Sheffield United: Appeal against ownership verdict is confirmed

A decision on whether or not McCabe can contest the outcome of this year's hearing at the High Court is not expected for "several months" according to a statement issued on McCabe's behalf.

But McCabe insisted both he and Prince Abdullah, who was unveiled as United's sole owner in September, are committed to preventing their dispute from stalling the club's progress on the pitch. Chris Wilder's team are preparing for Saturday's visit to Tottenham Hotspur ranked sixth in the Premier League table.

McCabe, who handed Prince Abdullah 50 per cent of United's parent company Blades Leisure Limited (BLL) in return for various financial guarantees six years ago, explained: "As I said, when the outcome of the trial was made public, I do have misgivings about some aspects of the judgment and hope that the Court of Appeal agree to have another look at it. The McCabe family remain passionate supporters of Sheffield United Football Club and we are delighted at the recent run of form for both the first Team and the women's team. It goes without saying that the appeal will not in any way impact on the club’s efforts on the pitch. In this regard at least the Prince and I are on the same side."

Mr Justice Fancourt, who oversaw this summer's hearing into the disagreement between Prince Abdullah and McCabe, initially refused the latter permission to try and contest his verdict. McCabe's stake in BLL is controlled by a company called Sheffield United Limited while the Saudi Arabian, who must purchase United's property interests by July, used a vehicle entitled UTB. The row between the two boiled over when McCabe, who had earlier launched a £5m bid to reclaim Prince Abdullah's BLL shares, accused his former partner of creating a new entity, entitled UTB 2018, to avoid being forced to deliberately process a deal for sites which include United's training complex and Bramall Lane itself.

"A spokesperson for the McCabe family confirmed today that an application for permission to appeal the Order of Mr Justice Fancourt dated 16 September 2019 was lodged with the Court of Appeal today (Monday 04 November)," a statement, issued on McCabe's behalf, read. "The appeal raises important points of principle regarding the rights of Sheffield United Limited in its dispute with Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz al Saud."