Sky Sports pundit slams Everton board over ‘terrible thing to do’ accusations
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Kevin Campbell has insisted that the Everton board cannot make accusations without proof over the issue of threats to their safety.
The Toffees hierarchy have stopped attending matches at Goodison Park, starting with the defeat to Southampton on 14 January, releasing a statement saying they were instructed not to due to a “real a credible threat to their safety and security”.
Club sources have also claimed that Denise Barrett-Baxendale was put in a headlock upon exiting the stadium after losing to Brighton on 3 January [ITV, 16 January] but with Merseyside Police subsequently saying they had received no reports of the threats [Daily Mail, 16 January] Sky Sports pundit Campbell has slammed the decision to make the claims without proof.
He exclusively told Goodison News: “I’m with the fans on this one. You can’t come out making these statements if there’s no proof.
“You’ve got to have proof of it.
“I’m sure if there was proof of it all the Evertonians, the majority, would definitely say, ‘Listen, that’s bang out of order’.
“But you can’t make accusations without proof.
“Especially with the way the fanbase is at the moment, they feel let down.
“The way things have transpired, this is a slight against the fanbase again.
“So if there’s no proof it’s a terrible thing to do.”
The broken relationship between the board and the fans reached a new level with these claims, which are undoubtedly very serious if accurate.
But it is troubling that there is no paper trail with the authorities, and that has only fuelled suspicions that it was more a matter of deflecting negative attention those in charge were otherwise receiving.
It is a tricky situation in that nobody wants to be victim-blaming if they are receiving threats, but since nothing has been produced to show that it is the case it has done nothing but portray the fanbase in a bad light.