Fresh suspicion over Usmanov’s involvement at Everton
The Guardian is reporting that a number of football managers have claimed to have held talks over the job at Everton in the presence of now-sanctioned oligarch, Alisher Usmanov.
Simon Goodley looks at the queston of whether Usmanov has any involvement in the decision-making process at Everton amid claims that it is the Uzbek billionaire's money that funded Farhad Moshiri's takeover of the club, something the latter's camp has consistently denied.
Nevertheless, according to Goodley, Usmanov is "understood to have attended a sequence of meetings" since Moshiri first invested in Everton in February 2016 and until early last year when the multibillionaire was sanctioned by the United Kindom following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The report suggests that five different managers, either speaking on condition of anonymity or whose stories came from close associates of theirs, were left with the impression that Usmanov is the de facto owner of Everton after being interviewed for the head coach role at Goodison Park, with some alleging that the tycoon was present during their meetings while it was another's "feeling ... that maybe [Usmanov] was helping out with the money and maybe didn’t want to be named as an owner.”
One of the managers, who, citing a “confidentiality agreement”, declined to discuss with The Guardian his own involvement in the meeting, recounted that he travelled to Germany "on a trip specifically concerning Everton" to meet Usmanov himself.
Current boss Frank Lampard mentioned last year that Moshiri was on a virtual call with Usmanov when he was interviewed for the managerial vacancy at Everton following the dismissal of Rafael Benitez but insisted the oligarch was not present for his talks.
A spokesman for Usmanov has admitted that, “Mr Moshiri did at times turn to Mr Usmanov for advice given the latter’s significant experience in football, but he [Moshiri] made all the decisions. Mr Usmanov has never interviewed or been present during an interview.”
Usmanov and Moshiri are long-time business partners and were joint-owners of conglomerate USM Holdings until the Everton owner divested his interest from the firm after Russia attacked Ukraine. The pair held a 30% stake in Arsenal FC before Moshiri took a major stake in Everton, later increasing his shareholdings to 94% of the club.
After taking over, Moshiri leveraged his ties with USM to arrange sponsorship deals like the naming rights to Finch Farm and matchday sponsorship at Goodison Park, as well as first option on naming the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. Those arrangements were also terminated when Usmanov was sanctioned.
» Read the full article at The Guardian
Reader Comments (40)
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 ()
2 Posted 15/01/2023 at 12:42:27
'Dance with The Devil' and you're going to get burned.
3 Posted 15/01/2023 at 13:36:20
Once the UK imposed sanctions, whatever relationship it was seemed to stop and the club made that announcement.
Manchester City's emergence back to the big time started with a corrupt Thai Prime Minister who had his assets frozen by a Military Government.
The Saudis, whose human rights reputation is questionable at best, are in control of Newcastle United. But conveniently, they are recipients of a very healthy defence contract for the UK Government and a counter proxy partner to Iran.
Funny how we take the moral high ground when it suits but ignore when it suits as well.
That's not at you, Barry, by the way. Just the whole media approach.
4 Posted 15/01/2023 at 13:42:27
The complicity of our board in the current mess and the lack of due diligence regards ownership is quite jaw-dropping.
5 Posted 15/01/2023 at 14:17:33
I've personally suspected this – the real ownership of the club – for quite some time. There was an awful lot of money invested in Everton by Mr Usmanov:
Sponsoring Finch Farm, the Women's Team, securing naming rights of BMD. Add to this, his nephew(s) having seats on the board and the rumours of him being part of the managerial interview process.
6 Posted 15/01/2023 at 14:25:29
No doubt an easy mistake to make the misspelling of Moshiri.
7 Posted 15/01/2023 at 14:35:20
I wonder if the unnamed source could be A Friend of the "Mozart of Money"??
8 Posted 15/01/2023 at 14:41:01
This is all old news and a pretty lame piece of journalism in my opinion.
