Richard Masters says the Premier League has been “very clear” with 777 Partners over the conditions it must meet to complete a takeover of Everton, and that observers can draw their “own conclusions” as to why the deal has yet to be approved.
Speaking to MPs as part of the process of the government’s football governance bill, the Premier League’s chief executive acknowledged that lengthy takeover deals create tension among supporters but said the Everton owner, Farhad Moshiri, still wanted to pursue a deal with the challenged investment company.
Asked by Damian Collins why the league had not rejected the 777 offer outright, amid uncertainty over the group’s finances and problems at its other clubs, Masters said his scope was limited. He said the league could approve a deal or leave it unapproved but could not reject it and that it was up the seller or proposed buyer to take a deal off the table or meet the league’s demands.
“Let me be clear about the Premier League’s role as regulator: it is to perform this test,” he said. “It’s not to decide who the current owner wants to sell the club to. That’s his decision and at the moment he wants to continue to have discussions with 777 about it.
“The Premier League is very clear the conditions that have to be met by 777 if it wishes to become owner of Everton. At the moment, because the takeover has not been confirmed, I’ll leave it to the committee [of MPs] to make its own conclusions as to where we are with that.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/may/14/premier-league-reiterates-very-clear-stance-on-777-partners-everton-takeover