27/03/2024 27comments  |  Jump to last

The Everton Fan Advisory Board have published the letter they recently sent to Farhad Moshiri, in which they call on the British-Iranian businessman to honour his "basic commitments as the Owner of Everton Football Club and communicate with supporters". 

The group, an elected body that acts as a go-between between fans and the Everton hierarchy, issued a statement on Monday announcing that they have written to Moshiri, the Premier League and 777 Partners seeking clarity on the immediate issues affecting the Club's future.

The League have been considering 777's bid to buy out Moshiri's 94.1% stake in the Club since September when an agreement was struck between the two parties, with no decision likely until next month now.

In the interim, the Miami-based private equity firm have furnished Everton with more than £180m in loans to cover operating expenses and the latest costs of the construction of the Club's new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, raising concerns among supporters as to what happens should the Premier League fail to approve the takeover.

Article continues below video content


"It is now more than six months since Everton supporters have heard from you, and in that time, the club has been in the mire of points deductions, fiscal crises, in dispute with the Premier League (PL), and is heading towards a third consecutive relegation battle," the FAB letter to Moshiri reads.

"Moreover, lingering questions regarding the sale of the club to 777 Partners have cast a further shadow of uncertainty which is impacting our club.

"We, the Fan Advisory Board have attempted to schedule a meeting with you through your intermediaries, but to no avail, despite being given assurances that you were willing to meet. The time has now come for you to honour your basic commitments as the Owner of Everton Football Club and communicate with supporters.

"There are many important questions to be answered, such as: What happens if the deal with 777 is not approved by the PL? Is the deal with 777 timebound which, given the PL’s decision to seek further financial reassurances, could result in further delays? Are there other investors in waiting?

"And will you continue to fund the Club until such time as a satisfactory investor is found? An interim board, an interim CEO, and an owner in absentia is not good enough for our club which is faced with sporting and financial uncertainty, the ramifications of which will reach far and wide. Your club and its supporters need clarity, vision, and leadership and we urge you to now provide it."

→ Full FAB Letter to Farhad Moshiri
FAB Letter to Premier League
FAB Letter to 777 Partners

 

Reader Comments (27)

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 ()


Hans Fyhrqvist
1 Posted 27/03/2024 at 18:43:53
Great that the Everton Fan Advisory Board has sent those letters!

Farhad Moshiri surely has the responsibility to answer and really clarify especially the takeover situation. Would be good if there were other potential takeover candidates on the horizon. [This was the comment I sent to ToffeeTV´s Everton News Daily on Monday.]

Just read from my mobile that the texts of the three letters have been released. Read the letter to Mr Moshiri. Presented well the feelings and anxieties of Evertonians.

If Moshiri is at all interested how he is deemed in the history annals of Everton; yes the instigator of our new stadium, but otherwise at this point a total failure; he should answer all those questions put to him.

Mike Hayes
2 Posted 27/03/2024 at 19:53:42
Good luck with that one – he doesn't seem to care.

Maybe Jim White has all the answers…

Brian Wilkinson
3 Posted 27/03/2024 at 19:56:56
777 Partners have loaned us money again this week.

It could be 777 Partners have signed exclusive rights and, until 777 Partners get a yes or no, that could be why other investors have not been able to throw their hat into the ring, until the 777 Partners have been sorted one way or another.

Bobby Mallon
4 Posted 27/03/2024 at 20:05:22
Mike, I was thinking the same, Jim White is the man. I say we the fans but the club.
Peter Hodgson
5 Posted 27/03/2024 at 20:13:34
Well they've said more less what everyone else is saying in a very short and to-the-point letter and jolly good luck to them for saying and publishing it. At least if (when) he doesn't answer, we will all know that he has confirmed that he now couldn't care less (if he ever did, that is) what the fans think.

Will the Premier League respond, I ask? Unlikely as that would be a first for them.

Maybe 777 Partners will. But would we believe them?

