Fra dagens Guardian:
Taxman pursues Leeds all the way
HM Revenue and Customs intends to press ahead with its legal challenge to the process that led to Ken Bates taking control of Leeds United.
Bates's Leeds United 2007 company was awarded the Football League share last Friday night after a week of negotiations involving himself, the league and the administrator, KPMG. But the taxman, which was owed £7.7m when Leeds went into adminstration in May, still intends to see KPMG and Bates's company in court on September 3, the date set for its challenge to the company voluntary arrangement [CVA] by which Bates was initially given control of the Elland Road club.
Before granting Bates's company the share - in an accord that led to the club starting this League One season with a 15-point penalty - the league had pressed for the reinstatement of the now- defunct CVA.
The CVA had been cancelled after the Revenue's challenge was lodged with the high court on July 6, leading to a resale that Bates won five days later and which achieved league approvals only last week. Although the CVA no longer exists, the Revenue believes there is a legitimate cause to challenge the processes of the administration through the courts.
A spokesman for KPMG yesterday said that it refused league requests to reinstate the CVA and stood by the resale because it "felt the process would offer the best return to creditors".
A spotlight has also been turned on the league's deduction of points from Leeds. Colin Burgon, MP for Elmet, yesterday wrote to its chairman, Lord Mawhinney, attacking the sanction. "Why should the fans have to suffer as a result of the actions of the chairman Ken Bates who assured the fans that the corner was being turned financially as the season progressed only to discover with days to go before the end of the season that the club faces £30m of debt?
"Surely it is time for the Football League ... to make sure that it is the people who are responsible for financial mismanagement that pay the price for their obvious failings, not the loyal supporters of the club. I would urge that a review of this whole area of policy by the Football League be undertaken."