A second member of Everton gets banned from pre-season camp

A second member of Everton gets banned from the Premier League club’s pre-season camp as the team prepare for the 2021/22 season.

Toffees fans have noticed an unusual absence on the Merseyside outfit’s trip to Florida in the form of assistant manager Duncan Ferguson.

The reasoning is even more left-field and it’s surprisingly due to the staff member having a criminal record, stopping him from flying out.

OFFICIAL: Duncan Ferguson was unable to travel to Florida with the Everton squad for the Florida Cup, due to his criminal record. pic.twitter.com/PZa4Asf6ru

— Everton Blue Army (@EvertonBlueArmy) July 23, 2021

As shared by @EvertonBlueArmy on Twitter (above), Duncan Ferguson was unable to travel to Florida with the Everton squad for the pre-season tournament Florida Cup due to the fact that he has previously been in trouble.

Ferguson has been arrested for four counts of assault from throughout his life and served a three-month spell in prison for butting a rival player.

Under United States visa rules, his record disqualifies him from being able to enter the country and therefore has enforced his absence from Rafa Benitez’ pre-season coaching staff lineup.

Ferguson served under Carlo Ancelotti as assistant manager and was able to remain at Goodison by the incoming manager due to his affinity with the club and his understanding of the squad.

He previously shared the assistant manager’s position along with Davide Ancelotti under his predecessor, with Carlo’s son being a long-term feature of his coaching staff.

Goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly is also staying with the club, whilst Jamie Harley was recently appointed as Head of Sport Science in a reunion with Benitez.

Read Everton write via their website: “The absence is an unfortunate consequence of Ferguson’s past catching up with him, but fans will likely hold him in fond regard for his positive and productive spell as a formidable target man in an Everton shirt.

“His no-nonsense approach and affinity with the Toffees is a useful presence in Benitez’ backroom team, and the team will have to make do without his coaching abilities.

“It is a cruel blow to a much-loved figure at the club.”

FERGUSON’S PERSONAL LIFE:

In 2001, two burglars broke into Ferguson’s home in Rufford, Lancashire, with Ferguson confronting them and was able to detain one of them, who subsequently spent three days in hospital. The second man managed to flee but was eventually caught. Both men were sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for their actions.

In 2003, Ferguson incredibly caught another burglar at his home in Formby, Merseyside; the burglar ended up attacking Ferguson, who then retaliated. The burglar was left having to go to hospital and later alleged that Ferguson had assaulted him, but this was dismissed by police.

Ferguson has had a total of four convictions for assault – two arising from taxi rank scuffles, one an altercation with a fisherman in an Anstruther pub, and one for his on-field headbutt on Raith Rovers defender John McStay in 1994 while playing for Rangers, which resulted in a rare conviction for an incident which took place on the pitch.

The first incident led to a £100 fine for headbutting a policeman and a £25 fine for a Breach of the Peace, while the second saw him recieve a £200 fine for punching and kicking a supporter on crutches. He was sentenced to a year’s probation for the third offence. For the 1994 on-the-field headbutting, he was handed and went on to served a three-month jail term for assault. Ferguson’s troubles with the law and his imprisonment inspired Finnish composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä to write a symphonic poem as a “musical portrait” of Ferguson, titled Barlinnie Nine. Talk about WTF right?

Meanwhile, another person who’s been associated with Everton has been unable to make the trip to Florida, a player currently in a safe house after being arrested, had his house raided then was released on bail for alleged child sex offences.

The unnamed star is said to have denied the allegations and his pregnant wife reportedly left their marital home and is being comforted by her family.

Everton players are said to be angry at the unnamed teammate of theirs not being named, yet his age and pretty much everything else has, yet the speculation online has left a sour taste with mainly Fabian Delph who has already criticised the club for their handling of the situation.

Fans reacted as a second member of Everton gets banned from pre-season camp…

@golfiematt1: USA are laughable given how big a problem they have with crime . Make a mistake and America punish you for life

@tophermorr39: USA is so particular, even if you had a caution or it’s on record that the police interviewed you about something, you went get in. Let alone a “Glasgow Handshake “.

@LaurenceMylesL1: I love Duncan all the more now

@Erik_Schuessler: It’s Florida. Shouldn’t he get into Florida BECAUSE of a criminal record?

@RobG64: Florida is afraid. How cute.

@CalumDMoore: Shame on you @USAinUK

@JamesCDolan92: Thug life

@RiddDarren: That’s our Duncan. #Legend

@wattsy_star: Haha mad

@aaronnugent1234: Sums it up 😂 embarrassing

@Tom88195751: This makes me love the man even more than I thought was possible!

@Yomi0930: Oh my… Everton are becoming another sopranos

@sludvigs: America needs a bit of the big dunc treatment is you ask me.

@TomHenwood94: People get shot there everyday and America is worrying about his criminal records?

@skjones505: Ridiculous really

@Jimiinhell: What a croc of shit! that’s how messed up the world is big Duncan a genuine decent fella can’t go to America cos of some bull shit 20 odd years ago, yet boats full of fucka s from god knows fucking we’re can come here every fucking day 🤬🤬🤬🤷‍♂️

@BonneyDouglas: Ridiculous as we are a country run by criminals with way worse offenses than his

@calcross4: What a joke…considering their last president was the biggest crook ever!

@BillyBarbel: Multiple mass shootings every day in the US, Donald Trump complicit in 600,000 American deaths and they shut Duncan out for a “tiny” head butt 27 years ago? F sake!

@mirkobolesan: Phil Neville’s record is terrible and they let him in!

@Lee_Vousden: US State Department explained it was nowhere near impressive enough, they already have plenty that are more qualified. Many of them, as here, are doing a grand job of serving in the legislature.

@DaveGriff20: But we love him…..

@NeilA1878: What a summer

@AJG_BC: What a joke

@SamAIex: Can’t imagine the criminal record you need to have for FLORIDA to turn you away.

@fistedaway: Too wild for … Florida

@ChelseasTopBoy: ‘Now if you don’t let me in, I’ll take you for a bit o lunch, come to your hoose and sit doon and have a wee chat’

@_Chris_Hurst_: Never, and i mean never change the ev haha

@T_Whizzle: This Evertonian summer doing it’s best to go down in folk law.

@JohnnyStaunt: Amazon really missed a trick not having us for their documentary

@benw79lfc: Haha nonce fc having shocker this week

@Kevin_1878: What a storyline for us this summer. At least we’ll win the league at this rate now 🏆

@weareBCSRF: Everton are going for the best pre-season ever. Stick an apple on them to win the league.

@v2_AWD: This is the type of content I want to see on here. Up the GBH Toffees

@exiledtoffee: good lord, when is it gonna end?

@Dquill87: Funny them Americans. I’ve seen folk in Starbucks with automatic rifles with clips attached to their chest, yet will refuse entry to someone for a headbutt 20 years ago.

@footballstocks1: You gotta love Big Dunc 👍

@Evertxn: Harsh tbf all because he head butted someone 30 years ago

@danjoness_: Big Dunc not allowed in America for a headbutt 20 years ago but Ralph is allowed to buy a glock in Walmart

@benzoscifo: Should have gone to Australia!

@mttrchrds: Hell of a summer for the blue shite 😂

@GregMaclean12: A country that has a mass school shooting every day 😂

@dion_1690: What a guy

@charlierm1999: Big Dunc 💙😂😭

https://t.co/9W7cJ8gJW8 pic.twitter.com/d73Uc7ujy7

— Stephen Drennan (@babuyagu) July 23, 2021