Michael Kenrick
6 Posted 27/03/2024 at 20:42:35
Brian @2,

I think you must be right. I had heard very little of the 'exclusivity stuff' this time around but it gets called out in the i news story:

Everton borrow more money from 777 Partners to cover wages and stadium costs

Peter Hodgson
7 Posted 27/03/2024 at 20:48:25
Re my post 4, I didn't realise that FAB has written three separate letters. Apologies to one and all.
Hans Fyhrqvist
8 Posted 27/03/2024 at 21:10:50
Excellent and praiseworthy work by Everton Fan Advisory Board to write those three letters, and now when they have been published, the content of each letter has the relevant issues for the concerned recipients to answer and react.

For Farhad Moshiri, as still the owner of Everton, and seemingly a civilized and well-mannered person, it should be an unquestionable responsibility to come forward and answer the questions presented to him.

I would also like to think that Mr Moshiri is concerned or interested how he is regarded in the history of Everton, and if he wants to avoid the label of "total failure", apart from instigating our new stadium project, he should act in the best interest of Everton, and indeed himself, especially in the takeover issue.

So step forward, Mr Moshiri, your reputation and integrity in their entirety are at stake!

Michael Kenrick
9 Posted 27/03/2024 at 21:16:30
Forgot all about the online Supporter Engagement Meeting that was set for 7pm this evening. Anybody attend?
Mike Hayes
10 Posted 27/03/2024 at 21:44:04
Is it just me or has there been nothing from the mighty Moshiri since Headlockgate?

Non-attendance of games including the last one at Goodison, no cosy chats with the mighty Jim White? No meetings with anyone but 777?

I can see us losing the grand title of The People's Club at this rate…

Stephen Davies
11 Posted 27/03/2024 at 22:08:34
Response tonight from one of the FAB Members:

Apologies, but apparently I was misinformed. The PL have contacted us tonight to say that they hadn't received the letter (for genuinely acceptable reasons) so that has been sent again.

We received replies from 777 (non-committal) and apparently from Moshiri, just before our meeting tonight, but we can't get access to the Moshiri letter at the moment. The intention is to publish all of the responses if we can.

Danny O’Neill
12 Posted 27/03/2024 at 22:11:54
Good to see the FAB speaking out and communicating more than the owner and club.

Like many, I would just like this resolved one way or the other so we know where we stand and can move forward.

Jerome Shields
13 Posted 27/03/2024 at 22:23:11
FAB doing there job with these letters and, because they are the product of Everton's attempt to head off the fan-lead review, they have to be answered. Well done.

Brian #3 could be right that 777 Partners is in a contractual agreement with Moshiri which is exclusive.

Paul Smith
14 Posted 27/03/2024 at 22:52:37
It all makes sense if 777 Partners were the only ones willing to loan the money needed to build the stadium and front day-to-day running costs without approval and in the hope they get it.

A risk worth taking in someone's eyes. I Wander 👀

Alan J Thompson
15 Posted 28/03/2024 at 04:40:11
I'd be very surprised if any reply was much more than, "commercial confidences dictate we cannot comment at this time".
Tony Abrahams
16 Posted 28/03/2024 at 07:51:36
Only hearsay, but 777 Partners were definitely not the only people who were prepared to lend Everton the money. I was told by someone connected to those flabbergasted Americans that they now more than ever expect to purchase Everton but I've heard it's very, very messy, because it seems that Moshiri has been borrowing money everywhere.

Mismanaged to death, or a bright new future with a fantastic new stadium that is growing out of the river, almost complete. Let's hope it's a brighter future for a very loyal (if somewhat gullible) fanbase who have definitely stood the test of time.

Jerome Shields
17 Posted 28/03/2024 at 08:59:33
It is pretty well confirmed that 777 Partners have an exclusivity agreement with Moshiri. So no other interested parties can be talked to until the outcome of the Premier League's approval terms to 777 Partners are concluded.

But even then if the terms are not met does the Premier League announce that? I would not put it past 777 Partners launching legal action against the Premier League in such a scenario. They have been in numerous courts across the world.

