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Football

03rd Mar 2022

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss sanctions Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov

Daniel Brown

Ex-Russian deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov has also been sanctioned

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has sanctioned Uzbekistan-born Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, with the 68-year-old’s commercial links to Everton football club suspended.

As reported by the PA news agency, Usmanov and former Russian deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov have both been sanctioned.

Usmanov recently had all of his assets frozen by the European Union as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

His company – USM Holdings – sponsor Everton’s training ground and also have exclusive naming-rights to the Toffee’s new stadium.

The former Arsenal shareholder saw restrictions imposed on him which included a “prohibition from making funds available” as well as an EU travel ban.

MP Chris Bryant called for Everton to sever their ties with Usmanov, who is a long-time business associate of Farhad Moshiri – the Toffees’ owner.

Moshiri was named by the EU as one of a number of the businessmen sanctioned for apparent ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

More to follow…