June 10 – Everton players, coach Carlo Ancelotti and a number of senior officials have accepted wage deferrals of up to 50% during the coronavirus shutdown to help the club navigate the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement comes a day after Everton announced new short sponsor Cazoo took up the club’s premium shirt sponsorship position in a £9 million per season deal. Cazoo are filling the space left by Kenyan betting form SportPesa, who contrary to reports, had to pull out of the sponsorship following their inability to meet the next payment to club following a punitive re-evaluation by the Kenyan government on the gamer’s tax payments.
Everton’s chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale wrote in an email to the club’s fans that Ancelotti and his backroom staff had taken voluntary cuts and deferrals of up to 30% of their salaries from the start of the crisis in mid-March. Some first-team players have also agreed to voluntary deferrals.
“Everyone taking reductions and deferrals has volunteered to do so and – on behalf of the board and, I am sure, every Evertonian – I would like to express my sincere thanks to every single one of them for demonstrating such integrity and honour in helping the Everton family through this challenging time,” said Barrett-Baxendale.
“This remarkable show of unity has enabled the club to maintain the salaries of all Everton and Everton in the Community full and part-time employees – all of whom have remained in full employment throughout this period – and enabled the club to continue to pay its directly engaged matchday and non-matchday casual staff since our club lockdown began on 13 March.”
The club has allocated some of the money from the deferrals to the club’s ‘Blue Family’ campaign, a community project aimed at helping socially vulnerable people. The campaign ‘Everton in Community’ has also received substantial donations from season-ticket holders who were due a refund for matches they will not attend due to the Premier League’s behind-closed-doors season finale.
On June 21, Everton return to action with the Merseyside derby against Liverpool, a game that could hand the domestic crown to Liverpool for the first time in 30 years. The game will go ahead at Goodison Park after speculation the match would be moved to a neutral venue.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1734960085labto1734960085ofdlr1734960085owedi1734960085sni@o1734960085fni1734960085