Sheffield United's owners face a winding-up order in the High Court on Wednesday which could mean the club incur a 12-point deduction in the Championship this season. The case is related to the purchase of the club in December 2024 by COH Sports Bidco Limited (CSBL), an American-based consortium. CSBL agreed to buy the Blades for just over £100m but, according to the club's former owners United World, still owes more than £35m from the deal.
The winding-up petition was filed against CSBL - not the football club - on 8 July, and is due before the High Court on Wednesday. If the £35m is not paid, or an agreement is not reached, CSBL could be wound up. It is a very complex situation clouded by the movement of shares in Sheffield United into a new company.
So will the club really face a points penalty? Saudi Arabian Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad Al Saud bought 50% of Sheffield United in 2013, before acquiring the rest of the club in 2019. Prince Abdullah's time in charge was not without controversy, only securing the other 50% of the club following a long High Court battle.
When United World, the company through which Prince Abdullah owned the club, sold to CSBL the story did not end there. The Blades were deducted two points in the Championship last season because of missed transfer payments under Prince Abdullah in the 2022-23 campaign. CSBL made an initial payment upon close of sale, but the first instalment - due last year - was late and paid only after a statutory demand, and sent on the deadline.
This High Court date comes down to another £35m payment, a debt which the new owners have not denied is outstanding. Here is where matters become complicated for the English Football League (EFL) and its regulations. In June, the shares in the club were transferred from CSBL into a new US-based company, 1919 Partners LLC, which became the "parent company of Sheffield United", external.
In effect, CSBL no longer has any say in the running of the South Yorkshire club. But even though Wednesday's court case is against CSBL, there is still a link to the Blades. CSBL is led by businessmen Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, who remain on Sheffield United's board as co-chairmen through 1919 Partners LLC.
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