Sheffield United Football Club responds to Copthorne Hotel owner's claims

The sale of the Copthorne follows the September 2019 High Court ruling that McCabe sell his 50 per cent stake and all of his assets in the club – including the hotel – to Prince Abdullah.

The Scarborough Group claimed that the closure of the hotel was unavoidable as the football club was insisting that the purchase could only go ahead as a sale of a property with “vacant possession”.

The group said this means that the property must be emptied of furniture and equipment, and its management by Millenium Hotels and Resorts must cease, before the purchase could go ahead.

Sheffield United have since denied the claims made by the Scarborough Group, and said that the decision to close the hotel was entirely down to the current owners.

A spokesperson for the club said: “The terms on which the hotel is to be sold were negotiated and drawn up by Scarborough and its lawyers in 2013. These specifically require a property sale with vacant possession rather than a sale of the business.

“A business sale was previously discussed by SUFC but reasonable commercial terms could not be agreed with Scarborough.

“SUFC has made no demands that furniture and equipment be removed. To the contrary, that was a decision taken unilaterally by Scarborough. Indeed, “SUFC has expressed its concerns to Scarborough about the nature of the contents that are being withdrawn from the Hotel ahead of ownership transferring to SUFC.”

Sheffield United’s first team players, management and staff were scheduled to utilise 150 room nights at the Copthorne Hotel from the June 15 to July 2.

However the Scarborough Group said that because they were removing the furniture from the property and closing the hotel, this could no longer happen.

Staff at the hotel have spoken of their anger over the closure, which cuts short their furlough pay which they had been told they would receive as long as the government scheme lasted.

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