A report from The Athletic claims any potential Everton takeover could be hampered by Alisher Usmanov having taken legal action against his former business partner Farhad Moshiri
Any potential Everton takeover could be hampered by Alisher Usmanov having taken legal action against his former business partner Farhad Moshiri, claims a report. Wantaway majority shareholder Moshiri is in talks with John Textor over selling his entire 94.1% stake in the Blues.
But the Missouri-born digital media and entertainment mogul, nicknamed Hollywood’s Virtual Reality Guru, would in turn have to sell his 45% stake in Crystal Palace before acquiring Everton.
The 58-year-old, who also owns clubs in France (Olympique Lyonnais), Belgium (RWD Molenbeek) and Brazil (Botafogo), is the fifth prospective buyer of Everton since 2022 after periods of exclusivity with the Kaminski Group, MSP Capital, 777 Partners and the Friedkin Group all failed to strike a deal.
A report from The Athletic claims Usmanov has taken legal action against a company owned by Moshiri, creating a complicating factor in the club’s already difficult takeover process.
The article states: “Documents filed at Moscow’s Arbitration Court in September 2023, and seen by The Athletic, list Somelior Holdings Limited, a Cypriot-registered company owned wholly by Moshiri, as one of six defendants in a case brought by Usmanov and USM Holdings. Somelior Holdings previously held a 10 per cent stake in USM, which had gone down to five per cent prior to the sanctions.
“According to the documents, Judge A.N. Petrukhina approved a motion to hold the hearing behind closed doors owing to ‘the presence of trade secrets in the documents to be examined,’ which had ‘been established by the court.’
“Over the course of the Everton sale process, it is understood that multiple Everton bidders have become aware of the existence of this case. One concern for bidders, which at least one group has discussed, is whether any payment to Moshiri is at risk of breaking sanction laws if the purchase money is used to pay damages to Usmanov — though one source close to Moshiri with knowledge of the case insists that UK laws and regulations would prevent him from paying damages.
“This legal case being held behind closed doors, as well as the opacity of the judicial system in Russia, means it is difficult for prospective owners to know whether any resolution in the case had been reached.
“The Athletic approached both representatives for Moshiri and Usmanov for comment. No response was received from Usmanov. A spokesperson for Moshiri declined to formally comment, but said that the court action was complete.”
When contacted by the ECHO, an Everton insider said: “This matter is very much between the parties involved and nothing to do with the club.”
