TEAM NEWS
Sheffield United ownership company wound up as EFL reviews implications
COH Sports Bidco Limited, the former ownership vehicle used to acquire Sheffield United, has been ordered to be wound up by the High Court, with the EFL now reviewing whether the ruling has any regulatory consequences for the Championship club.
Sheffield United’s former ownership vehicle, COH Sports Bidco Limited, has been ordered to be wound up by the High Court in London, with the EFL now reviewing the potential implications for the Championship club.
The order was granted following a petition from United World Holding Limited, Sheffield United’s former owner, which claims it is owed around £35 million in connection with the 2024 sale of the club.
Crucially, the winding-up order applies to COH Sports Bidco Limited rather than Sheffield United Football Club itself. The club has said its day-to-day operations remain unaffected and that it is continuing to engage with the EFL over the situation.
The EFL has confirmed that it is assessing the consequences of the court ruling and whether any further action is required under league regulations. No sporting sanction has been imposed at this stage.
United World has argued that the circumstances could expose Sheffield United to a potential 12-point deduction under EFL insolvency rules. However, no such penalty has been confirmed by the league, and the possibility should currently be treated as a potential regulatory consequence rather than an established outcome.
COH Sports Bidco, led by Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, was the company used to acquire Sheffield United in 2024 through the purchase of Blades Leisure Limited, the club’s parent company at the time.
Sheffield United subsequently announced in June that 1919 Partners LLC had become the club’s new parent company. United World has questioned aspects of that restructuring as part of the wider dispute, although those claims remain allegations made by the former owner and have not been established as findings by the court.
The immediate issue for Sheffield United is therefore regulatory rather than operational. The club itself continues to function normally, but the EFL’s review will determine whether the winding-up of a former ownership vehicle creates any consequences under its rules.
Until that process is complete, the distinction remains important: Sheffield United have not been wound up, no points deduction has been imposed, and the club is awaiting the outcome of the EFL’s assessment.