Dominic King shares millions Everton had ‘absolutely no option’ but to lose from Alisher Usmanov
Everton face a shortfall of £20million-a-year in lost sponsorship after cutting ties with Alisher Usmanov but had no choice but to do so, says Dominic King.
The Russian businessman is a co-owner of major Toffees sponsors USM and MegaFon, which the club announced yesterday they would suspend their relationship with following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Daily Mail journalist says that the club’s accounts make “startling reading” and quotes a loss of £139.9million registered just over a year ago, but despite the financial hit they had to make this move.
Speaking to talkSPORT this morning (Thursday 3 March, 07.15am) King said: “It’s very important to say he’s not on Everton’s board. He’s not financially contributing in terms of being a benefactor… but he does have a link with Farhad Moshiri.
“[With] comments that he’s made in the past that he’s ‘proud to know Vladimir Putin’, Everton had absolutely no option whatsoever but to suspend any links with him.
“Potentially it’s wiped £20million a year off sponsorship deals, but money doesn’t mean a thing, they had to do this yesterday.
“What it means in the future, I dont know.”
Major change
It is a relief for once to see that money has not trumped what is morally right, but for the club to be in this position in the first place raises uncomfortable questions.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich also has alleged close ties to the Russian president, who launched the bloody assault on neighbouring Ukraine, but the BBC reports he has denied them, and he also settled a recent libel case over specific allegations regarding the relationship (Guardian).
Not that he or the European champions he is trying to sell should be excused of questioning on that basis, but in contrast, as The Telegraph recently reported, the man at the heart of the Toffees move has “welcomed” the links.
In that light, although hindsight makes it easier to see now, it is fair to ask whether the club should have had such close, yet unclear, ties to Usmanov anyway.
King argues in his article that Moshiri must now come out and clarify his relationship with the Uzbek-born billionaire, and that certainly would be right.
The owner has admittedly put a lot of money into the club, although it might be suggested not always in a sensible manner.
But there is an argument that linking Everton’s future to a man proudly supporting the Kremlin was putting the club at risk.
The shocking war in Ukraine has brought this issue to the surface, but the owner surely has questions to answer on Usmanov anyway, considering repeated rumours, categorically denied, of his involvement in multiple managerial appointments (Mail).
In other Everton news, images have come out of changes at Goodison Park following the move.
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