The Everton Fan Advisory Board (FAB) has called on majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri to sack chairman Bill Kenwright, saying it has “no confidence” in him. This comes after the Toffees’ 4-1 home defeat by Newcastle, which has left them rooted in the Premier League relegation zone. The FAB said that the situation is “not sustainable [and] not befitting of our great club” and that Evertonians “do not deserve it”.
Kenwright has been chairman since 2004 and has argued that his removal will not help the team’s current on-field struggles. However, the FAB has said that the chairman’s “core responsibility” is to lead the board, ensure its focus on strategic matters and direction, oversee the company’s business, and set high governance standards. They added that they were “hugely disappointed” at Kenwright’s statement last Friday and have made a call of no confidence in him. The FAB is also calling on Moshiri to urgently take charge of securing stronger expertise, experience and more appropriate leadership for the club.
It is clear that the scale of mismanagement from Moshiri, Kenwright, chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale and the rest of Everton’s board has been on an industrial scale when measured in money squandered in hundreds of millions and the lack of any coherent plan. Kenwright’s open letter to fans recently made no reference to any of the failings that have landed this proud club in crisis, and it appears that they will be punished by dropping into the Championship. There have been hints that change is coming in the form of new investment and boardroom upheaval, but it may be too late to save Everton from relegation.