Premier League 2021-22: Everton halt sponsorship by sanctioned Russian billionaire

Highlights Usmanov is a long-time business partner of the club's majority shareholder Usmanov, along with Farhad Moshiri, bought the naming rights of new Everton stadium for £30 million Club manager Frank Lampard said the decision to suspend their sponsorship deals was the right thing Everton decided on Wednesday to halt their major sponsorship with companies belonging to Alisher Usmanov, the Russian metals tycoon who has been sanctioned by the European Union. "The club can confirm that it has suspended with immediate effect all commercial sponsorship arrangements with the Russian companies USM, Megafon and Yota," Everton said in a short statement. They are Usmanov's companies, with USM having Usmanov, who is a long-time business partner of the club's majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, paid Everton 30 million pounds in January 2020 to secure an exclusive option on naming rights for their proposed new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock that is scheduled to be completed by 2023. Everton manager Frank Lampard, who joined the club last month, said the decision to suspend their sponsorship deals with Usmanov's companies was "a show of us, as a club, doing the right thing".