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The second day of a five week hearing into who owns Sheffield United is due to get underway at 10am. This morning lawyers for Prince Abdullah will open their case before a hearing takes place at 12.30 to decide whether some of it can be heard in private #sufc #twittterblades
The section of the case that may be heard in private is believed to relate to commercially sensitive information. The judge yesterday said he would consider hearing the application in private but must also take into account the principle of open justice #sufc #twitterblades
Opening the case for Prince Abdullah and UTB will be Andreas Gledhill QC #sufc #twitterblades
Kevin McCabe here again but no sign of Prince Abdullah #sufc #twitterblades
Mr Glendhill says the five properties linked to Sheffield United are worth £40m and that the club has consistently been a loss making business #sufc #twitterblades
Mr Gledhill says promotion to the Premier League has ‘fundamentally changed’ the situation. Says the club is in much better financial circumstances now and is now in a position to invoke the property options mentioned in the initial contract #sufc #twitterblades
These proceedings have now been going on for one and a half year during which time SUL (McCabe) have been complaining about our client not putting into effect the property options. But now they raise questions about affordability #sufc #twitterblades
Given the extra revenue that will flow from promotion we anticipate that the property options can now be exercised. The only thing stopping that is SUL and McCabe’s refusal to agree #sufc #twitterblades
Mr Gledhill says this means the whole basis for SUL’s claim has gone. There is no evidence that that the delay in the exercise of the property options has caused them any loss at all #sufc #twitterblades
Says that if even if the UTB / Prince Abdullah scheme is ruled unlawful, there is still no case for the buyout claim made by SUL / McCabe #sufc #twitterblades
Says that allegations the conspiracy to take control of the club date back to late 2017 are wrong. Adds it was in fact McCabe who wanted to pick a fight with Prince Abdullah #sufc #twitterblades
There is absolutely no evidence that the club has suffered because of the conduct of Prince Abdullah and therefore any claim for remedy from SUL / McCabe is unfounded #sufc #twitterblades
Mr Gledhill now dealing with SUL’s allegations that a £3m loan UTB / Prince Abdullah received from Charwell Ltd. was a bribe and therefore brought the company into disrepute #sufc #twitterblades
Says the claim is ‘entirely misconceived’ as Prince Abdullah was not a government minister by the time the loan was made and no complaint has been made about Prince Abdullah’s conduct in his ministerial role #sufc #twitterblades
Mr Gledhill currently making the argument that Prince Abdullah’s actions in moving some of his shares to a separate company were acceptable as it did not contravene the terms of the agreement the two companies had #sufc #twitterblades
Adds that SUL’s claim rests too much on good faith and equity which in his view ‘doesn’t get them very far’ #sufc #twitterblades
McCabe’s lawyer is now saying the decision of Prince Abdullah to take up the property options is just another scheme to delay and frustrate their rights #sufc #twitterblades
Adds they still have concerns about affordability and reveals that they have asked for a projected cash flow from SUFC which they have been promised today #sufc #twitterblades
After the legal submissions are over the judge reminds both advocates that witnesses must be treated with respect throughout despite the bad feeling on both sides #sufc #twitterblades
The press and public have now been excluded from the court while an application hear part of the case in private is heard. I’ll try and find out exactly why when the court resumes at 2pm #sufc #twittterblades
We are about to be excluded again for five minutes. I am told that both exclusions are to preserve the confidentiality of a third party #sufc #twitterblades
Prince Abdullah has now arrived in court and is sitting with his legal team just a few yards from Kevin McCabe #sufc #twitterblades
Kevin McCabe now being called to the stand and taking the oath #sufc #twitterblades
Counsel for Prince Abdullah first of all congratulates Sheffield United on its recent promotion to the Premier League. Kevin McCabe says it was a proud day for the whole of Sheffield #sufc #twitterblades
Questioning beginning by going back to the initial meetings between Kevin McCabe and Prince Abdullah in early 2013. McCabe being asked about how and why the club was split from its property interests #sufc #twitterblades
