Kieran Maguire cites Alisher Usmanov as allies cut ties with Everton – ‘this is a red flag’
Alisher Usmanov’s historical involvement with Everton is a “red flag” for some of the club’s financial associates.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the latest developments behind the scenes at Goodison Park.
The Guardian reported on Wednesday (12 October) that financial services firm BDO are considering abandoning its role in auditing Everton’s accounts.
The Belgium-headquartered company have reviewed the Toffees accounts for the last two years.
It is claimed that BDO are unhappy with Farhad Moshiri’s ownership of the Merseysiders, although a spokesperson for the Iranian billionaire strongly denied The Guardian’s report.
Moshiri is a close ally of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, who had numerous high-value sponsorship deals with Everton until UK Government sanctions forced him to cut ties with the club.
Maguire assessed the story and suggested that “legacy issues” surrounding Usmanov’s involvement with Everton might be to blame.
“The story is a bit of a red flag,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Auditors do not normally do things of this nature unless there is some form of disagreement with the client.
“This appears to indicate that it could be connected to the club’s arm’s-length relationship with Alisher Usmanov historically and the legacy issues there.
“What will be interesting is whether any of the major auditors are willing to take on this job themselves or if it will end up in the hands of an even smaller auditor than BDO.“
In other news, Everton lining up £150m Bramley-Moore deal.