- Ancelotti’s Discussions with Usmanov over Performance-Based Incentives
- Questions Raised about Side Agreement’s Influence on Lawsuit
- Everton Confronts Legal Claim Amidst Board Resignations
Carlo Ancelotti, the illustrious manager who is suing his former club, Everton, held discussions with a controversial Russian oligarch regarding a series of Premier League performance-based incentive payments.
While Carlo Ancelotti was negotiating to join Everton in 2019, Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov offered the incentives. Ancelotti’s suspected side deal with Usmanov raises questions about whether he sued Everton in London’s high court.
Football regulators and fans may be curious about non-club owners offering incentives to coaches.
Usmanov’s spokesperson stated, “In his interactions with Mr. Ancelotti, Mr. Usmanov, as the largest shareholder of the club’s main sponsor, discussed the hypothetical possibility of creating an additional bonus fund for the club if the latter achieved significant success – specifically, entering the League of Champions – an event which, as we all know, did not occur. There were no legally binding agreements made in this regard, and the club’s performance was not even close to success.”
The high court claim relates to an incentive that Ancelotti believes he negotiated with an individual outside the club, and that one of the targets may have been a top-half finish in the 2020-21 season, which Ancelotti did achieve.
One former Everton director said the Italian, now Real Madrid’s head coach, was “promised something… and now it’s not gone.”
Everton’s view is that the club would not have authorised compensation payments.
After three directors left last week, Everton is facing a legal action with only chairman Bill Kenwright on the board.
The club has announced that new board members will be appointed after more than a week.
The relationship between Moshiri and Usmanov has long been controversial. In January, several Everton managers raised new questions about the club’s ownership. Claiming they were interviewed for the top position in the presence of the oligarch.
In 2021, the Home Office barred Usmanov from entering the United Kingdom, at a time when companies in which he was the largest shareholder were significant Everton sponsors. The club stated at the time that it was aware that Usmanov had been banned from entering the United Kingdom. But that it had not violated any laws or Premier League rules.
After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the Foreign Office sanctioned Usmanov, forcing Everton to cut connections.
In March 2022, when the sanctions were imposed, he described the Foreign Office citation as “false and defamatory allegations that harm my honor, dignity, and business reputation” and pledged to fight it.
In response to the Guardian’s queries about bonus discussions with Ancelotti, a spokesperson for Usmanov stated, “The tycoon has always adhered to the Premier League’s rules and legal requirements. He has never decided for FC Everton and never could.”
