George Overhill

Fri 8 December 2023 17:10, UK

Everton fan group The 1878s have branded Sky Sports’ coverage of the win over Newcastle an “absolute disgrace” for reporting from the Wirral instead of Goodison Park ahead of kick off.

The group reacted via Twitter on 8 December, the morning after the rousing 3-0 win over the Magpies, to express their extreme disappointment that the broadcaster had insinuated the area around the ground would be like a “dangerous war zone” prior to the game amid fan protests.

Sanny Rudra had been on the other side of the river earlier in the evening, stating “as broadcasters we want to keep away from any trouble” as Toffees supporters staged another protest against the Premier League over the points deduction, but attended the game itself later, while The 1878s argued none of the protests have actually caused issues.

The 1878s wrote: “As a group, we are extremely disappointed with [the] Sky Sports News coverage before last night’s game. Prior to our game yesterday, the group along with thousands of fellow Evertonians had held two protests at both our home game against Manchester United, and away at Nottingham Forest.

“Both of these protests, along with our one last night, at home against Newcastle United have been impeccable, successful and passed off without any incidents at all. The protests have all been held in a respectful manner, therefore we do not appreciate Sky Sports News reporting that they were staying away from any trouble at Goodison Park.

“The Sky Sports News reporter Sanny Rudravajhala was reporting from the Wirral prior to the match, insinuating that Goodison is comparable to a dangerous war zone. Yet, the same reporter was at Goodison for the match and stated in a tweet himself ‘Goodison Park under the lights. Few better sights in English football. Will miss it when it’s gone’.

“Never have any of the efforts by Evertonians been violent or dangerous in any way. It is an absolute disgrace to suggest otherwise.”

Pathetic

In fairness to Rudravajhala it is unlikely to have been his call to avoid the area around the ground but whatever level the decision came from it is a poor one.

It goes without saying that journalists shouldn’t be put in danger at a football match but, unless Sky received some sort of specific reason to believe they would be, that threat surely wasn’t there on Thursday night.

Yes Everton fans are angry at the way the club has been treated by the authorities, but there is a huge distance between that and Sky Sports broadcasters being in danger if they go to cover that displeasure, as is literally part of their purpose.

There haven’t been reports of “trouble” at protests around the Manchester United game in the first match back after the points sanction was announced, nor at the away win against Forest, or indeed the huge win on Thursday night.

So to take the dramatic step to keep away only served to unfairly paint Everton supporters as a problem when there appears to have been no basis for it.

It smacks of the same attitude displayed by the previous board virtually a year ago when they cited threats to their safety before staying away from home games for months, while the apparent safety threats were never backed up or corroborated and the police confirmed they had not been informed of any [Daily Mail, 16 January].

Evertonians have been on the receiving end of mismanagement at the top of the club, successive relegation fights, endless worry over the future of the Toffees, and now a heavy punishment at the hands of the league and a supposedly independent commission which has felt to many like an arbitrary process used to single out Everton.

None of those things have actually been caused by the supporters but they are affected by all of them, so to then be demonised, apparently baselessly, on top of that by their own club’s board and now the league’s partner broadcaster within a year is totally unreasonable.

In other Everton news, 777 Partners have threatened to cut off the club’s support and issued a deadline for the takeover to be completed.