Season › 2014-15 › News Fans Forum process vindicated , 15 April, 2comments | Jump to most recent An unsuccessful candidate for the Everton Fans' Forum elected by fans last year was so upset that he formulated an official complaint about the process. Here, the Independent Football Ombundsman rules that the process was not at fault. An Everton supporter who unsuccessfully applied to be a candidate for election to the Everton Fans Forum last year complained to the Independent Football Ombudsman that the process was “flawed and completely undemocratic”. He argued that the process was not independent, that there were no clear criteria for selection and that full voting figures have not been published. The Premier League even got involved, concluding that “there is nothing to suggest that the Club has not acted in good faith and in consultation with fans when deciding the structure of the Fans Forum and this process.” The Ombudsman found that the complaint had no merit: "The Forum adopted an election process which was clearly publicised beforehand and which was reasonable in the particular circumstances. That process made the fans themselves, and not the Forum or the Club, the ultimate arbiter of who got elected." Article continues below video content He concluded that: "The complainant is of course entitled to his views about what he perceives as flaws and in the matter of the publication of results he has raised an issue which the Forum should consider. He has an opportunity through the online panel and in direct submissions to the Forum to address ongoing concerns about the future elections which will introduce six new members each year." Quotes sourced from The Independent Football Ombudsman Reader Comments (2) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Richard Knights 1 Posted 15/04/2015 at 00:47:20 The outgoing Everton Fans' Forum choose the candidates for the election. No problem with that, according to the Independent Football Ombudsman... Michael Kenrick 2 Posted 15/04/2015 at 03:02:53 The previous installment of this saga was Everton unveiling the new FansÂ’ Forum members.Okay, I guess I can understand being upset about not being named as a candidate, but to make out the whole process was Â’undemocraticÂ’ — when the club went to the trouble of actually putting it to a vote of registered club Â’membersÂ’, with oversight by the ERS... come on. As for needing to see the exact voting for each candidate... well, it seem thatÂ’s where the IFO agrees with you to some extent. Not sure I do, though. Perhaps IÂ’m being naïve here but, given some of the things that have gone on in the the past regarding fan feedback and involvement with the club, this current process is surely a massive step forward. But for some it is not enough... would it ever be enough? Methinks perhaps thou dost protest too much. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. About these ads © ToffeeWeb