League One side Oldham's sponsors said that "a deal has been agreed" for convicted rapist Ched Evans to play for the club, according to the BBC. They "have been told to prepare for an announcement" confirming the signing of Evans on Thursday or Friday. One sponsor, Verlin Rainwater Solutions, "has now ended its
association with the club as a result." Dir Craig Verling said the
“imminent signing” of Evans, 26, had prompted the decision. A second sponsor, ZenOffice, said that "it will also end its association with the club if Evans signs." Managing Dir Les Kerr said Oldham's "current path" did not "espouse" the company's values of "family and community" (BBC, 1/7). In London, Ducker & Munnery wrote Verlin, which sponsors a stand
at SportsDirect.com Park, "had previously warned Oldham that it would walk
away if the club gave Evans a way back into professional football."
The club has "come under mounting public pressure to deny Evans a way back
into the game and a petition demanding that Oldham do not take on the
striker has attracted more than 63,000 signatures" (LONDON TIMES, 1/7). ORANGE reported Oldham is "on the verge of signing Evans after canvassing opinion among fans and sponsors including ZenOffice." Sky Sports News reporter James Cooper said, "There has been a split among fans and sponsors but one of the major sponsors have assured them they will remain a key part of the club." Secondary shirt sponsors Carter Moore Solicitors apparently told Oldham that it "will continue to back them whatever they decide" (ORANGE, 1/7). Also in London, Jamie Jackson wrote "Oldham’s main sponsor is Sports Direct," whose chairman is Newcastle Owner Mike Ashley, though the company has yet to comment on the issue. Mecca Bingo, another Oldham sponsor, "threatened earlier in the week to withdraw its support." In a tweet Mecca Bingo said, “We can confirm [we] will be ending our association with @OfficialOAFC if they sign Ched Evans." Oldham Chair & Owner Simon Corney believes Evans "has the right to play professional football again despite the outcry, though the businessman is still weighing up the potential financial implications of doing so." Northumbria’s police commissioner, Vera Baird, who is from Oldham, "called on Ashley to withdraw Sports Direct’s sponsorship from the club if Evans was signed" (GUARDIAN, 1/7).
CONTINGENCY PLANS: In London, Ian Herbert wrote despite the storm of protests, the club is believed to feel that "there will not be a mass boycott of sponsors if the striker does join." The club has also put plans in place "to cover any financial losses which a protest brings." Karl Massey -- the father of Natasha Massey, who is engaged to Evans -- "is a key part of the contingency plans." A successful businessman who runs a chain of jewelry stores in north-west England, Massey "is understood to have pledged financial backing to make good any money which Oldham’s sponsors withdraw in protest." He "is also ready to provide a cash incentive which will cover Evans’ wages until the end of the season" (INDEPENDENT, 1/7).
