Report claims Treasury are 'reviewing' Moshiri's finances

In other words, Mr Goodley has made something up and continues to stir the pot, at least he's consistent.

Perhaps, there is a chance that any sale of Everton would be treated the same way as Chelsea last year, and Moshiri may have to wait for his pay-out?

It looks like the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has now joined the dots. Frankly, a kid with a crayon could have done so.

At the rate these clowns waste it, the Russian military will be bankrupt by Christmas.

Where does it end?

Secondly, what is the deal they refer to in which Moshiri loses control of the club without being paid a penny? They throw that one in like a hand grenade but don't give any further details.

Just when we thought things were being sorted out. When will this nightmare of a board go?

Basically, it would work the same as Chelsea, if it comes to the same conclusion.

So the club would be bought for however much and the amount paid would go to a charity. Chelsea's went to a charity helping Ukranians.

Moshiri would get nowt… if it turns out the same as Chelsea.

They appear to be speculating based upon what happened at Chelsea.

I don't trust The Grauniad either.

Michael #5, agreed, this is the bombshell:

It is understood that an investment offer on the table would result in Moshiri – who is estimated to have ploughed £750M into Everton – losing control of the club without being paid a penny, according to sources close to the negotiations.

So is the part about Usmanov attending manager interviews. I'd be very interested to know who the interviewees are that have reported his presence there.

I mean, if it's true, then it sounds absolutely fucking fantastic, but where has the rumour come from?

He's a Person of Interest – no surprise there.

He's hired top-class lawyers to defend himself – no surprise there either.

If the treasury are reviewing his finances, then this is very worrying for Moshiri. My worry is that Bill Kenwright wants to give up his profit and get back to being Everton's owner, Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

Moshiri's link with Usmanov has been investigated at the same time as was done at Chelsea.

The other key point is... who is the possible purchasing party? Does MSP's exclusivity agreement with Moshiri figure into this process?

I know! It's new low after new low. Although, having said that, I'm hopeful that this could actually end up being a rare spot of good news for the club.

I assume that much of this will have been bubbling away under the surface for months and months, hence why the club has had different potential buyers sniffing around. The situation with Abramovich at Chelsea will have shown the route for Moshiri to follow if he wants to attempt a graceful exit – if such a thing is at all possible.

I think it also indicates something that many of us have suspected from Minute 1 – that we've basically been owned by Alisher Usmanov since February 2016, and Moshiri has merely been Orville to Usmanov's Keith Harris.

Qatar-owned clubs will be overlooked. Human rights don't matter.

Mike (9) – On the below quote:

"It is understood that an investment offer on the table would result in Moshiri – who is estimated to have ploughed £750M into Everton – losing control of the club without being paid a penny, according to sources close to the negotiations."

I read this to essentially mean that there is an investment offer that comes from another associate of Usmanov (or financial vehicle that he unofficially controls) which would ultimately mean replacing Moshiri with some other patsy, with Usmanov still holding the deeds to the club with no money changing hands. It's just musical chairs basically. That's why the Treasury getting involved could end up being a good thing as it might force real change.

If they find any impropriety, the club will be sold and Moshiri the bag man will receive nothing from the proceeds.

The key is ensuring we get the 'right' new owners, although that is easier said than done, as we all know.

We wouldn't be if the Fat Uzbek was involved with the club.

Oh gawd! Goodley wrote another article. Surely we are doomed! When will it end? Oh gawd!

We highlighted the impact of Covid and, from what I remember, Paul indicated that they would be okay with our position. Pretty sure after that we sold both Richarlison and Gordon (I know we brought Onana in who was pretty expensive) but we also offloaded people like Jonjoe Kenny, Cenk Tosun etc.

What changed after this? I've heard rumours that it was the Dele Alli deal done during Lampard's first few days. Is this right?

I work with a couple of Leeds fans and they are mentioning our finances constantly. It now sounds like we have breached the rules and is it likely we'll get points deductions, transfer embargos and/or fines? What changed from The Esk thinking we had nothing to answer for?

If they're talking about an offer on the table based on information they are receiving from the OFSI, that means it would have to be a "clean" offer unconnected to Usmanov, one similar to the Todd Boehly transaction that took Chelsea away from Abramovich.

As Brian #4 points out, it would be reasonable to assume that a similarly approved process would be carried out to change Everton's ownership without Moshiri getting paid.

The thing is, that process couldn't be the minority investment that MSP was contemplating. Any buyer now would be taking the entire club, not just a piece of it. And if it's MSP's offer that's on the table and they're assuming full ownership, you're going to hear a yell from this Yank as loud as when the final whistle blew on Sunday.

All of this is wild guesswork and supposition based on The Guardian's nonspecific facts, but I believe Tony may be right – this could be the best news the club could hope for right now.

And... more wild guessing here... it could be why the anticipated Board announcement hasn't come.

Does that mean the watch is still mine?

Curious…

Us fans have had major concerns about the financing of the club. And we've moaned that the mainstream media haven't investigated the shitshow ownership of the club. When they do, it's viewed as some sort of vendetta.

The reliance on Usmanov's sponsorship was loud and clear. Since he's been sanctioned, our situation has gotten remarkably worse. There is something dodgy about it all.

