Marinakis watched Rio Ave face Sporting CP and inspected the club’s new professional football facilities alongside club executives
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis made his first appearance at the Estádio dos Arcos this week to watch Rio Ave’s game against Sporting CP. Marinakis, who also owns Olympiacos and Rio Ave, was spotted, cigar in hand, at the VIP area during a 4-1 loss to the Portuguese powerhouse.
A major focus of Marinakis’ visit involved the club’s new professional football training facilities, which are expected to become central to Rio Ave’s long term sporting project.
Although the complex has not yet been officially inaugurated, the first team is already using the site daily under head coach Sotiris Silaidopoulos.
Having already celebrated Forest securing Premier League safety last weekend, received updates regarding the development of the wider sports complex project from Alexandrina Cruz, the president of Rio Ave. He also held meetings with Silaidopoulos as planning for next season continues behind the scenes.
Also pictured in the VIP area was John Textor, former Crystal Palace minority shareholder, with whom Marinakis did plenty of business last summer.
Textor, who technically still owns Brazilian club Botafogo but is has recently been removed from managing the club by an arbitration court in Brazil, sold four players to Forest last summer.
John Victor, Igor Jesus, Jair Cunha, and Cuiabano, with midfielder Danilo heading in the other way.
Pendant ce temps-là, Evangelos Marinakis, propriétaire du Rio Ave depuis fin 2023 se rendait, pour la première fois, au Estádio dos Arcos pour voir jouer son équipe.
Et il y avait un autre invité : John Textor, assis aux côtés de la présidente, Alexandrina Cruz. pic.twitter.com/i3qtMJRXly— 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝘀 (@nicolas_vilas) May 13, 2026
Sotiris Silaidopoulos praises Marinakis influence
Despite the heavy defeat against Sporting CP, Silaidopoulos spoke positively afterwards about the significance of Marinakis attending the match and visiting the club.
“It was an extra source of motivation for the team to put in a good performance,” Silaidopoulos said.
“He is a great leader and a great motivator for the team. I’m happy to have him nearby.”
The coach also highlighted Marinakis’ standing within football, pointing to the experience he has gained through ownership of multiple clubs across Europe.
“He is someone who has everyone’s respect,” Silaidopoulos added.
Silaidopoulos led Olympiacos’s U-19 team all the way to UEFA Youth League glory in 2024 and served as first team assistant coach to José Luis Mendilibar as the Reds became the first Greek team to win a European title by clinching the Conference League title on the same year.
He departed the club in the summer of 2025 to take charge of Rio Ave on a two-year deal. Despite some poor results, Silaidopoulos managed to turn the season around and he is expected to stay put.
“Naturally, following some less positive results, we had extensive discussions with the entire management team in Portugal and with the owner [Evangelos Marinakis], but that [dismissing Silaidopoulos] was never our intention,” Cruz said.
“We knew the results would come, and fortunately, that is what happened. Sotiris has another year on his contract and our wish is for him to stay on to continue the project.”
