Nottingham Forest: EFL assess Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis takeover bid

Evangelos Marinakis was set to meet with the English Football League in the days after Nottingham Forest confirmed their Championship status

Evangelos Marinakis' takeover of Nottingham Forest is being assessed by the English Football League Executive, with the Olympiakos owner facing accusations of match-fixing in Greece.

Marinakis denies the allegations and is still waiting to find out whether the case against him will go to trial.

The sale would end Fawaz Al Hasawi's five-year ownership of Forest.

After avoiding relegation from the Championship on Sunday, Al Hasawi said the deal was "99%" complete.

Two-time European Cup winners Forest remained in England's second-tier competition on goal difference alone after beating Ipswich Town 3-0 on the final day of the season.

Attention immediately after the match turned to off-field matters at the City Ground, with two takeovers having failed to materialise in the past season - one by Marinakis in September before a United States consortium, led by businessman John Jay Moores, fell through in January.

While Al Hasawi has agreed to sell the club to Marinakis, the purchase cannot be complete until he passes the EFL's owners' and directors' test - in place to "protect the image and integrity" of the league.

However, the Greek shipping magnate is likely to get approval as he has not been convicted of any crime.

While it is EFL policy not to comment on takeovers, a spokesperson said: "A change of control at Nottingham Forest is currently being assessed by the EFL Executive within the context of our regulations."

Since 2015, Marinakis, along with a number of football officials in his homeland, has been facing allegations surrounding a match-fixing conspiracy involving Greek domestic games between 2011 and 2013.

He was cleared of a previous match-fixing allegation because of a lack of evidence.

Celebrating 44th title

As owner of Greek football's most successful club, Marinakis has overseen Olympiakos winning the Greek Superleague seven times since he bought them in 2010.

Their latest title, the club's 44th crown, was confirmed after escaping a six-point deduction following a hearing into crowd trouble after a Greek Cup semi-first leg defeat by AEK Athens.

Meanwhile, Mark Warburton, the third manager at Forest this season and the 10th managerial appointment since the Al Hasawi family's takeover in 2012, guided the club to safety on the final day of the season.

Off the field, the club has also been much maligned, having twice been under a transfer embargo while also dealing with several winding-up petitions.