Hopefully this leads to an end of this absolute disgrace of an ownership that has dragged us from being a couple of players away from a regular Top 5 club, to the brink of liquidation.

This is all wild supposition. If MSP backdoors this club, it'll be the best backdoor job ever. Read into that what you will.

But this is all out in left field. This reads more to me like a shitty tabloid piece with half-truths and assumptions rather than real news.

Trump would be proud of this piece, fake news and whatnot. 🙄

This needs to all happen yesterday otherwise next season is another shambles.

But, as nonspecific as the report may be, I've found The Guardian to be pretty damned reliable.

Moshiri has hired a sanctions expert at one of London's top law firms, Peters & Peters, according to the Guardian newspaper.

Sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was prevented by the UK government from benefiting financially from the sale of the London club and it has been reported that Moshiri is in talks with a possible investor on the same terms. Moshiri has himself invested about £750 million into the Liverpool side, which has just escaped ignominious relegation from the Premier League.

However, if the Iranian-born financier loses out at Everton, he owns UK property valued at more than £100 million, including Liverpool's landmark Royal Liver Building. According to the Sunday Times Rich List, he is worth £1.6 billion, while Forbes has estimated the figure at $3.1 billion.

Peters & Peters describe themselves as specialist lawyers for heavyweight international disputes. “Clients come to us in serious situations, where reputation, livelihood and liberty are at risk,” the firm's website claims.

Monaco resident faces exiting for zero

We have clubs owned by corrupt countries yet we are the only club being looked at lately.

MSP has an exclusivity agreement in place, so right now they're the only ones negotiating, and they're only looking to make an investment, not buy the whole shooting match.

So someone is telling porkies? Either The Guardian (quite possibly, as they often seem to have an agenda these days) or the club (equally possible as they are completely lacking in credibility at the moment)?

I am guessing wildly too, so you may well be right. It is all very opaque. But with Moshiri under review, then what does that really mean in terms of restrictions or sanctions when it comes to selling the club right now?

I find it hard to believe that Moshiri would accept investment in the club that would not see him receive a penny while losing control of the club – unless a) he's never actually been the real owner, or b) his hands are tied by the investigation and that he just wants out of this whole toxic mess before it gets even worse.

My problem is that I only see Moshiri as a sycophantic marionette. I'd be beyond flabbergasted to find out that he ended up sinking around half of his own personal wealth into this football club. But Usmanov funnelling 4% of his wealth into the club via his willing teat-pipette... very believable.

Remember the Phillip Green debacle, when Wyness resigned on a point of principle? Well, if Barrett-Baxendale or Ingles or Sharp had one iota of self-respect, they would do likewise. Kenwright being involved in both is beyond redemption.

The point that I find most interesting is that Moshiri has had his UK bank account closed, I know that this hardly inconveniences him at all but it must be awkward when speaking to potential investors… and what will those investors find when they carry out their due diligence?

My hope is this. Everton have some commercial activities in the USA. They also have harsher laws around this kind of thing. If Kenwright and Barrett-Baxendale are operating an enterprise that has money from sanctioned individuals involved, then get them deported to the US to stand trial for wire fraud, and nail them under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Charge them both, with Moshiri and Sharp, throw in a few makeweights as well who took dirty money, like Tom Davies, Francis Jeffers and Andre Gomes and lock them all up for 20 years to life.

Sell the club, use the sale proceeds to payoff debt, fund stadium etc. Then the new owners will have a free hand to operate it without such financial constraints.

I love you, mate, but you're way off the mark.

Last summer was important, but we messed that up badly; we can't afford to mess up this time, even if there's mitigating circumstances surrounding us.

Any chance the source is Kenwright? Wouldn't that be in character?

You think there's legs in this? It seems a poo-tossing, sell papers thing to me.

Maybe there is truth in the investigation of Moshri. My stance would be let's see, after high-power lawyers get involved, if there's actually any sanctions. I doubt there will be.

We live in a two-tier justice system, and there's no Russian invasion involved with this investigation, and no-one who's Russian to kick out. I see this going nowhere.

Could be wrong. Remember, Brent, I thought we'd be playing footy in a month when Covid hit! Of course, I was correct in the main with the massive overreaction and we should have been playing, but that's a conversation for another time. 😜

This “rag” and its reporters receive top investigative journalism awards, year-in & year-out. The piece says in several places that it “understands that…”; so it's not being reported as fact yet, just some information suggesting…

But it has me worried it's true.

And Brent, I refuse to read Goodley. Are you convinced he has the goods here? Given that it is a source, does he come good on other speculative exposes?

And a general request: as we wade through the waves of shite once again, please phrase opinion positions with consideration so someone like me doesn't read it as a call to correct the record.

Bill Kenwright will purchase Everton for a pound…

MSP or another investor will complete the stadium and rent it back to us at some exorbitant fee…

Bill will appeal to the authorities for a 3-year ban on incoming transfers… and all will be well with the world.

He'll be ruing the day he ever met the joker. Mind you, so will Farhad.

The stars really aligned that night. I bet it was like Bill & Ben's first-ever meeting by the potting shed… Flubba-dub!!

If these allegations are correct, Moshiri wouldn't have a choice, any more than Abramovich did. Moshiri's sole advantage would be that, unlike Abramovich, he isn't a sanctioned person and his properties aren't being confiscated. And the government may be telling him that if he wants to stay that way, he'd better settle the Everton issue. Again, wild speculation.

