With the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, many people with russian ties have been subjected to various sanctions. Some of the biggest names in sport, especially the rich who fund Premier League teams, have become targets.
Abu had to put Chelsea on the shelves, with several consortiums, including Swiss billionaire Hans Yoog-Weiss, interested in the Blues.
Everton was not spared, and although the club's owner is an Iranian-British Moshiri, he has close business dealings with Usmanov, who has a close relationship with Putin.
Many of Usmanov's businesses had business relationships with Everton, and the Toffee had to quickly distance itself from it.
The tricky situation for the toffee
Forced by the situation, Everton has stopped all commercial contracts with USM, a company owned by Usmanov.
The massive Megafon logo off the court at Goodison Park has been removed, and the Megafon logo on Everton women's soccer jerseys has disappeared.
At the same time, the company's trademark was also removed from the Finch Farm, where USM was previously the main sponsor. Merseyside looks like it's about to distance themselves from all of Usmanov's business entities.
The club's official insistence that Usmanov is not a majority shareholder at Everton, that there is no power or special role in management, and that the two sides are only a formal relationship. However, there are reports that Russian tycoons played a key role in replacing Benitez, and even interviewed Lampard, Master Bey's successor, on Zoom.
Cold reception
Apart from being disassociated by the Premier League club, some of Usmanov's assets were frozen and banned from entering EU countries.
The European Commission describes it as a "pro-Kremlin oligarch" who "actively supports Russian policymakers materially or financially." ”
Usmanov was actually born and raised in Uzbekistan, but went to Moscow to study in the 1970s and subsequently obtained Russian citizenship. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison for fraud, which was subsequently reversed by uzbekistan's supreme court.
He is also a director of the Russian state-owned enterprise and energy giant Gazprom, which is "blacklisted" by UEFA, which proves the relationship with the Russian top level.
Of course, Everton is not the first team he has dabbled in, as he and Moshiri once owned a 14.58% stake in Arsenal and tried to become a majority shareholder, but were blocked by other directors. Ten years later he sold all his shares for £550 million.
What does it mean for Everton?
It is not clear from the club's books how much money Usmanov has invested since Moshiri became boss.
He is known to have donated £30 million to sponsor a new stadium the club is building, with the course at Bramley-Moore Dock expected to be completed in the 24-25 season. Whether Usmanov will continue to inject capital into this regard remains to be seen.
In addition, Usmanov has also made megafon's brand full of Everton's various assets through sponsorship, and fans are currently concerned about how much money comes from the rich man and how much is from Moshiri's pocket.
If it turns out that Usmanov has been behind the back to fund his friends, Everton's finances will face serious consequences.
Equally worrisome is Moshiri's financial situation. Although he has no connection with Russia, he is chairman of USM Holdings. If it turns out that his money came from Russia, will he also be sanctioned? This will have an unpredictable impact on Everton's future fiscal position.