Ridsdale Clarifies Cardiff City vs HMRC Position

If Cardiff City Chairman Peter Ridsdale is to be believed, today’s publication of a date and petition for a winding up order, brought on behalf of HMRC is not new information and merely a fall-back position if we fail to pay off our tax bill this month.

City owe £2.7m in PAYE tax, and National Insurance contributions and have already failed to meet the initial payment of a payment plan negotiated with HMRC. That meant the full balance is payable now andCity must stump up the cash.

Peter Ridsdale’s latest statement read:

‘In discussions with HMRC at the end of December 2009, we confirmed that we would pay monies owing to them by the end of January 2010.’

‘HMRC booked a back stop date of 10 February 2010 to go back to court if, for any reason, we had not been able to fulfil our obligations to pay by the end of January.’

‘We have every confidence that all monies owing to HMRC will have been repaid by the end of January.’


Apparently, the 10th February court date will be reserved in case it’s needed, but CCFC do not expect that to be the case. If we haven’t paid yet, why not? What is stopping the club? If we don’t have the money, where will it come from? The sale of Adam Matthews? Then what happens to the ticket cash?

Far from appeasing fans, the latest news regardifng Cardiff City is sure to throw up a great number more questions and cause further unease amongst fans who feel let down and misled. Ridsdale rarely shies away from public speaking, but frank honesty is needed immediately if he is to avoid a mass fans revolt.