Kieran #34, that sounds like a decent plot for a miniseries on HBO. However, after 38 years of trying to buy an Everton shirt in an American store, I can confirm the club has no commercial activities in the USA. None. Zero.

Personally, I would waive charges against Tom Davies in favor of the forced extradition of Schneiderlin on charges of international fraudulent impersonation of a footballer. And maybe Holgate for occasional sabotage.

The paper seeks to attract and keep readers by sound investigative journalism among other things; it's not in the business of making something out of nothing. We'll have to wait and see.

It is worrying, we are trying to dodge bullets right, left and centre.

And it was BDO who reported Everton to OFSI.

Dale, no apologies necessary. I haven't been a working sports "journo" in more than 30 years, but I do still work the journalism system from the outside and still have a pretty good idea how it works.

Jamie, love how you work in your politics and then call it a conversation for another day. Very subversive.

How long and how deep are the Treasury going to dig? I mean have you ever tried getting hold of anyone at HMRC, for instance???

Correct me if I'm wrong – I've seen it done in tabloids before, but not in The Guardian, and certainly not in his prior articles on this subject. Is he fishing or does he have anything concrete?

I won't get out my list but there are obviously grey areas that get played. Over a lifetime, you see a few patterns and you hope it is contamination and not corruption, of course.

"The board fully forgives our loyal supporters and we are happy to return to Goodison for the final season at our spiritual home."

"He's one of us Seamus and he's signed a 3-year deal."

"With the uncertainty of the situation with our owner, it's time for all us Evertonians to come together as one."

"Calvert-Lewinis fit as a fiddle and it's like a new signing."

"We will sign a striker."

"Our magnificent new home at Bramley-Moore Dock will be the start of a new era of dominance for Everton FC."

"I am still the greatest ever Evertonian."

When the sanctions hit Usmanov, the man who just kept on giving was suddenly out there by himself, walking in a storm, and on the day he invited outside investors to watch a game, his cynical chairman and his nepotistic friends decided to create a massive subterfuge, which means that when Jamie asked such a ridiculous question @38, he actually might not be far from the truth, that is usually stranger than fiction!

He now appears to have hired a specialist sanctions law firm, being allegedly a Person of Interest. This is reported to have arisen as a result of the Auditor's Report in the Final Accounts.

A business that loses money every year and has an Auditor'd Report questioning viability would be put under investigation by the Inland Revenue anyway, on the basis of it not being a viable business; why is it continuing and for what reason?

Obviously the government wants to collect taxes on profits and is in other like-for-like businesses. This may result in other government departments getting involved once a risk has been identified.

Actually, Moshiri jumping the gun allegedly appointing a specialist sanctions law firm says a lot about where he thinks it is going to end up. This may have been ongoing for some time. This complicates the independent commission who wíll be looking over their shoulders at what the government is likely to find.

I can't see Kenwright resigning or his Luvies following suit any time soon. He will not be able to resist getting his snout in the trough from such a fallout if this has legs. With a bit of luck, he will end up in the trough as a close associate of Moshiri and a dreaded Person of Interest.

You can only keep so many balls in the air at once. It is a good job Everton avoided relegation.

I live in Texas and have purchased an international membership each year since the program's inception.

Does that count as commerce in the USA?

You know there is little desire to talk about Russian money in total. We would just like to keep it and the accrued returns while all those baddies just leave. Ta Da.

Until the source is named as an official of some sort, they invite speculation I suspect this is for an audience of one given that line reading roughly "could leave with zero". That says "Wrap it up, Moshiri" quite clearly.

I reckon this is just the UK government's attempt to try and push him out the door, by dropping these hints. they are hoping he does an Abramovich and just sells up, cos they don't want Russian money invested in UK infrastructure projects.

Could work… depends on whether Usmanov wants to cash out, and what sort of deal MSP are offering.

Definitely. Send your receipt to the DA and we can have the Texas Rangers haul Kenwright off to Angola.

That said, I have also taken the 'if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's likely a duck' interpretation. I wonder how a jobbing accountant, albeit a high-level one, can suddenly become a multi-billionaire and afford to risk not all that far short of a trillion on a footie club, without the very direct largesse of a super-rich individual?

Whether it can be proven is quite another matter. I imagine, as with Abramovich, the government will be concerned that any proceeds would find their way back to the Uzbecki, which I suspect they very probably would.

It seems to me no good news here. Unless there is a very clear smoking gun which hasn't emerged yet, we are likely to be in stasis for months, if not years. Not what we need at the moment...

Moshiri is a dodgy fella, who deals with other dodgy fellas. And he's done us absolutely no favours.

I keep seeing that he's ploughed '£750M in to the club'. The actual numbers say that we have a net spend of £220M over 8 years. Or £27.5M per season.

Our revenue is the 10th largest in the Premier League, behind clubs like Leicester (new stadium) and Leeds, who spent 14 years in the Championship and below. If he'd done a better job with the commercial side of the club, it probably could have funded that net spend itself, without the P&S issue cropping up!

And as for financing the new stadium, he's hardly doing it out of the kindness of his heart. He'll make a tidy profit from it eventually, as he will when he one day sells the club. He's not an angel investor, sent from the stars. Under his ownership, we've been a financial and footballing train wreck.

