Everton board told stay away from Southampton game due to ‘real threat to their safety’ | Football | Sport
Everton’s board of directors have been instructed to stay away from Goodison Park when the Toffees host Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon because of a “real and credible threat to their safety and security.” Everton are struggling for form and have dropped into the Premier League relegation zone after winning just three games all season.
On Saturday, Everton confirmed in a statement on their website that their chairman Bill Kenwright, chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, chief finance & strategy officer Grant Ingles and non-executive director Graeme Sharp have all reluctantly accepted the outcome of the safety assessment carried out by security advisors.
The board members were told not to attend the match after the club received “malicious and unacceptably threatening correspondence” amid “increasing incidents of anti-social behaviour – including targeted physical aggression – at recent home matches.”
A security & safety advisor said: “Following a thorough risk assessment, and in response to tangible threats received by the club and intelligence we have gathered, the club’s board members have been told they must not attend today’s fixture.”
Manager Lampard has struggled to stamp his mark on the team since he took over just under a year ago. The ex-Chelsea boss managed to steer the Toffees away from relegation last season and started the campaign relatively well as his team lost just two of their first eight matches.
But they have suffered a precipitous downturn in fortunes since losing to Manchester United in October and lost five of their last seven Premier League matches before the break for the World Cup. And since club football returned in December, Everton have suffered home losses to Wolves and Brighton, although they did manage to hold Manchester City to a draw at the Etihad Stadium on New Year’s Eve.
