Portsmouth have been ordered back into court after HM Revenue and Customs expressed unhappiness about unspecified aspects of the voluntary administration process. The tax authorities remained tight lipped about the exact nature of their challenge, but it can be seen as part of their tougher line with football clubs. Against a background of falling tax revenues, Revenue and Customs are unhappy about the failure of many clubs to meet their tax obligations.
Portsmouth have been ordered back into court after HM Revenue and Customs expressed unhappiness about unspecified aspects of the voluntary administration process. The tax authorities remained tight lipped about the exact nature of their challenge, but it can be seen as part of their tougher line with football clubs. Against a background of falling tax revenues, Revenue and Customs are unhappy about the failure of many clubs to meet their tax obligations.
Twelve prospective purchasers have expressed an interest in taking the club out of administration, including, somewhat bizarrely, the fourth owner of the club this year, Balram Chainrai. A potentially more serious bid is from New Zealand businessman Victor Cattermole and his Endeavour Plan group. He claimed that he produced evidence of a bank facility of £181m last Tuesday.
Cattermole said that the nine point deduction to be imposed by the Premier League was a concern for his consotium. Administrator Andrew Andronikou pointed out that the automatic points deducution has never been tested in court. His legal team thinks they may have spotted a loophole in the league’s rules. However, whether the challenge would really stand up in court remains doubtful.