If Moshiri's backing is all dandy and above board, there's nothing to worry about. If, indeed, he's sourcing sanctioned cash to fund either the team or the stadium, then I, for one, am glad that The Guardian are bringing it to light.

Regardless of where his cash comes from and how much of it goes into the club, he, every bit as much as Kenwright, is responsible for the absolute shitshow the club currently is both on and off the field.

This is happening, Moshiri has hired lawyers who specialise in cases like this and a media outlet has just reported on it.

Moshiri will now say that there was an agreement that an investor was to come in and turn a loan into shares and Everton would be out of debt but with this involvement of OFSI the deal is now in doubt so allowances similar to those for COVID should apply.

The one weakness in the plan is that Bill had been planning a musical with the same storyline — hence his absence from Goodison.

Nah, they ain't clever enough to pull it off.

Never in a million years did I think it would end up like this. But I suppose this is the Everton Way. We seem to have a self-destruct button built into our DNA.

And of course they suppressed their own ‘Me Too' moment with Nick Cohen (The Octopus) — we had to wait for the New York Times to break that story….

If he doesn't invade Ukraine, there are no Russian sanctions, Usmanov's shady money is movable and still considered (more or less) legit, and the worst problem Moshiri has is that he insists on hiring his own managers.

Or is Bill waiting in the wings for his chance to wrestle control back?

The way Chelsea got sold would be good for us, get rid of the lot of them!

What an unmitigated disaster he's been with the financial impacts of the new stadium yet to truly hit home.

As an Arsenal man, I thought it was just sour grapes on Merson's part as a lot of Gooner fans wanted Usmanov & Moshiri to buy out Stan Kroenke and sack or back Wenger.

Could it be that Merson knew Tweedledee and Tweedledumb were two complete dickheads?

Finally get a billionaire investor and he's dodgy.

You couldn't make it up.

Some would argue they are all dodgy. Probably someone like Dyson is about as undodgy as it gets.

Dyson the vacuum man? Voted for Brexit and then moved his UK workforce out of the country to some sweatshop nation?

Mightn't be dodgy but certainly a very crafty Tory exploiter.

I'd prefer Radcliffe but I'm sure INEOS is either chemicals or pharmaceuticals, which are both destroying or corrupting the world. Very few good guys left out there.

Seems obvious we're a money laundering plaything and have been since 2017. No one was arsed if we were successful and London was awash with Russian klebbies… but now everything's changed and The Guardian are right, in my opinion, to name and shame it.

Via the Scott Trust, The Guardian avoid paying tax. Thus, to my mind, they are to be excluded from any discussion about dodgy money. Period.

Attacking The Guardian is a sideshow and won't make the Moshiri story go away. Just a distraction.

Bill Kenwright has definitely hands down got the copyright for being the modern day Jonah, Barry R, especially when you think back to the latest load of shite he came out with just the other week.

I said I'd get them a billionaire – I just had to wait for the absolute dickhead who had the sense to let me stay in charge!

But am I right in thinking that Usmanov is the sanctioned individual, not Moshiri? However, if it can be proved that it was Usmanov's money that was used to buy Everton using Moshiri as a front man, then it becomes an entirely different matter. Could this be the “financial irregularity” referred to by the auditors?

If so, the purchase would be looked upon as an investment by Usmanov from which he will be likely to profit in the future and therefore subject to seizure. This would put us in Abramovich territory with the club having to be sold and all transfers in and out put on hold until a new buyer is found.

Wonderful news for a club desperate to offload dead wood and recruit new players! However, I suspect all this will be very difficult to prove as these are not the kind of guys to leave a paper trail or a smoking gun.

Anyway, I've probably got it all wrong as usual!!

Not over yet but hopefully the beginning of the end.

Russia invade Ukraine, sanctions come, and – surprise, surprise – the USM money tap is turned off and suddenly our transfer funds also dry up.

The Benitez and Lampard rumours about meeting Usmanov before being appointed are also not new. It would be interesting if either had to be interviewed under oath and the results of said interview. Would either risk perjury?

Whether a forensic accountant can find the paper trail from Moshiri to Usmanov is another question. But circumstantial evidence is pretty strong and, by all accounts, BDO officially raised this last year. For them to report this, they must have had good reason.

Overall, this really isn't new news. May also explain why Moshiri has been nowhere to be seen the last few months. Is he even in the UK?

I hope a link is found as this would clear the path for someone completely new to come in and sweep away everyone at the top. The shareholder's loans would also disappear overnight presumably.

Only issue now is the uncertainty surrounding the club's immediate future and how this will impact the recruitment plan for Dyche. We can't afford to not be able to sign players and waste the whole summer.

Hopefully, with a few leaving in any case, there's enough of a wage budget to sign some players on a free to add to the squad. There are a lot of relatively decent players out of contract.

Never dull supporting this club!

I think this one is more a case for Steve Ferns (Attorney) versus Paul the Esk. But yes, Moshiri hasn't been sanctioned himself… yet.

Now you tell us where your money has come from going back 35 years??? Cut us loose with new owners. Treat us the same as Chelsea, don't hurt us, let us suffer because of Moshiri and Usmanov. I hope Moshiri is sanctioned.

