McCabe out in the cold after Blades court blow

FORMER Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe has been told he will not be welcome at Bramall Lane if he fights the High Court ruling which awards full control of the club to his co-owner Prince Abdullah. McCabe, who has been on the board for more than 25 years, with many served as chairman, was left devastated by the judgement handed down yesterday. Others with the Blades close to their hearts were also shaken, including legend Tony Currie, who was in tears as he confirmed he would step down from the board with immediate effect and voiced his fears about the new leadership. ‘It is a sad day,’ said Currie. ‘Over the past 25 years Kevin McCabe has transformed the club. We are in the Premier League with a brilliant manager and an academy that is producing

players for England and one of the best stadiums in the country.

‘All of that is down to Kevin. I’m sad for him and sad for myself and I’m sad for the Sheffield United supporters.’

Most important for fans will be whether manager Chris Wilder can forge a working relationship with a Saudi royal who has attended only a handful of matches in six years.

Wilder was appointed by McCabe at a time when he was poised to leave Northampton for Charlton.

He has since led them from League One to the Premier League and has stayed despite lucrative offers to leave from Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and West Bromwich.

Wilder and McCabe last spoke before Saturday’s home defeat by Southampton, with the manager still in his running kit having jogged through the streets from his home in the Fulwood area of the city.

Prince Abdullah, who will pay £5million for the club, insists he will not be selling it on for a quick profit. He is believed to be considering his son-in-law as chairman.

‘My first priority is to secure our position in the top tier for many years to come,’ said the Prince in a statement released yesterday which hailed a ‘new dawn’.

Prince Abdullah is a businessman with experience at the helm of a club — he owns Beerschot in the Belgian second tier — and keen to internationalise the Blades by recruiting more overseas players and a technical director.

His decision to invite Belgian coach Jan van Winckel, an assistant to Marcelo Bielsa at Marseille, on to the Blades board in December 2017 was not well received by the coaching staff and was a key factor in the bitter split with McCabe. ‘It will be catastrophic if we lose Chris Wilder because of this takeover,’ said Currie (below), the former England midfielder.

Other concerns for the future will revolve around Prince Abdullah’s wealth. He acquired half of the club for £1 with an agreement to invest £10m but when he needed to find more cash to invest in 2017 he borrowed it from the Bin Laden family.

Sheffield United operated at a loss of £10m in the Championship but income will be greatly boosted by their return to the Premier League this season.

The court also dismissed allegations of bribery against Prince Abdullah and ruled he must buy properties from McCabe which include Bramall Lane, the training ground, a hotel and offices — thought to be worth in excess of £50m. This is on top of the £5m he must pay McCabe for the club.

How such a purchase will be funded remains to be seen. ‘ One initiative already underway is the unification of the club and its key properties,’ said Prince Abdullah. ‘We want to own our stadium and intend to complete this integration within the coming year.

‘We are only the custodians of these traditions for the time being. No owner, director, coach or player is bigger than the club but together with the fans we all share a common desire to make the club even greater.’

He promised to open lines of communication with supporters while McCabe, who estimates he has invested £100m in the club, made his concerns clear in a statement released after the verdict. A spokesman for the McCabe family said: ‘Kevin feels a deep sense of betrayal and is in a state of shock about the way that he has been treated by Prince Abdullah. He now deeply regrets going into business with him.’ McCabe will consider his rights

to appeal.