Brigit Adongo
In a move to curb sportswashing after PIF’s disputed takeover of EPL side Newcastle, the Premier League plans to introduce a sponsorship regime where all deals will be gone through and approved by the league board before being signed.
If the vote to block teams from signing sponsorship deals linked to owners stands, Everton would lose more than they can bear. Their training ground, Finch Farm, is sponsored by USM, a firm in which The Toffees majority owner Moshiri chairs and holds part ownership.
According to the Liverpool Echo, USM also has the first refusal on Bramley-Moore Dock, Everton’s proposed stadium’s naming rights. If the league board is allowed to act and approve The Toffees future deals with USM’, Benitez’s side could lose further monetary assistance from the Russian firm.
Everton are currently financially strained and if the Premier League clubs were willing to forgo their current deals just to stop or avoid incidences like the one with Newcastle, they (Everton) would face hard times.
Majority of people were opposed to the Newcastle takeover because of various occurrences in which the Saudi laws infringed on human rights, especially women and LGBTQ. Others believed it changed the EPL brand, so the new law to prevent similar occurrences will probably pass.
Everton fans can still rest easy though as the new rule hasn’t been introduced yet, or they could perhaps use this time to scout for potential sponsors in case the worst case scenario happens.