Use Chelsea billions, the £750 million for us to compensate clubs damaged by Chelsea winning stuff. Even us by Moshiri, Usmanov. Effectively Abromovich and Moshiri punished. Fine, if Moshiri provides evidence that it's his money, he owns us. I doubt he can.

No points deductions, same as Chelsea.

The hounds were circling ready to plunge their knives deep into our backs when relegated. To overcome their desperate disappointment at lost copy, Moshgate is their next best idea.

I agree its a real story and don't want to distract from it. However, I will not accept Guardian scum have any right to criticise others' murky financial dealings.

But he can sure as hell be punished under British law if he is found to have conducted financial business with a sanctioned entity. Like Usmanov.

I'm pretty sure they can't take away Moshiri's homes and cars, but he can seemingly be forced to sell his UK-based business. Us.

"A business that loses money every year and has an Auditor's Report questioning viability would be put under investigation by the Inland Revenue anyway, on the basis of it not being a viable business; why is it continuing and for what reason?"

Not content with making stuff up about how Everton operate...you're now spinning nonsense about how HMRC operate. I suppose at least you're consistent.

I voted to leave the EU too. Many good reasons for it. I appreciate others might think there were reasons to stay but they were not persuasive to me. Or him.

Dyson did not move his UK workforce abroad. I doubt they would go. Malmesbury is a very nice place. Because he is globally successful, he has 3 main bases, UK, Singapore and Malaysia. UK does mostly the higher paid R&D work, 3,500 employees out of 13,000 worldwide.

I live near Malmesbury. The problem is not how few people he employs in his main Malmesbury campus, it's how many are employed in a single smallish town. He is too dominant and, while he has made the town very, very successful, it has all its eggs in his basket.

Fortunately he seems committed to it, even to the extent of replacing the generally rubbish engineering faculties at our universities with his own. If he pulled out, the town would collapse.

I've no idea why some media demonise him. Usually Europhile ones. If we had 100 more Dyson's, we'd be in less of a mess and maybe even have a balance of trade surplus, or somewhere closer to it.

The Malmesbury you describe sounds truly idyllic providing that mega-Tory, lowest-cost-employees-essential, Dyson continues to utilise that town in his bid to enlarge his ginormous personal fortune by screwing every one of his employees to the max, whilst being a stalwart supporter of Johnson and whichever else "leader" the present-day, extremist, so-called Tory party find themselves subservient to.

Who's Dyson? I have searched in vain for a mention of that name in the story.

He makes Dyson vacuum cleaners – rich Conservative dude.

James Dyson, a guy who invented a different version of a carpet cleaner than "Hoover" as well as hand-drying machines in public loos, and now ladies hair-conditioning products.

He's a mega-millionaire who fully utilised the near slave-wages payable to Indian workers, rather than the British workforce who propelled him to £millionaire status.

He is a personal friend of Boris Johnson (our wanker cousin of Trump).

Don't believe a word he says.

If we can get him to take the blame for the bad spending with him as well then that is, as far as I can see it, the best way we could come out of this nightmare. He's been shady since the day he came in, gobbing off about having money to spend, nothing about him to defend.

New ground aside, the club hasn't anywhere near the integrity it had when he came in for it. I would love to see it get confiscated off him.

I've no idea. I only commented because other subscribers mentioned him, a hypocritical, self-serving, Tory ass-kissing shite.

No, he came into the conversation as a Brexit proponent.

And trust me, Singapore and Malaysia are not low-wage countries any more. They put engineering and manufacturing hubs into these countries due to: a) large engineering talent pools, b) government subsidies, c) low tax. All the things that Brexit Britain was meant to deliver.

There are several reasons why I think there may be an issue but not proven:

First is the supply of goods and services, credit or loans from a Russian individual or company.

A couple of points to ask: Has Usmanov or one of the companies he or Moshiri had (or have) an interest in loaned money or credit to us for goods? (I am thinking steel for the stadium here; was that sourced through Usmanov's companies?) If so, that's a possible breach.

If it was picked up in the audit by BDO, they could well have reported it?

The second of course is the arm's-length friendship between Moshiri and Usmanov and where Moshiri has got the actual money from to fund and build the stadium as his worth is not a measure of access to cash… so where did he get the cash from to pay the costs?

The inferred association between the two (follow the money trail) is that it's been bankrolled by Usmanov but people with that sort of money don't do bank transfers, they just arrange them.

I suspect there has been an anomaly with the audit that fell foul of the new Sanctions regulations that BDO made the EFP aware of, hence the commission and the treasury interest.

One and one make 37!

“… the proceeds from the sale of which he used to buy the Blues”

ToffeeWeb: where fans use proper syntax. Well done!

Bill Kenwright's got a lot to answer for. Sack the Board!

Will we get a points deduction?
Will we suffer a transfer embargo?
Will we be fined heavily?
Will we get a combination of the above?

Will we follow the Chelsea precedent and Moshiri has to let go without making any profit? I think that is what happened. Someone wiser tell me if different.

Or will Moshiri pull an OJ Simpson courtroom appearance out of the bag and we walk away to the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock?

I have no idea.

Wake me up when August comes.

