Sheffield United expect to avoid points deduction as EFL inquiry continues

Sheffield United chief executive Stephen Bettis says the club expect to avoid a points deduction over the liquidation of the company used to buy them, but has acknowledged that sanctions remain possible. Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield on Tuesday, Bettis said the owners' legal advice supported their position while the English Football League continued its investigation.

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According to BBC Sport, COH Sports Bidco Limited agreed to purchase the Championship club for just over £100m in December 2024, with about £35m still outstanding. Former owners United World filed a winding-up petition against the company in July. The High Court placed it into liquidation in August, prompting the EFL investigation into circumstances that could carry a 12-point penalty.

Bettis said the owners' argument centres on whether the company remained part of the Sheffield United group when the insolvency process occurred. Their position, he explained, is that the winding-up petition came after the company had left the group and that it had not become insolvent while within it. He also said the football club itself remained funded and was meeting its bills on time.

That account does not amount to an EFL ruling clearing the club. Bettis accepted that both a fine and a points deduction were still possible until the investigation produced a verdict. He said the owners would contest an adverse decision vigorously. The EFL told BBC Sport that the matter remained ongoing, leaving the club's expectation of avoiding a deduction unconfirmed by the league.

Bettis said the owners had cooperated fully with the investigation and were awaiting the EFL's response as the league considered the matter internally. He also said the EFL had known about the situation for four months. In his view, the absence of a charge during that period indicated that the case was not straightforward; that was his assessment, rather than a conclusion announced by the league.

Separately, Bettis told BBC Radio Sheffield that discussions continued with former owner Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad Al Saud over the nearly £35m unpaid balance. He said the current owners believed the amount should be reduced and disputed the suggestion that they simply intended not to pay. Those talks remain unresolved, alongside the separate question of whether the EFL will impose any sanction.