Everton have suspended with immediate effect all commercial and sponsorship arrangements with Russian companies following the invasion of Ukraine.
USM, Megafon and Yota are all linked to Alisher Usmanov, an oligarch with links to Vladimir Putin. Usmanov, who was born in Uzbekistan but is a Russian citizen, is not on the Goodison Park board nor is he involved in the running of the club.
He is a business partner of Everton’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, the pair’s relationship dating back to before the Iranian billionaire took a controlling stake in the club in February 2016. Moshiri is yet to make any comment about the situation.
But Everton – who made clear their anti-war stance before Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City – are aware of the scrutiny they are under and have put a stop to their links with the three companies that Usmanov has stakes in.
USM had sponsored the club’s Finch Farm training base since signing a five-year deal in 2017 but the process is now underway to remove all branding from the facility.
USM also paid £30million in January 2020 with the option of securing naming rights for Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov (above) is a major backer of Everton Football Club
Megafon sponsor the shirts of the Everton women’s team but the club will cut all ties with their Russian sponsors in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine
Megafon have huge branding on the back of the Park End Stand but, again, the club will start the process of removing it; Everton’s women’s team will also have Megafon removed from the front of their jerseys.
The ambition is to have all branding around Goodison Park removed before the next Premier League home game against Wolves on March 14. Everton face Boreham Wood in the FA Cup fifth round on Thursday.
In a statement, the club said: ‘Everyone at Everton remains shocked and saddened by the appalling events unfolding in Ukraine.
‘This tragic situation must end as soon as possible, and any further loss of life must be avoided.
‘The players, coaching staff and everyone working at Everton is providing full support to our player Vitalii Mykolenko and his family and will continue to do so.
‘The Club can confirm that it has suspended with immediate effect all commercial sponsorship arrangements with the Russian companies USM, Megafon and Yota.’
USM put their name to Everton’s Finch Farm training ground and are a commercial partner
A prominent Megafon sponsorship logo on the outside of the stands at Goodison Park
Everton manager Frank Lampard carried out his pre-match media duties later on Wednesday and was asked about the club’s decision.
He said: ‘Did it affect my training session this morning? No. Did it affect our preparation for Boreham Wood? No.
‘I had absolute faith that they are making the right decisions as they see them. We were one of the forerunners in showing solidarity and unity. The suspension was the right thing to do, it’s important I focus on the football.
‘If it feels right for the club, it’s the right thing to do. That’s a club decision. As a coach, member of staff – our jobs haven’t changed. We have a deep empathy and emotion to what’s happening in the world.’
Reports emerged that Lampard was interviewed by Usmanov for the Everton hotseat but he said they were false.
‘Those reports were inaccurate. My interview was with the board: Mr Moshiri, the chairman, Denise the CEO and the board – not with Mr Usmanov,’ Lampard added.
Usmanov could be sanctioned by the UK government because of his links to Vladimir Putin (L)
On Tuesday Everton’s Ukrainian defender Vitaliy Mykolenko condemned Russian footballers for failing to speak out against the invasion.
The Premier League showed their support for Ukraine at the weekend, with Mykolenko and Oleksandr Zinchenko – who among their team-mates walked out with Ukraine flags draped around them – embraced prior to Saturday’s Premier League match between Everton and Manchester City.
But now just like his fellow Ukrainian left-back Zinchenko – who launched an attack on Putin last week on Instagram – Mykolenko has now spoken out against his Russian counterparts.
In a post on Instagram, the 22-year-old slammed Russia captain Artem Dzyuba and his ‘s***head team-mates’ for not speaking out against Putin’s invasion, claiming they will be ‘locked away in a dungeon for the rest of your life’.
‘Whilst you remain silent b**** along with your s***head football team-mates, peaceful civilians are being killed in Ukraine,’ Mykolenko – who joined Everton in January from Dynamo Kyiv – posted.
‘You will be locked in your dungeon for the rest of your life and most importantly the lives of your kids. And I’m glad.’
Vitaliy Mykolenko has criticised the Russian national team for their silence since the invasion of Ukraine
In a post on Instagram, the 22-year-old slammed Russia captain Artem Dzyuba as a ‘silent b****’
Russia has been cast into the sporting wilderness since the start of the invasion with their athletes and national teams barred from international competitions with immediate effect.
They have been kicked out of the men’s football World Cup, with Poland given a bye to a play-off final against Sweden or Czech Republic later this month.
Russia is also set to be kicked out of this summer’s Women’s European Championship in England, while Spartak Moscow was removed from the UEFA Europa League.
UEFA also terminated a £33.5million a year sponsorship deal with the Russian energy company Gazprom.
