Nottingham Forest Owner Marinakis in Heated Debate with Boris Johnson

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis engaged in a candid discussion with former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Economist Impact Fifth Thessaloniki Metropolitan Summit in Greece, themed "South-East Europe as a Bridge of Co-operation and Growth."

The Greek businessman and Johnson clashed over the war in Ukraine, with a video of their debate going viral on social media, amassing over 3.5 million views on the X account Politics Global. The pair expressed opposing views on resolving the conflict.

Marinakis argued, “I’d prefer children stop dying. Let Russia keep some of Ukraine’s territory to end this war. It’s a fair compromise.” Johnson countered, warning that such a move could be perceived as “weak,” adding, “If we are weak now, we’ll pay for it later.”

The exchange occurred during an international break for Nottingham Forest, following Marinakis’ attendance at the team’s recent 3-0 loss to West Ham United at the City Ground.