Third winding-up order for Cardiff

Welsh club Cardiff City is set to return to the High Court to face a third winding-up order from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on Wednesday. This is for a pending tax payment of GBP 1.75 million. There were two previous winding-up orders which were adjourned after the club made a GBP 1 million payment on the total bill of GBP 2.7 million. The Bluebirds are trying to raise money by selling two plots of land close to their stadium and it is estimated that this sale will get them around GBP 1.8 million.

Fans of the Bluebirds have expressed their dissatisfaction with the way Peter Ridsdale, the chairman, is managing the club and its finances. Nearly 2,000 supporters marched prior to the Cardiff City home game against Middlesbrough on Saturday to get their point across. The Bluebirds won that game. The team which is considered a Championship play-off contender could face a 10 point deduction if the unpaid tax bill ends up leading to their being placed in administration.

In December 2009 Cardiff City negotiated a settlement with previous owner Sam Hammam and his Langston Corporation about a GBP 15 million debt. The club also managed to raise around GBP 1 million during their FA Cup run, although they did eventually lose to reigning cup holder Chelsea.

The club's long-term manager Jones told BBC Sport that, "I hope everything is okay. The players are trying to get some good times around the football club rather than the doom and gloom. It is difficult times for everybody but if you look back at the past of this football club, it always seems to be difficult times. This hasn't just happened, it has been going on for a long, long time. Before I arrived there were demonstrations outside Ninian Park and that seems to be forgotten. It is nothing new to this football club, a lot of it is old debt and we're trying to sort it out. I've not been told anything about the court case, I've just got my head down and got on with the football. I've let the hierarchy deal with that as there has been no crossover. There is nothing I can do. I have to keep getting the best out of the players and if we do that and the results keep coming it means hopefully we're more attractive for the people that are looking at coming into the football club."