Marco Silva Tapping Up Complaint

Everton is just another stepping stone for the likes of Silva and Richarlison. They're just passing though.

 

PSG -----> Everton -----> WFC

 

But we can say we saw him first and always knew he was worth £40 million (if Harrow destroys that thread)

 

I don't even think many Evertonians would disagree

In both of their cases (but especially Silva) they probably need a couple of years at Everton before they leave, mostly for reputational reasons

 

The exact same thing was said of both when they arrived at Watford.

 

Very fair point

 

Can we merge this with the Everton thread in other football. Marco's name still makes my skin crawl.

 

Looks like Richarlison is pretty much saying that Everton are just a stepping stone club for him.
https://www.teamtalk.com/news/ambitious-richarlison-sees-everton-as-a-stepping-stone

 

I opened that, saw the headline and got ready to get annoyed.

What he said is perfectly reasonable though. Far more diplomatic than the stuff Lukaku used to come out with.

 

https://twitter.com/TimesSport/status/1040354022211895296?s=19

The plot thickens.

I'd still be astonished if it led to a points deduction, given some of the stuff in the last few years that has escaped that level of punishment (the West Ham Tevez thing instantly springs to mind).

 

Please be true...….that would be so funny....and deserving of course.

 

1 across is Endlessly carp.

A whole host of answers spring to mind.

The key to a great crossword.

 

This is what happened to L*t*n.

It happens to all our rivals.

 

I sincerely hope it does not result in a points deduction. Compensation & apology would be sufficient if proven guilty (which I do think they are).

I've always liked Everton as a football club they've always been a community clubs like ours and shouldn't be completely judged based on a bunch of young mongy fans on social media.

Moshiri has a lot to learn about football and behaviour of owners in the game.

 

He's gone and tapped up Harry now, can the man slither any lower

 

Full article:

Everton face Marco Silva ‘tapping-up’ inquiry

Club could receive points deduction over manager pursuit
Matt ****inson, Chief Sports Writer

An independent inquiry has been launched into Everton’s recruitment of Marco Silva that could result in the club facing a substantial fine or even a points deduction.

The investigation into an alleged “tapping-up” of Silva while he was employed by Watford could require Everton’s hierarchy, including Farhad Moshiri, the club’s owner, and their Portuguese manager to hand over phone records and diaries to a QC to uncover any contact between the two parties and when it took place.

It is a significant escalation in the affair, which began when Watford were enraged by Everton’s pursuit of Silva last season, and is set to become the most high-profile case of its kind since Chelsea were found guilty of approaching Ashley Cole in 2005 against Premier League rules.

Chelsea received a £300,000 fine and a suspended three-point deduction, while Cole was fined £75,000 and José Mourinho had to pay £75,000 for attending a meeting at a London hotel with the Arsenal defender.

Jonathan Barnett, Cole’s agent, was fined £100,000 and banned from working in football for 12 months, eight suspended, after a separate FA commission found him guilty of facilitating an illegal approach. Carlos Gon*alves, Silva’s agent, will form part of the inquiries, although it remains to be seen if he can be compelled by English football authorities to give evidence.

The Premier League had made attempts at mediation, with the possibility of financial compensation for Watford, but they proved to beunsuccessful. There were hopes at the league’s headquarters that the row would be settled when Everton were negotiating with Watford over the £40 million purchase of Richarlison, the Brazil attacker, in the summer.

However, it is understood that the clubs never came close to any agreement and, with Watford having made a formal complaint over Everton’s conduct, the case is in the hands of lawyers appointed by the Premier League to examine the evidence and basis for any charge.

Watford’s anger stems from November. They had started the season so strongly under Silva, who had joined the previous May on a two-year contract, that they were in the top four in October after eight matches, ahead of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Everton sacked Ronald Koeman at the end of that month and it was not long before Silva’s name was being mentioned as the No 1 target. As speculation mounted, Watford made it clear that they would not entertain an approach for their manager, who did not have a break clause in his contract, and rejected substantial financial offers to release Silva.

The nature of Everton’s pursuit — if, when and how they made contact with Watford, Silva and his representatives — is at the heart of the inquiries. Lawyers could demand emails and phone logs as well as statements from Moshiri, Silva and others.

Moshiri turned to Sam Allardyce, albeit reluctantly, by which time Watford’s form had plunged dramatically, with one win in 11 matches from the end of November leaving them five points above the relegation zone by January 21 when the decision was made to sack Silva.

A statement from Vicarage Road pointedly blamed a rival club for unsettling their manager: “The catalyst for this decision is that unwarranted approach, something which the board believes has seen a significant deterioration in focus and results to the point where the long-term future of Watford FC has been jeopardised.”

Silva, 41, was appointed manager of Everton at the end of May after the sacking of Allardyce. In July, Watford released a statement insisting that their case against Everton was less about receiving financial compensation than making a stand over what they believe to be a clear breach of rules with damaging consequences.

“In pursuing its disciplinary claim, the club has known from the outset it forfeited any right to compensation as a consequence of not following a proposed arbitration process,” Watford said. “We believe this situation is not about a compensation figure but the principle of making a stand when the actions of one Premier League club undermine and cause intrinsic damage to a fellow member club.”

If Everton do have to answer charges over their approach for Silva, the case is likely to be dealt with by a three-man independent commission led by a QC.

