Forest owner surrenders control of EPL club to avoid conflict of interest

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has relinquished his position as a person with significant control of the Premier League club as it closes in on Champions League qualification.

According to filings made to the U.K. government on Wednesday, Greek businessman Marinakis has ceased to have significant control of NF Football Investments Ltd, which owns Forest.

Marinakis is also president of Olympiacos, which is in position to qualify for the Champions League at the top of the Greek league.

UEFA has rules to bar clubs from its competitions in any season if owners have "decisive influence" over two clubs which qualify.

Forest is a surprise contender to qualify for next season's Champions League after battling to avoid relegation last year. It is sixth in the standings, with the top five qualifying for European club soccer's top competition.

It is level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea with a game in hand on all the teams above it.

In separate filings, Pittville One Limited was named as a person of significant control, while Sokratis Kominakis, who is part-owner of NF Football Investments, was appointed director.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer