Sheffield Wednesday fight off winding-up order...

After Sheffield Wednesday was given a 28-day delay by the High Court, avoiding a winding-up order, the club’s CEO,

Nick Parker, has urged prospective buyers to come forward.

The League One club was in court over an unpaid £600,000 PAYE payment, and Mr. Registrar Jaques gave them an

extension of four weeks after their solicitors said the team was “on the verge” of a takeover agreement with a group of

local businesspeople.

However, a second order concerning a substantial sum due to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is currently confronting the Owls.

Parker is enraged and believes that a better deal won’t be obtained if the club goes into administration. He is

yearning for parties that are truly interested in reaching an agreement.

“I am very relieved but more importantly I am very, very angry,” he said outside the High Court in London. “This

club should not be where it is today. Do not believe 28 days – the real deadline for the club is 1 December when that

extra petition comes on board.

“The reason I am angry is because there are people out there who go to the media when they should not. There are

people out there who say they have money when they do not.

“The one hope I can offer the community and Sheffield Wednesday supporters is that there are others who recognise

the significance of Sheffield Wednesday.

“It’s time for those individuals—whom I am aware of—to come forward in private, make a deal with the bank, and

stop shilly-shallying and offering justifications for their actions. We won’t give them a better deal if we go into

administration, and I would be furious if they did that.”

While unable to comment on specific cases, an HMRC official said that “as it should be, making sure tax is paid on

time should be at the heart of football’s business strategy.”

“However we will not hesitate to do so when that is the right way to protect the country’s tax revenues and other

creditors from those who trade whilst insolvent and run up debts that they simply cannot pay.”

Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, has been actively involved in fighting Wednesday’s predicament. He spent a

large portion of yesterday negotiating with the Co-Operative Bank, the club’s primary creditors, in an attempt to

convince them to provide the Owls more time to find a buyer.

And he has vowed to continue to do all he can to help the club.

He stated: “I know how hard everyone is trying to find a way forward, and I have been in regular contact with the

club and the bank over the last few days,” he said.

“In order to find a practical solution to the club’s predicament, I will keep assisting all parties in whatever manner I

can.

“I know how much Sheffield Wednesday means to the fans and the city itself and a successful long-term solution

must now be found.”

Sheffield Wednesday fight off winding-up order