Arsenal fans urge Usmanov to stay and fight

The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust is to urge Alisher Usmanov not to sell his stake in the club to majority owner Stan Kroenke, amid concern that a full takeover has become an imminent possibility.

The issue dominated a meeting on Monday night of Arsenal fans and communication is now being sought with Usmanov in which he will be told by supporters that his presence still represents an important check and balance within the club’s ownership structure.

Usmanov owns around 30 per cent of shares, and has always said that he will not sell his stake, even though he has forged no relationship with Kroenke and has no seat on the club’s board of directors. Kroenke turned down a £1billion offer for his 67 per cent stake from Usmanov earlier this year and, like his fellow billionaire, has always publicly stressed that there is no prospect of him selling.

Usmanov’s business partner, Farhad Moshiri previously shared the Arsenal investment, but he sold his shares to Usmanov in 2016 and now owns a 49.9 per cent stake in Everton. USM Holdings, which Usmanov founded in 2012 alongside Moshiri, also now sponsors Everton’s training ground.

Meanwhile, plans to stage Liverpool’s visit to Arsenal on Christmas Eve could be ended by stewards refusing to staff the game. Talks are taking place between Arsenal, Islington Council, the Metropolitan Police and Liverpool over a proposal to broadcast the Premier League’s first Christmas Eve match since 1995 but, as well as the threat of a fan boycott, there are fears that it will not meet safety regulations.

Clubs must obtain a safety certificate from their local council for every match and, as of yesterday, it is understood that Arsenal have been unable to guarantee that sufficient numbers of stewards would be willing to work at that time.