Troubles at Everton FC deepen both on and off the pitch with the club’s shareholders’ association calling for a ‘vote of no confidence’ in the board. Tony McDonough reports
Everton FC Shareholders’ Association is calling for a vote of no confidence in the board as more gloom descends on the Premier League club.
Last season Everton narrowly avoided relegation from the top division but a run of poor results this season have left the Blues facing another battle for Premier League survival.
Manager Frank Lampard, his players and the club’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and his fellow directors have faced intense criticism. Directors stayed away from last weekend’s home defeat to Southampton over fears for their safety.
Last week the club claimed there had been “targeted physical aggression” aimed at the directors at recent home games. There was an allegation that chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale had been held in a headlock. There were also reports of fans targeting players outside Goodison Park.
Now the shareholders’ association, the oldest in English football, is piling the pressure on Mr Moshiri, who owns a 94% stake in Everton, and other board members including former owner Bill Kenwright.
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In a statement on its website on Wednesday, the association said relations between the board and the fans are at an “all time low”. It published a petition calling for a vote of no confidence in the board.
The statement said: “We have a long, proud and proven track record of not just speaking on behalf of our members but also during times of adversity speaking up for the wider fan base.
“We successfully campaigned for the reinstatement of AGMs in 2013, unfortunately, the board took it upon itself to change the articles of association and remove AGMs in 2022.
“In July 2022 during a meeting with shareholders, Farhad Moshiri and Bill Kenwright both stated that they had no problem with having AGMs.
“Nonetheless here we are in January 2023 with no sign as to when the annual accounts will be published other than within legal deadlines and certainly no indication at all of a general meeting anytime soon.
“In our opinion our club continues to under-achieve both on and off the pitch and the relationship the majority shareholder and the board have with the wider fan base is at an all time low.
“It is with great regret that the association is asking fellow shareholders and the wider fan base to sign our online petition calling for a vote of no confidence in the board of directors.”
However, it is unclear whether a petition calling for a vote of confidence will have any real effect or is merely a gesture articulating their frustration at the current situation at Everton.
LBN has contacted Everton FC for comment.