Everton: 777 Partners’ takeover may face difficulties after a UEFA appeal.

Everton: 777 Partners takeover could hit rocks as appeal to UEFA made

Everton might be impacted because, according to the AP, France’s sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera urged UEFA and other European football officials to shield the game from multi-club owners.

According to the American news agency, Oudea-Castera had issued a warning, citing a threat to sporting ideals, that a small group of investors could gain control of European football.

“These are threats to our sporting principles and we need to be vigilant to such threats,” stated the minister of sports in a comprehensive address. In recent weeks, supporters of the French club Strasbourg have demonstrated against the American owners of the team, who have a larger stake in the English team Chelsea, during games.

“One of the most successful teams in France, Lyon, is part of an American-backed multi-club network that also includes Molenbeek in Belgium and Crystal Palace in England, both of which have had fan protests against their owners.

“While it attempts to include Premier League team Everton in its portfolio, American owner 777 Partners has been under intense criticism domestically for its legal problems.

“You are the guardians of our principles, of our sport. We need to recognise the risk of circumventing rules and sometimes the threat to fairness of competitions.”

UEFA risk surrounds 777 Partners’ Everton takeover.

There may be a direct fallout from this for Everton. The speech mentioned 777 Partners as one of the factions trying to seize control because of their ties to Red Star in France, Standard Liege in Belgium, Genoa in Italy, and Hertha Berlin in Germany, many of whom have had fan protests.

Aleksander Ceferin, the president of UEFA, was among those in attendance, so if her speech had any impact, changes to their ownership regulations might occur sooner rather than later. Ceferin said, “It has to be quick because, you know, everything has to happen quickly in football.” [AP, March 15]

Everton and the 777 Partners takeover would suffer a great deal if the move is expedited as a result of the French sports minister’s statement, since their own worries are starting to surface.

The current UEFA regulations, which forbid multi-club ownership in its competitions, state that no individual may be concurrently involved in the management or administration of more than one club in UEFA club competitions.

But as Oueda-Castera pointed out in her call for change, there are ways for teams to avoid these problems, which are perhaps something 777 were looking into before they took over Everton.

In a deal that appears to be becoming more intricate by the day, it is still unclear whether the Premier League will approve this takeover or if outside influence will prevail.

Tony Bellew went bonkers during the Premier League live on talkSPORT, in other Everton news.

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