He says it was done to attract investors in a club that was much lower in the league than it should have been. Says the rent was kept low for this reason as well #sufc #twitterblades
Says Shefffield United had much more valuable property interests than many other clubs #sufc #twitterblades
Counsel for Prince Abdullah says the split was done so they could make more money by selling their shares once Premier League football had been achieved. McCabe says it was to make the football club more prosperous and successful #sufc #twitterblades
Counsel for UTB: ‘The purpose of Prince Abdullah’s investment from the beginning was to facilitate promotion to the Premier League’ #sufc #twitterblades
The reunification of the club with its property interests was inextricably linked with promotion to the Premier League from the beginning says Prince Abdullah’s lawyer #sufc #twitterblades
McCabe: The key reason for what we did was to make Sheffield United more successful on the pitch. To attract an owner who could put resources into all parts of the football club like what happened at Manchester City #sufc #twitterblades
Gledhill: ‘You had a strategy for getting your money back. It must have been part of your considerations to stop the ‘cash burn’ you had been experiencing’ #sufc #twitterblades
Gledhill now asking McCabe about the signing of John Brayford from Cardiff for £2m in January 2015 after he had been on loan at the club from the previous year #sufc #twitterblades
Mr McCabe says he was critical of the signing because you don’t generally pay that kind of money for a full back when you are in League One. #sufc #twitterblades
Gledhill asks why he didn’t raise this at board meetings. McCabe says that isn’t where disagreements over players would generally be raised #sufc #twitterblades
Gledhill says there is also no record of him or his son complaining about the transfer fee for Brayford. McCabe says it may have been discussed verbally between them #sufc #twitterblades
More discussion of the John Brayford signing. McCabe agrees he was an attacking threat as well as a defender but says he was nowhere near worth £2m for a League One fullback #sufc #twitterblades
Gledhill says it was agreed that Brayford would be pursued in full knowledge that his transfer would exceed the budget. Adds the £2m fee was discussed at a board meeting in December 2014 #sufc #twitterblades
There is no documentary evidence of you disagreeing with that decision until January 2015 says Gledhill. McCabe says he voiced his opposition to it and his son Scott agreed with him #sufc #twitterblades
Gledhill said CEO Mel Brannigan understood from these meetings and correspondence that he had the full £2m from the sale of Harry Maguire to Leicester City and says McCabe referred to him as a ‘star signing’ #sufc #twitterblades
However, McCabe later alleged that the Brayford signing was made without full board approval or the agreement of Scott McCabe. Gledhill says this wasn’t true #sufc #twitterblades
Gledhill saying Mel Brannigan has put his nose out of joint by taking the lead role on certain transfers. McCabe says he was just there to help if he happened to have a personal relationship with other owners #sufc #twitterblades
Gledhill says Brannigan has ‘undermined his status’ by dealing with Cardiff over the Brayford transfer. ‘Not at all’ says McCabe, suggesting Mr Gledhill is reading too much into what are quick emails #sufc #twitterblades
Gledhill asks on what basis McCabe could complain about not being consulted over the Brayford signing. McCabe says taking an interest in transfers is just something you would do as an owner #sufc #twitterblades
By the end of the 2015 season the last £2m from Prince Abdullah had been paid and McCabe’s company Scarborough said they would invest no more. This led to a disagreement between McCabe and co-chairman Jim Phipps #sufc #twitterblades
Around this time McCabe sent an email warning of an unhealthy influence that had infiltrated our club and an unstable management team pretty much doing as it wishes #sufc #twitterblades
Gledhill says McCabe wanted rid of Clough and Brannigan but Phipps asked where would the severance money come from if neither party could put in any extra money #sufc #twitterblades
The led to further disagreements with Phipps suggesting Scarborough should be obliged to put in more money and McCabe complaining about the influence of the club’s ‘power base’ (Brannigan and Clough). ‘And quite right too’ says McCabe #sufc #twitterblades
And that concludes day two. A report of the day’s proceedings will appear on thestar.co.uk this evening and in tomorrow’s print edition. Case will resume at 10.30 tomorrow morning #sufc #twitterblades
