In the present climate of preoccupation with the solvency of football, it is very easy for unfounded rumours to gather pace. Once such reports appear in the press, creditors become understandably nervous about their commercial relationships with a club. Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale has moved swiftly to rebut reports that the Bluebirds are close to administration. A story in a Sunday newspaper claimed that the Welsh club, now enjoying their new stadium, must settle a £2.7m tax bill with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs this week or face being hit with a winding-up order.
In the present climate of preoccupation with the solvency of football, it is very easy for unfounded rumours to gather pace. Once such reports appear in the press, creditors become understandably nervous about their commercial relationships with a club. Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale has moved swiftly to rebut reports that the Bluebirds are close to administration. A story in a Sunday newspaper claimed that the Welsh club, now enjoying their new stadium, must settle a £2.7m tax bill with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs this week or face being hit with a winding-up order. Against a background of government debt, the taxman has become more willing to use such orders recently in relation to delayed payments which would not have attracted such action in the past.
A statement from Ridsdale on Cardiff’s official website said: ‘Cardiff City Football Club are concerned at an article in one of Sunday’s national newspapers. We are also taking legal advice about the damaging contents of this article. Some of the information contained within this article can only have come from documents which have been stolen from officials at the club and are currently the subject of a police investigation. This information has been used out of context, is not the latest position, nor does it contain all the current facts and is therefore inaccurate. We are happy that Cardiff’s relationships with its creditors, including HMRC, are such that we will not have any financial issues that will affect the ability of the club to continue to trade as normal in all aspects of its business.’