English club suspends sponsorship contracts with "immediate effect" with Russian billionaire Usmanov
English club Everton announced today that it has suspended all its sponsorship contracts “with immediate effect” with Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"Everyone at Everton is shocked and saddened by the horrific events taking place in Ukraine. The club confirms that it has suspended all commercial sponsorship contracts with USM, Megafon and Utah," the club said in a statement. In which.
He added: "The players, the technical staff and all the Everton staff give all their support to our (Ukrainian) player Vitaly Mykolenko and his family and will continue to do so."
The Everton training center is called USM Finch Farm, and Usmanov has the option to name one of his companies for the club's new stadium, which is under construction, for 30 million pounds ($40 million).
The Uzbek-Russian businessman announced on Tuesday that he was relinquishing his duties at the presidency of the International Fencing Federation, noting that his decision came against the backdrop of European sanctions that affected him due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Usmanov, who is accused of being a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, described the European sanctions against him as "unfair" and based on a series of false accusations that harm his honor, pride and reputation as a businessman," noting that he "will resort to all legal measures to protect my honor and reputation."
Usmanov invested his fortune in English clubs such as Arsenal between 2007 and 2018, before selling his stake, while he currently owns shares in Everton Club, of which Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri owns 94 percent.
Usmanov, 68, who made his fortune in the metal industry, has headed the fencing federation since 2018.
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