9 Posted 15/01/2023 at 14:42:28
Not sure it matters who the true owners of the club are. They are not going to sell unless they decide to cut their losses, or they get a return on their Bramley-Moore Dock investment.
They are the Albatross hanging around our necks!!
10 Posted 15/01/2023 at 14:48:45
No-one will be able to prove Usmanov's "ownership" but anyone with basic commercial awareness knows it to be true.
11 Posted 15/01/2023 at 14:49:22
Thing is, it's not really new news, especially as the article itself links to previous Guardian articles that showed the Usmanov connection with Everton, at least before Putin started his revolting war on Ukraine.
Perhaps they have gone a step further here, floating the claim that Usmanov has been the real owner of Everton FC all along, and making a bare-faced attempt to get the Premier League to bite.
Am I correct in thinking that Farhad Moshiri would have been subjected to the 'fit and proper person' investigation when he originally bought into the club, which should presumably have included questions about where the money was coming from?
If Usmanov was the source, it would either have come out then but not been a problem (well before the war), or it was very well hidden, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the original investigation.
Whatever, the timing of this and the persistence of the Guardian's crusade against EFC is just irritating rather than a serious danger to the club's financial stability.
12 Posted 15/01/2023 at 14:54:13
But no takers so, in frustration, gives the club to???? Uncle Bill Kenwright!!!
Kenwright makes himself lifelong chairman and cleans up financially. Then asks some other fucking idiot to invest in his beloved Everton.
Send in the clowns!
13 Posted 15/01/2023 at 15:01:34
That was 4 years after the Russian-held event that was 4 years after the original invasion of Ukraine with an ongoing conflict taking place at the time.
Selective moral highground.
14 Posted 15/01/2023 at 15:11:12
A quick article on FIFA and UEFA
Possibly other pieces on British and European clubs - Real Madrid and PSG to name 2 could be interesting
Another piece of media shite, the only surprise is The World's Greatest Evertonian didn't instigate it!
His time might be more useful asking why the past attack on our favourite CEO wasn't prosecuted.
15 Posted 15/01/2023 at 15:13:24
If
Link is proven, forced seizure and sale by the UK government and maybe we get to spend 𧹈m in a season under new rich US billionaire like Chelsea have after the Government auctioned them.
else
We know who's paying for the stadium and that the current ‘owner' ain't running out of money to do it.
End If.
Now, about the mess we're in…..
16 Posted 15/01/2023 at 16:28:29
Anyone who thought that Moshiri was anything other than a front man is living in Kenwright's fantasy parallel universe and not this one, the fans live in.
The sooner this nest of vipers is out of our beloved EFC, the better.
17 Posted 15/01/2023 at 16:35:28
No idea who the yanks that Tony A talks about are but will they stump up the capital to complete the stadium as well as the takeover (surely it must be contingent)?
18 Posted 15/01/2023 at 16:41:44
Then I won't have to spend the next 4 months biting my bloody nails!!!
19 Posted 15/01/2023 at 16:44:13
20 Posted 15/01/2023 at 17:08:47
He openly put his money into Everton, sponsoring Finch Farm, the Women's team, securing naming rights of BMD.
He's also on record stating that if Moshiri asked, he'd pull on the Everton shirt and become involved, even though everyone knows he's a Gunners supporter.
Although the thread has yielded this beaut:
"Hardly shocking, this was obvious from the very start.
No-one will be able to prove Usmanov's "ownership" but anyone with basic commercial awareness knows it to be true."
Seriously? Hahaha.
21 Posted 15/01/2023 at 17:11:59
22 Posted 15/01/2023 at 17:14:55
23 Posted 15/01/2023 at 17:25:01
24 Posted 15/01/2023 at 17:27:10
But his reluctance to front up at any time over the piece marked him as a nob'ead especially as he's clearly left his mate, Farhad, to carry the can.