Closer to the actual facts is that Everton is a Club that has made long running losses which would bring them to the attention of the Inland Revenue. The Inland Revenue who collect taxes have a duty on behalf of the Taxpayer to investigate why a going concern is not able to pay tax on profits..In a smaller buisness or individual case they may put a assesment on them and get them to prove they are not liable for the assesment figure.

In Everton's case they are regulated by the Premier League, which has been monitoring the situation over a two year period in detail.Then Everton Auditor resigns reporting concerns. The New Auditor in the Final Accounts expresses concerned. The Premier League on recieving the Final Accounts decides that they were not recieving the facts during the Monitoring petiod and refers Everton to a Independent Commission for non compliance with the Profit and Sustainability Rules of the Premier League.

Meanwhile the Inland Revenue is gathering information, awaiting the outcomes of all the bodies involved. Everton is moved up the Tax Risk table and other related Treasury Departments are informed with full access to all information.Not only is Everton investigated, but all related parties come under scuntiny ( Person's of Interest), with the increasing use of Tax specialist in all fields.

By the way the Inland Revenue Special Investigations unit is based in Manchester.

Kenwright, and now Moshiri, have ruined this club.

Why would they be looking for taxes on losses? Just asking, like.

I'm not sure HMRC are actually investigating anything, are they?

Yet, the Guardian failed to mention that EFC was only one of several clients BDO cut ties with since sanctions were placed on Putin's oligarch buddies. During the same period, BDO also severed ties with companies not necessarily involved with Russian entities.

So, Everton is just one of several as opposed to the appearance of BDO cutting loose from auditing EFC as some outlier in BDO's business dealings.

For anyone interested, here's the link to a story about problems within the auditing firms in England. BDO is mentioned (Not in a good way).

Big Four UK Auditors foisting 'high-risk' clients onto smaller competitors

Because they are not collecting any taxes, the Inland Revenue would want to know why. At its most fundamental, a business is managed to make a profit. If it is not making a profit over a 5-year period, what is it being managed for?

In Everton's case, not making a profit did not serm to be a concern, since management was not held accountable. The Inland Revenue deals with all businesses and would be aware of what profit a comparable business to Everton would have and taxes due.

Their view would be Everton should be paying taxes. How the business is managed is the responsibility of the owner.

Unfortunately it is not spin, as was most of my concerns over years.

I will have to meet you at the Old Church at Dunleavy. We can go up Mount Oriel. By the time we get to the top, we will have all things Everton sorted out.

Well, as far as I can remember, Everton and Moshiri cut off all connection with the Usmanov sponsorship before the sanctions were announced, certainly once they were announced.

As for any interview Usmanov may have had any part in… why not? He's a good friend to Moshiri and if there was every reason for Moshiri to call on the experience and knowledge of his friend and as they both live abroad, why not use Usmanov's luxury yacht... even if they're both shite at picking managers, according to many knowledgeable people.

Anyway, it's possible he'd rather trust a mate than his Chairman.

I think James has provided some important information that The Guardian appears not to have discovered. It wouldn't just be digging at EFC as an easy victim would it, of course not.

The business will be paying other taxes – VAT on tickets, merchandising etc, PAYE and National Insurance due, and so on. Clearly if the club has been operating at a loss, however managed, there will be no corporation tax to pay which is what your supposition leads me to believe you are referring to.

I don't believe the club is 'insolvent' (trading from a worsening position while insolvent is illegal) and any investigations appear to be targeted at the source and mechanics of the club's funding in relation to sanctioned individuals and/or businesses.

We are not being subjected to a simple tax investigation as far as I can perceive, so I am reading a lot of assumptions into your post (@ 114) unsubstantiated except for your own opinion.

How do you know, for example, that..."Meanwhile the Inland Revenue is gathering information, awaiting the outcomes of all the bodies involved."

As I said before – just asking.

At the meeting with the FAB last night, not one member of the board turned up!

Regarding Moshiri being someone of interest to the authorities, seems strange that it has taken them this long knowing his close personal and business connections with Usmanov. Now whether that link with Usmanov is enough for the authorities to be able to do what they did to Abramovich is very debatable.

I mean if we are going to sanction people who have a connection with powerful Russians, maybe we need to sanction Boris Johnson for his links and taking money from Russian businessmen.

There is little doubt that Usmanov was behind the takeover of Everton, he interviewed both Ancelotti and Benitez before they were appointed managers, Ancelotti even told the press about him having a meeting with Usmanov for 2 hours before he signed. And Benitez spent 2 days on Usmanov's yacht moored off Sardinia before agreeing to become our manager.

Should Moshiri be sanctioned, I do wonder where that will leave Everton? Maybe this may make Moshiri sell so he can bank the money before any possible sanctions are imposed?

How does The Scott Trust help The Guardian avoid paying taxes? Which taxes?

Just curious.

But it'll mean keeping the dross we have – it's going to be a loooooooong drawn out summer and, as usual, there will be zero communication from inside Goodison. Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

I'm like everyone else – wondering when will it start and when will it end and with what results? – the investigation, that is. 🤷💙

Dyson is hated because he is a self-made, very successful, and therefore rich, entrepreneur and businessman. In your country, he would be admired and lauded, but over here that is something to be hated and despised, by many people anyway. One reason why our per capita income is so much lower than yours.