In the Cole case, the panel said that it felt the sanctions should “deter other clubs who may be tempted to act in a similar fashion” but they declined to order Chelsea to pay compensation to Arsenal.

Everton declined to comment last night.

 

It’s not just their fans on Twitter etc though. You only have to go on to their forum to see their attitude towards us and the matter. I think the Everton that you admire is a small percentage of what they really are right now.

I doubt it will happen. But if proved guilty, I hope the book is thrown at them.

Watford seem to have been very clear that they aren’t seeking payment in the form of ‘compensation’ any longer. And an apology is hollow in football really.

‘Moshiri has a lot to learn about football and behaviour of owners in the game’

Agreed. And the way he will learn is by being found guilty and hung out to dry.

 

It's carry.

 

Totally agree. Everton are one of those club desperately trying to become the next big club. I think had this case been against a top 6 club, then the EPL may have bottled it and it would just boil down to fines. However, Everton are a big enough name to send shock waves throughout the football world and to make an example of. I really hope they face a points deduction if found guilty.

Watford are always going to be one of those clubs that will be plundered by the bigger sides. They have to protect themselves, and this can only be for the good of the game in the long run.

What Everton did, if proven, was relentlessly pursue Watford's manager to the detriment of the club. The results were there for all to see. I'm pretty sure Watford have a very strong case and can clearly demonstrate Silva's behaviour at the club after the approach with his "loss of focus".

 

The number of them banging on about Hull is funny. Totally ignores the fact Hull clearly ain't fussed. Silva was leaving them whatever happened that summer.

 

Don't forget, Silva engineered his own dismissal by failing to turn up to training for a week and switched his phone off so no one could get hold of him.

 

Didn't the Hull chairman say we were the 3rd club to speak to him?

 

Not sure. But either way, he had a clause in his contract making him available upon their relegation. I don't know if Hull got some minor compo as part of that but either way, I can't see the football authorities seeing it any differently to a bosman signing agreeing terms months before moving in the summer.

 

I know. That's their only defence, which pretty much implies they know they are guilty. The difference being is that Watford made a "legal" approach to Hull, after both Palace and Porto. Silva had a clause in his contract which stated he could speak to interested parties in his final 6 months, while at Hull.

The case at Watford is totally different, as Everton's approach was "illegal" going against the rules set down by the EPL.

 

But is that really true? Surely that would have been reported far more widely had it actually happened?

I’d suggest he’d have been sacked on the spot as well.

 

This is hilarious! I'm glad Gino is not backing down. I'm a big fan of justice and Everton need to pay a price for breaking the rules.

But in truth we should be thanking them. If this hadn't happened we wouldn't have the better manager that we have now.

Silva would have been found out eventually anyway but Gracia might not have been available by then.

So thanks Everton. I hope the book is thrown at you though.

 

Apparently that was the week leading up to the Leicester game...hence why Duxbury stormed out of the director's lounge.

 

Of course they are guilty.

You'd be hard-pushed to find anyone with an Everton connection who doesn't agree that they've done something against the rules.

I think the issue lies within the fact that there is practically no transfer or potential transfer which takes place anymore without breaking the rules. This means that you have to adhere to an unwritten rule of only breaking the rules within reason. Being unwritten, it's a grey area, and you only get problems when selling clubs (or potential selling clubs) feel that a line has been crossed. Watford, clearly, feel a line was crossed in the Silva pursuit and I still have sympathy with that view but equally I still feel like the biggest guilty party in the whole thing is Silva himself. Can't see Silva getting punished (was Ashley Cole punished in his tapping up saga? I genuinely can't remember), so Everton will cop for some sort of punishment but a points deduction would be game changing - and also disproportionate IMO given the Tevez affair etc. Still don't see it happening, but I'd have to admit that in the long term it might not be the world's worst outcome for football as a whole.

 

Yup. He copped a six figure fine. So about two weeks wages.

 

I agree, Silva is probably just as much to blame in this. His noncommittal to Watford in his interviews was appalling.

I don't have anything against Everton, and before this incident I actually like the club and it's fans. There was to be a friendly rivalry in the fact we share the same walk-out tune.

This is going to get ugly though, but for the good of football, if Everton have overstepped the mark as suggested, I think they have to be made an example of, to deter clubs from doing the same in future. If Everton are allowed to get away with it, then it will be open season. This could really prove to be a watershed case.

 

Tend to agree with that assessment. I would say that Everton did pursue Silva aggressively after being told that he was not available several times by Watford. I suspect that if they had not and hadn't appointed him in the summer the case would be a lot weaker even if Silva behaved in exactly the same way as he did.

I blame Silva for his total unprofessionalism the most but Everton are far from blameless too and should face punishment.

 

As I've said on here a few times, Watford are the only English team other than Everton that I have any kind of affinity towards, so this whole thing isn't going to change anything for me. Too many family connections to Watford for me to ever change my feelings towards them. I do appreciate, however, that for most Watford fans this whole episode will sour their opinions of Everton for at least a while.

 

Agreed, but as I have said before, tapping up a player doesn't (or at least shouldn't) destabilise a clubs whole season. Tapping up a manager can (and did) throw a clubs whole season detrimentally. There are parallels with the Ashley Cole case but I would hope the FA don't use that case as a guideline.

What I think is quite telling is that Watford have commented twice on the matter - once in a veiled manner when we sacked Silva, and then again when misleading stories were printed in the media around the time of the Richarlison transfer. Everton, have not commented on the matter once. Why?