Jay Evans
18 Posted 28/03/2024 at 12:54:38
I emailed the FAB nearly a month ago now with (what I thought was) quite a basic query about the season ticket renewal process, and some unforeseen charges when using the so-called 0% APR 10-month repayment window.

I'm still waiting for a response.

Not so fab, the FAB.

Eric Myles
19 Posted 28/03/2024 at 14:09:33
Jerome #17

"It is pretty well confirmed that 777 Partners have an exclusivity agreement with Moshiri."

Not according to some posters on this site, including The Esk.

Ernie Baywood
20 Posted 29/03/2024 at 00:58:26
I don't expect FAB will get answers to those questions. Someone running a business may well feel quite justified in not releasing commercial in confidence information.

But it's pressure on the owner and that's what matters. They're dead right when they say an absent owner is not acceptable, never mind the situation that we're in.

Time to stop calling the Premier League corrupt and turn the focus back to Moshiri.

There's an argument that it's reasonable for him to seek the best return possible on his investment.

But he deserves to lose money for the way he's run this business. I believe we should be making his current tenure as uncomfortable as is possible, within obvious boundaries.

There will be buyers. The terms will dictate how many.

Tom Hughes
21 Posted 29/03/2024 at 09:21:08
Jay #18,

Not sure that is really within their remit. I think they have bigger fish to fry.

Perhaps the Fans Forum, or certainly the club themselves would be the ones to contact.

Tony Abrahams
22 Posted 29/03/2024 at 09:33:08
I’ve just been reading a finance expert’s view, about how the league are trying to get Moshiri, to right off existing loans, so whoever takes over doesn’t put existing debt onto the club Ernie.

Sometimes I think the league has got it in for Moshiri/Usmanov, rather than Everton, but this is just me thinking out loud.

Mark Taylor
23 Posted 29/03/2024 at 09:43:18
Has Moshiri even been seen in public in the past few months?

Like a fox, he seems to have gone to ground.

Ernie Baywood
24 Posted 29/03/2024 at 19:40:39
Tony, is it possible that the Premier League are trying to do the 'right thing' by football institutions and supporters?

That's without any comment on their reasons for doing it, which I doubt are anything other than avoiding too much government intervention in their business.

Tony Abrahams
25 Posted 29/03/2024 at 20:13:13
Possibly, Ernie, but I also think it's normal for Evertonians to be paranoid after the way we have been treated by the Premier League this season.

I look at the run Leicester City have been on since February and although their bad form might just be one of those things, I think they were flying before those whispers started against their club, and things haven't improved since they have been charged.

We have ended up with a six-point deduction so far but nobody could convince me that the pressure of that initial cynical 10-point deduction hasn't worked against us; I do sometimes get the feeling it might be because of our silent owner.

Our on-paper owner has now spoken but he doesn't leave me with any confidence even if he was just replying to a letter from the FAB. I'm aware that he's just paying lip-service and probably can't wait to get away from Everton for good.

Phil Williams
26 Posted 31/03/2024 at 00:05:58
Hi Lyndon.

Not sure if this is for this thread or not.
Can you look in to whether Everton have a case for Unfair Prejudice against the Directors of the Premier League. I’m not a legal person but as a minority shareholder EFC do seem to be being prejudiced against

Unfair prejudice claims arise where a company has, is or will be conducted in such a way that unfairly prejudices the relevant interests of the members, or some portion of the members (for example, the shareholders), including the petitioner. These cases frequently involve the majority shareholders (who are often the directors) from acting in a way that unfairly prejudices the interest of minority shareholders. In these circumstances, the courts have a wide range of powers to regulate the affairs or the business if they are found to have unfairly prejudiced the members involved.

Yes, I’m bitter and twisted, and this probably has limited or no merit whatsoever, but can someone with knowledge have a look?

Ray Jacques
27 Posted 01/04/2024 at 20:16:48
Just stick it on Vinted. First come first served. Post and package included.

Moshiri doesn't care.


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.



How to get rid of these ads and support TW

© ToffeeWeb