Owls given another 28 days

11 August 2010 14:31
Wednesday's tax issues not yet resolved Sheffield Wednesday have appeared in the high court today in respect of the winding up order issued by HMRC. It had been thought that the proceedings today would just be a formality given that the club had arranged a repayment structure for its £550,000 debt and as a result the transfer embargo had been lifted, allowing the club to bring in goalkeeper Nicky Weaver. It was revealed that the club has paid off what was described as a substantial amount of what was originally owed, aided by the sale of players – specifically goalkeeper Lee Grant to Burnley. However, since the notice was issued further tax debts have been accrued and the court granted HMRC permission to alter the petition to take this into account. Sheffield Wednesday now has 28 days to ensure that they meet their tax obligations. The fact that the club have been unable to fully satisfy HMRC in terms of making the payments in full will no doubt be brought to the attention of clubs interested in the purchase of some of the Owls players and fans will fear that the news could force another sale. Rumours have recently linked Marcus Tudgay and Jermaine Johnson with moves away from Hillsborough though the latter has recently picked up an injury. When news that the Owls had been served the original notice came to light the club claimed it was not an overly serious matter as the action had actually given them more time to pay than was expected and it was stated that a number of football clubs have been known not to make tax payments on time. The intention was to pay the debt by the 11th August and although much of the original money outstanding has been covered the fact there are now further amounts to be paid suggests it is more serious than was portrayed. The proceedings have been somewhat embarrassing for the club, bringing with it a great deal of bad publicity on a national scale and have led to the sale of arguably the clubs best playing asset, time will tell if more are to leave ahead of the summer transfer deadline. The hearing also revealed that the club is apparently in advanced talks regarding its sale which will no doubt fuel more rumours regarding the control of SWFC.  

Source: FOOTYMAD