Aberdeen Football Club bosses today admitted an “administrative issue” has led to the Dons facing a threat of a £5,000 fine for the late filing of paperwork.
Under legal rules for businesses, the football club was required to file a confirmation statement with business register Companies House by November 24 last year.
The annual statement ensures the company information on UK Government’s official business register is up to date.
But the club’s filing history currently show it’s not yet been received, bringing with it the threat of a £5,000 fine and the start of a process to strike the company off from the register.
A spokeswoman for the club today confirmed the statement has been submitted following a delay in updating its shareholders list.
However confirmation of submissions can take “a few days to update” on Companies House, she added.
A screenshot from Aberdeen’s Companies House page has caused speculation online from supporters over what it means if the club faces being “struck off”.
What’s happening at Pitodrie (off the field)
Might be a simple clerical issue which can be resolved, but indication of a potential wee issue maybe???#aberdeenfc @AberdeenFC @aberdeen pic.twitter.com/LkFFipoIeX— afc1903mad (@afc1903mad) January 26, 2023
Administrative issue
The filing of the statement is a routine annual administrative process for most businesses.
However the register’s filing history shows that the process can be slow.
The last confirmation statement submitted by Aberdeen Football Club was on time on November 10, 2021, and uploaded to Companies House by December 1 that year.
A spokeswoman for AFC said: “It’s essentially an administrative issue and there is nothing untoward here.
“The club has sent in the confirmation statement following a delay in getting the updated shareholders list from the registrar but it can take a few days to update on Companies House.”
Tough week on the park for Dons
It’s the latest talking point to hit AFC this week following the disastrous 1-0 defeat by semi-pro West of Scotland Premier League leaders Darvel on Monday night.
AFC chiefs would have been hoping to avoid anymore headlines following on from an embarrassing few days for the club, manager, players and fans.
Manager Jim Goodwin has held on to his position despite mounting pressure with chairman Dave Cormack saying players remain “behind” the manager.
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