Evangelos Marinakis has completed a full takeover of League Championship side Nottingham Forest and offered Manager Mark Warburton his "backing," according to SKY SPORTS. A club statement released on Thursday confirmed the deal for 100% of Nottingham Forest has "gone through following months of negotiations and approval" from the English Football League. Marinakis is the owner of Greek club Olympiakos, winner of the Greek title for the past seven years, and the protracted deal had been "in doubt after it emerged he was facing allegations of match fixing." He is "no longer facing charges," and a statement said that he and fellow consortium leader Sokratis Kominakis passed the EFL's Owners & Directors test. Marinakis "immediately announced a series of appointments." Sports lawyer Nicholas Randall has been made chair, while Olympiakos CEO Ioannis Vrentzos takes up the same role at Forest and Sporting Dir Frank McParland gets a contract extension. The takeover means Fawaz Al-Hasawi, who wanted to keep a stake in Forest, "leaves after five years" (SKY SPORTS, 5/18).
