A late own goal by her majesty's collectors of taxes allowed championship side Portsmouth continue to ply its trade in the football league. HMRC are not appealing the judgement so Pompey can enter into the new season safe in the knowledge that they have averted rejection of their CVA and acceptance of of 20p in the pound to their creditors, with the exception of their football debts which are paid in full.
As a football fan I am pleased that Pompey are to remain in existence, but is it fair that multi millionaires such as Glen Johnson and Peter Crouch should receive full payment, whilst a builder who worked on their dressing rooms should only get 20% of what is owed to him and get this its paid over 5 years, same with St John Ambulance and of course the revenue. Now none of us like the revenue, but in the main we have to pay them, so why do football clubs not do so?
In November the revenue will go to court against the Premier league to prevent the preferred creditor rule, I sinserely hope that they win,but that said it won't be the big clubs thsat get squeezed and thats the upsetting thing, as ever the big clubs will get away with it whilst the small ones are sacrificed and go to the wall.
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Completely outrageous isn't it. Why should we, as taxpayers, lose out whilst the "Football Family" is laughing all the way to the nearerst Porsche dealership?
What's most infuriating about this case is that wise to the inequity of the administration process for football clubs, the Inland Revenue has regularly been issuing compulsary winding up orders [a recent example being Sheffield Wednesday] in order to "force" the payment of overdue tax liabilities and did so with Portsmouth in December '09. Portsmouth escaped the taxman man on that ocassion and have now raised two fingers.
I too hope that the revenue "get them" and whilst I have nothing against Portsmouth or their fans, the best thing for football would be if the Club disappeared. How else will the real lessons ever be learnt? In a similar vein, it is a great shame that Liverpool FC is being bailed out by a Chinese investor with more money than sense.
Rant over!!!
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