Donations totalling £500,000 from Everton FC and its directors are being pledged towards the humanitarian appeal for the people of Ukraine. Tony McDonough reports

Everton FC is to donate £250,000 to the humanitarian fundraising effort in Ukraine, a figure being matched by chairman Bill Kenwright and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.

At the club’s Premier League game against Wolves at Goodison Park on Sunday, Everton kicked off its fundraising campaign to raise cash for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, run by the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC).

The DEC is a collaboration of 15 leading UK aid charities focused on raising funds to quickly and effectively respond to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the East European country.

Click here to donate to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal

Mr Kenwright said: “The images we have all seen of the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine are heartbreaking. And wrong. Simply and horribly wrong. As a club, we have been following with growing horror the news from Ukraine, where indiscriminate attacks are placing innocent civilians, including children, in harm’s way.

“Football has an incredible power to unite people and we are eager to do everything we can to show our support for the innocent victims of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We are all praying for peace – but we are also determined to help the humanitarian effort right now in a bid to save lives. The toll this war is exacting on Ukrainian families is horrendous.

“Our donation to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal is the start of a campaign to promote and support the fundraising efforts of the Disaster Emergency Committee for Ukraine.

The club is also working closely with the Premier League as part of the league’s commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine.

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Days after the start of the invasion, Everton announced it was suspending sponsorship deals with three Russian businesses linked to Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov. It said deals with USM, Megafon and Yota would be suspended “with immediate effect”.

Later that same week it was reported that Mr Moshiri has stepped down from the board of USM, owned by Mr Usmanov who is facing sanctions by the UK Government over his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The businessman, who sold a 30% stake in Arsenal FC in 2018, has already had his assets frozen by the EU.