And while I'm here, Singapore is not a poor, low-wage country. Even when I lived there in the '80s, it was thriving,; now, it is considerably richer than the UK, due mainly to many years of low taxes, investment in IT and STEM education, and compulsory personal saving.

Usmanov and his involvement at Everton was the subject of a parliamentary debate some months ago. Can't imagine that hasn't included Moshiri coming under the microscope from Day One.

The Government had been itching to get Russians out of football pre-Ukraine, but IMHO bent the rules to allow Abramovich to sell up cos a load of them were Chelsea season ticket holders or shareholders or had other vested interests in Chelsea FC, such as George Osborne.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Dyson is one of our patriotic admirable billionaires who is so patriotic that he loathes paying a penny in taxes to the UK Treasury, and cares so much for the British people that he prefers not to employ any of them.

I tend to admire people for their personal qualities rather than their money-making abilities. You strike me as the kind of person who admires money-making however it is made.

You are right that Everton would be tax compliant with all other taxes. But the Inland Revenue will not accept losses in trading over five years without an investigation. They will also look at changes of Auditor and Auditor Reports when making such decisions. They will also look at any regulatory reports and references to regulatory commissions.

The Inland Revenue has access to all this information, as well as information on all parties involved.

If Moshiri is a Person of Interest to the Treasury and has as reported engaged the services of a sanctions lawyer, this did not happen overnight. It is the later part of an Inland Revenue investigation process that has been going on for some time, which has been initiated by various triggers along the way.

I have experience of such an investigation. Fortunately not my own, touch wood. but a cousin who found himself dealing with the Special Investigations Unit in Manchester sorting out his father's estate.

My friend who I visit weekly is a retired Senior Tax Inspector who worked at the Inland Revenue Head Office in London. He now works freelance commanding enormous fees, on top of a huge Civil Service Pension.

I suppose the good news is that Everton may finally get sorted out.

Your comment is typical of the self-righteous thinking of so many people. Do you think we all don't admire people for their personal qualities?

As for Dyson, a business person has a responsibility to his investors and shareholders, as well as his employees, to make a profit, and if that means relocating to a lower-tax environment (one of the effects of the globalisation that so many people are so keen on), then that is what they do. This is one of the reasons Ireland has been such a magnet for inward investment.

People like Dyson would stay in the UK or even come to the UK if taxes were reasonable but they aren't. Dyson is smart and very hard-working, he deserves every penny that he makes.

I agree. Nothing wrong with making money, it's the extremes. Whilst I can understand not wanting to be thoroughly rinsed for tax, at which Britain excels, it always goes full swing the other way, for every last penny. Of course the market for sales is never abandoned.

This has all helped in the wider quest to de-industrialize and neuter Britain though, so there's little sanction or opposition.

All will eventually come out in the wash. Expect to see a Panorama episode on Everton ownership.

Tax is the price we pay for living in a civilised society.

Big news on the EFC takeover front. MSP's partners in the deal Andy Bell (AJ Bell) and George Downing. Full clear out of the Board. Andy is going to be CEO and George as Chairman. Going to be announced in the next couple of days. George is in Cannes with Moshiri today. Andy Bell is from Ormskirk.

Investment genius. 👍👍👍

Is a complete load of rubbish. Taxes were designed as nothing more than a way to pay tribute to land owners (= royals or really just gangsters with bigger “armies” who claimed the land for themselves).

It's really no different to protection money in that above definition. In addition to that, and certainly more relevant these days, is that new taxes (governments never repeal taxes) are created by governments to keep the middle classes oppressed and subservient because every government fears nothing more than a middle-class rebellion and being overthrown (as opposed to a military coup).

If governments could actually spend taxes properly, then society would function far better but they don't and it doesn't. The major blot in the ointment is that large corporations are able to use loopholes to not pay tax. And that is the real crime.

But never believe your taxes are paid to keep you safe. That's absurd. It's to keep you under the illusion of dependency.

Have you told The Guardian all you know about the takeover?

But thanks for the info, anyway. When I read "local businessman", I thought "Sir Terry Leahy".

Plenty of people in this informative thread seem to forget that Moshiri is a British citizen, and therefore entitled to all protections given to them all. At most, he could be accused of sanctions-busting, but even then, he would still be able to pocket all the money from a sale.

It may all be kosher but wait and see is my mantra. No point getting excited with what we have been told so far and the fact that I haven't seen any other papers picking up on it only strengthens that view.

It's sad there are some who appear to contest that and make bizarre claims such as he doesn't employ British workers( 3500 of them in fact, mostly very, very well paid) but I can only assume politics clouds judgement...

There's plenty to investigate, going back as far as the Philip Green, Birch,
Wyness times, but so far no indication of illegality

Moshiri is a British Citizen, so they may have to find another page of their rulebook to have him.

Hopefully we'll see the back of him before anything significant comes of this.

Anyway, I'm not expecting him to take lower profits by doing so. I'm not that naive. But I don't see why I should hold such mighty entrepreneurs on a pedestal. It's not entirely clear to me what the UK benefits from a business which doesn't employ many people in the UK nor contribute much in the way of tax.

I would query your use of the word educated in that post.

Also worth remembering that national newspapers aren't catering for Evertonians, but for the wider public who have little knowledge of what's going on.

