Nottingham owner confronts manager Nuno after draw against Leicester City

A rare situation occurred right after the match when the owner invaded the pitch. Nuno Espírito Santo, who is using "Nuno magic," was assaulted.

Nottingham drew 2-2 with Leicester City in the 36th round home match of the 2024-2025 season Premier League (PL) at The City Ground in Nottingham, England, on the 11th (Korea time).

For Nottingham, this was a painful draw. Having not won in three consecutive league matches, Nottingham has dropped to 7th place with 62 points (18 wins, 8 draws, 10 losses). They hung their heads after failing to secure 3 points at home against already relegated Leicester.

On this day, Nottingham fell behind with a goal from KODI in the 16th minute. They equalized with a goal from Morgan Gibbs-White in the 25th minute, and took the lead with a header by Chris Wood in the 56th minute. It seemed like they might win and return to 5th place, overtaking Chelsea (63 points).

However, Nottingham could not hold on for the last 10 minutes. Their defense faltered, and in the 81st minute, they conceded an equalizer to Facundo Buonanotte. Nottingham failed to find the net again, and they had to settle for sharing the points.

With this draw, Nottingham has flickering hopes for next season's UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualification. Just a short while ago, they were in 3rd place in the league, poised to enter the UCL stage for the first time in club history. However, they are now shaky after failing to gain points in the last three matches. Now, they must hope for rivals to stumble in their remaining two games.

Still, Nottingham is making history with Manager Nuno. They secured at least a UEFA Conference League spot while widening the gap with 8th place Brentford. This will be Nottingham’s first European competition appearance in 29 years since the 1995-1996 season. Given that Nottingham barely avoided relegation last season by finishing 17th, this is an impressive achievement.

However, something shocking happened after the match. Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of Nottingham, suddenly entered the stadium and unleashed his anger at Manager Nuno. He expressed his displeasure with a furious look, while a flustered Nuno appeared to console him.

The British "Mirror" reported, "Owner Marinakis had a heated argument with Manager Nuno. After the match, he rushed at Nuno like a bee, and the two had an uncomfortable conversation. Nuno appeared flustered as he tried to calm the owner's anger."

Criticism directed at Marinakis poured in. Jamie Carragher said, "He should be out of the stadium," while Gary Neville remarked, "This is a complete scandal. If I were Nuno, I would have said something very harsh to him. It makes no sense to insult someone in the stadium." Local fans, well aware of Nuno's revival, criticized him, saying, "Marinakis has already forgotten where they were last season."

Manager Nuno embraced the owner. He noted, "Football is emotion. It’s especially hard to control in a situation with high expectations." He added, "There was confusion about Taiwo Awoniyi's injury. It was frustrating that a confident player, who seemed ready to score, could only play for 10 minutes."

Nottingham introduced forward Awoniyi in the 83rd minute, but he limped off after colliding with the goalpost. The club's medical staff deemed him fit to continue playing. However, Awoniyi did not perform well, which upset Marinakis.

As the controversy grew, Marinakis released a statement. He said, "Today is a day of celebration. After 30 years, Nottingham is once again able to compete on the European stage! This is the promise we made to the fans when we got promoted!"

Then Marinakis added, "Everyone, including the coaching staff, players, supporters, and myself, was frustrated by the misjudgment surrounding Awoniyi's injury. This is natural. It shows our passion for the club." This was more an excuse than an apology.

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