A group of Everton supporters paid for a plane to fly a banner over the Etihad Stadium during the second half of the 1-1 draw. It read: “Premier League = corrupt. #UTFT #EFC”. The move was a part of the fanbase’s protest against the league after their club was handed a 10-point deduction for financial breaches.
The banner made a splash on social media, but viewers on Sky Sports were oblivious to what was going on overhead. It was not shown, with the Daily Mail reporting that, rather than being wary of upsetting the Premier League, the broadcaster ‘did not think it relevant to the match being shown’. Everton fan group The 1878s, who organised the banner, tweeted: “Blind eyes can be turned all they want but we’re not going away. We will continue to show the world that we won’t accept a punishment that doesn’t fit the crime we’ve committed.
Everton fans are the ones who suffer as more injustice costs them in Man Utd defeat Sky Sports did cover Everton fans’ protests elsewhere, with the actions taken around the home game against Manchester United on Sunday reported upon. Everton fans were given cards alleging corruption at the Premier League, while the league’s anthem was loudly booed before kick-off. However, Sky did try to minimise noise from the crowd, turning down pitchside microphones in order to avoid falling foul of Ofcom regulations. Sky’s broadcast did feature discussions about Everton’s 10-point deduction in the build-up and references throughout the commentary.
Banners to protest over the club 10-point punishment for breaching financial regulation are pictured in the streets, prior to the English Premier League football match between Everton and Manchester United at Goodison Park Mansoor has been imprisoned since 2017 after a court in the United Arab Emirates found him guilty of “insulting the status and prestige of the UAE and its symbols” and “publishing false information to damage the UAE’s reputation abroad”. Manchester City are owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. Everton, meanwhile, are set to appeal against the 10-point deduction – the biggest in Premier League history – which plunged them into the relegation zone. They have called it a “wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction”. Their appeal must be lodged by December 1.
Sky Sports chose not to show a banner from Everton fans during Manchester City against Liverpool on Saturday because it wasn’t deemed relevant.
“Cameras can focus on other things and microphones can be switched off as much as they like but it won’t stop everyone seeing and hearing us. WE SHALL NOT BE SILENCED AND WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!!”
Everton fans protested before their match against Manchester United
It should also be noted that Everton’s banner wasn’t the only one to be ignored by Sky Sports on Saturday, with one calling for the release of an activist from prison in Abu Dhabi also not shown live. The banner, paid for by Amnesty International, read “UAE: Free Ahmed Mansoor!”
