Former home secretary David Blunkett has described a decision to issue Sheffield Wednesday Football Club with a winding-up petition over outstanding debts as "deeply unhelpful". The MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough said he would be in touch with the club "to offer every possible assistance".
The action by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) relates to an outstanding PAYE balance of £550,000 and the club says the petition will be heard in the High Court on August 11. But Wednesday have sought to reassure their fans the club is "not about to be wound up, nor is it about to enter into administration". A club statement said: "We have been involved in dialogue with HMRC for a number of weeks. As such, we have been somewhat surprised and disappointed by their decision to seek a winding-up order at this time."
Mr Blunkett, whose constituency includes the club, said: "I will be in immediate touch with Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, as I would for any other enterprise in my constituency, to offer every possible assistance - including intervention with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. "I share the club's concern about pre-emptive moves particularly where, with the Co-operative Bank, constructive discussions were in progress. Action of this kind can only cause both deep distress to the fans and the club's management, and undermine the club's efforts to obtain substantial funding for future development. Quite simply, this move is deeply unhelpful in every respect and I hope that HMRC will move immediately to allay fears and to find a sensible solution."
Source: PA
Source: PA