Sheffield United face 12-point deduction threat as ex-owner pursues £35m court battle

Sheffield United are facing the prospect of a 12-point deduction after their former owner launched legal action against the club’s current ownership over alleged unpaid millions, with a London court hearing scheduled for Wednesday 19 August.

Saudi Arabian Prince Abdullah Bin Mosaad Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud sold the Blades to Helmy Eltoukhy and Steven Rosen for just over £100m in December 2024. His company, United World, is now attempting to wind up COH Sports Bidco Ltd (CSBL) — the vehicle used to purchase the club — claiming it still owes £35m in missing instalments.

“In short, they are trying to take the club without paying for it,” United World said in a statement on Monday. The company, which has hired leading sports lawyer Nick De Marco, warned that if the winding-up petition is granted, EFL regulations would require Rosen to be disqualified as a controlling owner and director, forcing him to sell a significant proportion of his stake.

United World went further, stating: “We understand that, once investigations are completed, there is a real prospect that the EFL may have to impose a 12-point deduction on SUFC under EFL Regulation 12.3, in order to ‘protect the integrity and continuity of the League Competition’ and ‘the reputation of The League’.”

The dispute centres on the decision to transfer Sheffield United’s shares from CSBL to a new parent company called 1919 Partners earlier this summer. Prince Abdullah alleges the move was designed to “avoid paying CSBL’s creditors”.

A spokesperson for Eltoukhy and Rosen dismissed the petition as “a publicity stunt”, arguing the club is more “financially healthy” now than it was under Prince Abdullah’s ownership. They also revealed the co-owners had invited the prince to “reinvest in the club and join the ownership of Sheffield United” again, and said the current regime remains “focused on the sustainability of the club and the season ahead”.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Radio Sheffield that a winding-up order represented the worst-case scenario, but acknowledged United World appeared serious in pursuing the unpaid instalments.

United World said it did not want the club to face “months of uncertainty” but insisted it had “no alternative but to take all legal steps to protect our interests” in the absence of the two billionaire owners agreeing to settle what is owed.