Tremendous shithouse is Usmanov
25 Posted 15/01/2023 at 17:41:04
26 Posted 15/01/2023 at 17:58:34
Farhad Moshiri spokesperson reacts to fresh Alisher Usmanov allegations at Everton
27 Posted 15/01/2023 at 18:07:46
Our other expert professional impartial journalists seem to be quite happy supporting Bill's “truth as he knows itâ€
Possibly Bill is Harry's real dad, seem to have the same spin doctors
28 Posted 15/01/2023 at 18:09:12
explains a lot.
29 Posted 15/01/2023 at 18:59:14
I suspect that the true depth of crisis in the Footballing side is not fully visible, even now, but there A deeper murky depth on the Owership side.A absolute quagmire that the Media beast.loved to feed on.
We are only seeing the top of the iceberg, hence the unbelievable extent of Crisis at Everton.
30 Posted 15/01/2023 at 19:31:22
If there'sa any substance re involvement /ownership afer being sanctioned then Moshiri is daft and perhaps Usmanov. I don't think theve become billionaire am multi billionaire by being dumb.
If Kenwright got kiddee by this gruesome twosome, ansd we know how niaive Mr Kenwrigh. He's a trusting soul, as I'm sure we all remeber is (and our) good friend, Phillip Green and associates. I feel so sorry for Kenwright, he's been duped by all his partners and has only come out with a knighthood..oh aye about £20 odd million., while letting the club, under his Chairmanship sink almost to oblivion.
I wish that prick from the Guardian would investigate the noble Knight's sad story.
Perhaps that might help the club.
31 Posted 15/01/2023 at 20:28:36
Can they look at how many asthmatics they have and put that one to bed? Was it just a rumour or is there some truth to it?
It might be bollocks but a team that could press like they did in the 90th minute despite competing in the latter stages of 4 competitions suddenly look spent.
What about the big 6 breakaway attempt? It NEVER gets mentioned now.
What about City breaking FFP rules?
No. Let's pick on Everton.
32 Posted 15/01/2023 at 20:44:46
I asked someone the other day, whatever happened to Man Utd after their fans broke into Old Trafford and got their game against Liverpool postponed?
If I remember correctly, some of their fans appeared in court, but I can't remember if anything happened at all to the club itself?
33 Posted 15/01/2023 at 20:52:53
The Russian oligarchs may be an unsavoury lot (I'd guess fighting business rivals would have been literal rather than figurative at times) but they only really became persona non grata when Putin invaded Ukraine last year.
Didn't Usmanov and Moshiri have a big input into Arsenal until uncle Bill charmed them? I think I'd be very careful of publicly denouncing Putin given his obvious commitment to getting ‘even'.
Until I've read evidence to the contrary I'd still have the likes of Usmanov a notch above a certain Crown Prince and the Qataris.
34 Posted 15/01/2023 at 22:23:26
In fairness he has done some good theatre stuff - just a shame he didn't stick to that.
35 Posted 15/01/2023 at 22:32:26
Some might argue Blue Bill has done his best "theatre stuff" at Everton.
36 Posted 15/01/2023 at 22:33:06
37 Posted 16/01/2023 at 10:28:59
38 Posted 16/01/2023 at 13:16:08
39 Posted 16/01/2023 at 18:27:19
40 Posted 16/01/2023 at 20:52:10
Everton fan's view: After years of excuses it's time for Bill Kenwright to let go of the club
"The time has come for Kenwright to accept that his performance as chairman has been unacceptable," writes Joe Jennings, editor of the School of Science Everton blog
Add Your Comments
In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.
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.
How to get rid of these ads and support TW
Top of the Page
1 Posted 15/01/2023 at 11:42:09
Moshiri and his Russian mate had no idea how to run a football club, just pump money in, build a new stadium which would hopefully bring them a return on the money – or, as some would say, make bad money clean money.
English football is littered with new stadiums and bad teams, from North to South, East to West. You need a team before a stadium, it's not rocket science.
Moshiris mate has gone, never to return, and no doubt to pump money to other parts of the world. It's left to the club's followers to drag the club back on its feet, either this season or over the following couple of years.