Sheffield United's chair, Steven Rosen, could be barred from his role as director by the English Football League after the company he used to purchase the Championship club was ordered into liquidation by London's High Court.
The winding-up order targets COH Sports Bidco Limited, the vehicle Rosen and business partner Helmy Eltoukhy used two years ago to complete their £110m takeover of Sheffield United from Prince Abdullah's United World in December 2024. The ruling stems from a bitter dispute over £35m that United World alleges remains unpaid in fees connected to that sale.
Matters escalated last month when Abdullah's camp filed the winding-up petition after discovering that Rosen and Eltoukhy had shifted ownership of the club into a newly created parent company, 1919 Partners LLC. United World contends this restructuring was a deliberate maneuver to sidestep the outstanding debt. While 1919 Partners acknowledges that £35m remains owed, it disputes any suggestion that avoiding payment motivated the corporate reshuffle. A spokesperson for 1919 Partners declined to elaborate following Wednesday's court hearing.
Sheffield United issued a brief statement distancing the club itself from the legal wrangling: "Sheffield United Football Club is aware of today's hearing at the high court. This is a matter between the current owners and former owner."
However, the fallout may not be so easily contained. EFL regulations stipulate that any club official implicated in two separate insolvency events forfeits the right to serve as a controlling owner or director. Rosen's history includes a prior directorship at Invacare, a US-based medical equipment manufacturer that entered bankruptcy proceedings in 2023. Combined with the current liquidation, this could trigger the EFL rule and compel Rosen to relinquish his position and reduce his ownership stake in the Blades.
Sources familiar with the EFL's regulatory framework indicated that an insolvency event occurring overseas would still satisfy the criteria for disqualification under league rules. Beyond Rosen's personal standing, the governing body is expected to open a formal probe into claims that United's ownership group deliberately structured its affairs to dodge the £35m obligation. Should investigators conclude the owners acted in bad faith, the club itself could face a points deduction as punishment.
In its statement, the EFL confirmed it was monitoring developments closely. "The EFL notes the high court's decision to issue a winding-up order on COH Sports Bidco Limited," a league spokesperson said. "The league will consider the implications of that development in line with its regulations, including whether any further action is required. In addition, the EFL continues to consider other regulatory matters following changes to the club's ownership structure and developments within the wider group. As these issues remain ongoing, the EFL will make no further comment at this stage."
United World, for its part, painted a picture of exhausted patience after multiple attempts to negotiate a resolution outside the courtroom. "United World made every effort to resolve this matter amicably and tried until the morning of the hearing to give the owners a final opportunity to find a solution and spare Sheffield United the consequences of their conduct," the group said in a statement. "That approach, like everyone before it, received no response. It appears that Helmy Eltoukhy and Steven Rosen are simply not concerned about what this means for the club. What happens to Sheffield United now is the result of their choices."
With the EFL weighing potential sanctions and Rosen's future at the club now uncertain, Sheffield United finds itself embroiled in an ownership crisis that threatens consequences both administrative and sporting.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.