Farhad Moshiri makes Everton balance sheet claim and how many millions he invested in new BMD stadium

Farhad Moshiri has revealed that he put up £400 million of his own money to help fund Everton’s new stadium.

The Toffees are preparing to play their final game at Goodison Park against Southampton on Sunday. They will move to the state-of-the-art facility at Bramley-Moore Dock for the start of the 2025-26 season.

The construction of the 52,888-seater ground started in August 2021. Moshiri was the majority owner of Everton at the time before selling to The Friedkin Group last December.

Along with Moshiri’s investment, Everton took on debt to build the stadium. But the British-Iranian businessman believes that there is ‘no risk’ because of how much additional revenue it will bring.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Moshiri said: “I was in love with Goodison, nobody wanted to move. The reason we had to leave was because partly infrastructural, partly financial and the reality of the situation is we had the 11th biggest stadium, 18th lowest gate. Not only could we not compete at the top, top six, we had difficulty competing with the top 12 coming down.

“Our maintenance cost was one of the highest. I had to put in £400 million, the rest had to come from other investors. The stadium is complete, two tests have been done successfully and the club has managed to finance £800 million with a £350 million loan. That shows how strong the balance sheet is. There is no risk. We have achieved the objective.

“There were risks on the pitch. Goodison, which we love so much, was our salvation for a few seasons, we knew that. We knew the magic of Goodison, the fact we pulled through but sometimes you have got to take risks.”

Moshiri owned Everton between 2016-2024. He employed eight different permanent managers during that time, with financial problems being hit in the latter stages of his tenure. The Blues had two close battles with Premier League relegation and were twice found guilty of breaching profit and sustainability rules.

However, Moshiri is hoping his decision to give the green light to the new stadium can be the ‘catalyst’ to Everton returning to the upper echelons of English football. He added: “They (Everton games) were all intense, I loved all of them. The ones we won, the ones we lost, there was always something special about Everton’s games. My biggest sadness is not to have attended more games, I wish I was able to but I was constrained by my work. I have no regrets.

“The fact we managed to put that stadium together, 20 years before us they had tried so someone had to launch themselves into it and we did that. The fact we have The Friedkin Group who are really good custodians in a new stadium, I think this is our best chance to bridge the gap. Our fans have suffered far too long. This is our chance, our platform to overcome years of frustration and I’m just hoping I can be a catalyst for this, that is the main thing for me.”