Macclesfield Town FC wound up with debts of more than £500k

Macclesfield Town Football Club has been wound up in the High Court with debts of more than £500,000.

Judge Sebastian Prentis made a winding-up order at a virtual hearing in the specialist Insolvency and Companies Court today (September 16).

The club was relegated from League Two, into the non-league football pyramid last month after being docked points for breaches of regulations over non-payment of wages.

Lawyers representing HM Revenue and Customs had applied for the winding-up order

Judge Prentic was told Macclesfield owed nearly £190,000 in tax and more than £170,000 to two other creditors.

He said he could see nothing which gave him “any comfort” that the club can pay the debts.

And he said the winding-up petition had been presented “as long ago” as early 2019, adding: “There have been a number of adjournments of this petition.

“I can see nothing that gives me any comfort that this club can pay its debts within a reasonable period.”

Club owner, Amar Alkadhi, had asked for a further eight-week adjournment, while Nial McCulloch, a barrister representing Macclesfield, had asked for a further adjournment on the grounds that discussions regarding a sale were said to be at an advanced stage after a buyer had been found.

At an earlier hearing he claimed a sale was expected to be completed by the end of September.

Macclesfield bosses were given seven days to file evidence to show that funds were available.

However, in his delivery, Judge Prentis said there had been “ample opportunities” for creditors to be paid.

Macclesfield was founded in 1874, then reformed as Macclesfield Town FC in 1946 following the Second World War.