As fans of other clubs tell me, it's an interesting story!

Still wishful thinking I feel, but I’m still gonna hope.

He employs close to 4000 people in the UK and is the largest taxpayer in the South West. That 4000 is around 30% of his total global workforce. And this is the point, he has created a truly global company, which means he will have bases around the world to service that. I think this is more admirable than building a UK only business that has pretty much all of its sales in the UK. Competing with the rest of the world is a lot harder than doing do within one territory (and probably exploiting protectionism and oligopolies).

The problem we have is there are too few Dysons. I am not putting him on a pedestal by saying that, it is just a matter of fact. 100 more people who build a global business from scratch would make all of us a lot richer.

Bear in mind I started this by commenting that while many billionaires are 'dodgy', might even be described as crooks, basically stealing their country's national assets like the oligarchs, there are some who didn't do this, but built businesses from scratch.

Anyway, more back on topic, I'd much sooner the likes of Dyson or Ratcliffe or Branson invested in us, than some dodgy oligarchs or oil sheiks. But perhaps beggars can't be choosers...

I think it's very muddy waters, the "Gift" stinks, the sponsorship by USM, Megaphon and the naming rights deal are all murky. The authorities are probably just looking for the one golden nugget of evidence to make all the allegations stick.

After all Chairman Bill's searching for the billionaire owner – look who he's delivered to us! Bill can't pin the blame or play dumb. Kenwright knew who he was getting into bed with.

Yes, we as fans embraced the new money but it's not our job to scrutinise the accounts and financial history of a new investor. We've been let down, by Bill, the authorities, the FA and the Premier League.

Now it's us the fans who will suffer if the independent commission chooses to deduct points for financial irregularities – us who suffer because he can't call on his sanctioned friend, us who are left as the worst team in the Premier League.

Make him sell. Don't let him or Usmanov get a penny of the proceeds.

That word wouldn't be ‘incredible' would it? No, I don't think so either!!

Back to Dyson. I bought one of his earlier cleaners back in the day. Looked like he was an inventor who couldn't get anyone interested in this fucking genius bit of kit.

Well, honest to fuck, it was useless. Imagine dragging a massive sack of spuds round your living room hoping it will pick up the crumbs of your yellow pack custard creams…

The Gruaniad, as so aptly put earlier, seems to me to be regularly full of shit.

The Everton Board seems too eerily silent. Do they know we avoided relegation? Time for them to come out of their bunker and face the music!

All good here mate now that horrible season is over! If I'd remembered Derek's instructions I'd have seen you in the Harlech Castle. Got me castles mixed up!!

I'll deffo see you next time and we'll be in a much better place by then I hope.

All the best mate!

Dave #159. Let's hope so mate. Light at the end of the tunnel maybe!

I think there is probably some truth in your rumours with the MSP deal being worked on. I think the biggest part of the negotiations would be about who and how the club will be run going forward. A J Bell’s involvement fits the profile of Moshiri's arm’s-length approach.

I find it really interesting that the press and supporters of some clubs that have been relegated screaming for action to be taken against Everton for possible breaches in the financial rules that are set down by the Premier League. But Everton have only been referred to the commission for them to check if we have broken any rules. But Man City have been charged by that commission of breaking 115 rules and yet its always Everton who fill the headlines.

He is clinging on for dear life, he wants that ribbon cut at Bramley-Moore Dock at all costs, with his white Bob the Builder hard hat on and over-sized scissors, ready and waiting.

The more he can delay a sale, the closer the new stadium gets.

Moshiri loses any hold, while Bill has a whip round from his cronies, and buys Everton back for a quid, then sells to MSP — provided he can remain as Chairman.

[I bet that had Derek and a few others going :-) tongue-in-cheek.]

I agree about the press, and it's mainly The Guardian, who follow "sources" and what BDO are supposed to have done, when by the look of it, Everton and a number of other big organisations have dispensed with their services.

Brian, someone did a post saying Kenwright had told "sources" that "he's going nowhere!" Good to know he's staying in his pad in theatreland!

And also trivia, the crooked spire in Chesterfield. We have our own "crooked" … but that's another story.

It has to be the club or we'll just be shafted in the long term. Worrying.

And by the way, thanks for ruining our club (apart from the new stadium) but that had an ulterior motive should Usmanov have not been exiled!

Interesting days ahead, hopefully deliverance to a better place for all Evertonians, and a new era at Everton FC.

UTFTs!

They should be run out of the club, not a peek from any of them after another heart crushing fight against relegation. Put through the wringer again by a board who frankly couldn't car less about the supporters. But then that's part for the vourse for the chairman, he has form. Even when their own supporters FAB bite back, do they worry? Not a jot.

We have multiple sets of rumors, squad members leaving, players moving on, Nothing. Not a world of thanks for their service, nothing.
Leadership is an inspiring and gives reassurance and direction. The absence of Leadership leaves a vacuum filled with anger, disappointment and ridicule. If the cannot see it, they deserve the abuse.

I assume these stay-away parasites are still collecting their ill-gotten gains, at a time when we are allegedly trying to scrape money together. I know contracts are probably in force but surely they are in breach of contract by not getting involved or attending. In Kenwright's case, just a side-line alongside his theatre business in London.

What a great Evertonian! (Not!)