theodoris Theodoridis is the general secretary of UEFA, who also participated in Platini’s election to the position of head of the federation. Therefore, Evangelos is unlikely to have any problems with such sponsors.
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However, all this bad boy image does not affect his attention towards the club. Greek media report that Marinakis is often in contact with the players and the coach and that he definitely cares about what is happening. Yes, some decisions are hateful. For example, for several years he fined players for defeats and even sent them on forced leave to think about the game, depriving them of their salary. But everyone is so used to this that he is no longer surprised.
This will be a historic match for Olympiacos. The fact that the game is set in Greece also adds to the charm. Even in Athens. Winning the title at home will undoubtedly be a special satisfaction for Marinakis.
Will stand up?
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