Sheffield United CEO on adminstration reports - "Ludicrous"

In a briefing to regional journalists, Bettis described the suggestion as “ludicrous” and admitted he was only choosing to speak out in order to set the record straight and reassure supporters.

“We are not going into it,” Bettis said. “There is no threat of that. Yes, every club in the Championship is running tight to the wire. But this is not even an issue. Not at all.”

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Bettis’ decision to outline United’s situation comes after an article, published by a national newspaper last night, suggested they were in danger of being declared insolvent within days.

In a frank conversation with The Star and other titles, he refuted the overwhelming majority of the claims contained within it and also stressed that every member of manager Paul Heckingbottom’s squad has received their wages on time and will continue to do so.

United’s finances have been the subject of conjecture ever since they were relegated from the Premier League two seasons ago. Nigerian businessman Dozy Mmobuosi hopes to push through a takeover, subject to English Football League approval, shortly after reaching a deal in principle with current owner Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. However, the issues which recently saw United placed under a transfer embargo are not thought to relate to Mmobuosi’s bid and are currently being addressed.

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Ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup quarter-final against Blackburn Rovers, United also confronted claims the undersoil heating on a new playing surface, recently installed at their training complex, had been switched off - insisting one instance when it failed to work was the result of a miscalculation about fuel availability which was quickly rectified.

Investment into facilities such as the Bramall Lane hotel and stadium refurbishments have been mothballed, Bettis conceded, to concentrate investment on first team affairs. He also denied that fertiliser and paint are being rationed, before challenging assertions about personnel issues declaring: “If you ask the HR department, our headcount on maintenance staff has never been higher.”

“Yes, other some other projects have been put on hold but that is because we want to concentrate as much as we possibly can on the team,” he continued. “There’s nothing unusual in that. But things about paint, fertiliser and other stuff, it’s just not true at all.”

United are second in the Championship table with nine matches of their league campaign remaining, despite being prevented from adding reinforcements during the January window.

Reminding that both Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge stayed in South Yorkshire despite attracting interest from elsewhere, Bettis said: “That is not the action of a club that is about to enter administration, is it? If that was even an issue, which genuinely it isn’t, would they still be here or would they have been sold? I think we know the answer to that.”

“If anyone wants to challenge the things that I am saying, and I’m always completely straight up and honest, then they are welcome to do so and we can sit down in a room and I can show them the documentation. I don’t think I can be much more forthright than that.”

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