Sheffield Wednesday could be fined by FIFA if they fail to pay an upcoming installment of Ike Ugbo’s £500,000 transfer from Troyes, reports Alan Nixon.
Sheffield Wednesday signed Ike Ugbo on a permanent deal from Troyes in the summer of 2024 after his first loan spell at the club in the second half of the 2023/2024 season.
Ugbo’s seven goals in eighteen league games ensure that SWFC remains in the championship under Danny Rohl. But 27-year-old Ugbo has not scored a single league goal in 52 Championship games since.
Now Alan Nixon has revealed Patreon that Sheffield Wednesday must make an upcoming payment worth £500,000 to Troyes for the Ugbo transfer, and that the club could face ‘FIFA action’ if they miss the payment.
Confusion over Sheffield Wednesday transfer debts
Nixon’s claim comes after a report from The star in November that SWFC have effectively paid off their transfer debts on two transfer deals concluded in the summer of 2024. Their report specifically states that debts were outstanding upon Ugbo’s move from Troyes and that the debts had been ‘settled by the club’s administrators’, lifting FIFA’s restrictions on domestic and international signings.
But was it worth it? full Ugbo’s transfer fee remains unclear. It could have resulted in debt from the installments up to that date, as Nixon’s last report of another Ugbo transfer fee may suggest the club has yet to pay the full £2.5m transfer fee.
However, Companies House showed that Sheffield Wednesday paid a £2.5m settlement in August 2024, a week before Ugbo was announced as the new signing, so there is certainly some confusion surrounding Nixon’s latest revelation.
Should James Bord pay Ike Ugbo’s transfer fee?
If SWFC has to pay another installment for the Ugbo transfer, it will not necessarily come out of the pocket of preferred bidder James Bord.
But the purchase price (reports suggested a takeover at Sheffield Wednesday would cost £30m) includes debts to creditors such as former owner Dejphon Chansiri, who is owed around £15m, and Troyes.
Bord has charged a non-refundable fee to allow SWFC to continue to operate normally while the administration process continues and Bord’s bid is vetted.
This upcoming fee for Ugbo is certainly a concern, but the administrators will have known about it for a long time and hopefully they have a plan in place to make the payment as further FIFA sanctions would be a major concern for the club at this crucial time in the takeover process.
Sheffield Wednesday are back in action against Birmingham City on Tuesday.
#Sheffield #Wednesday #facing #fine #FIFA #compensation #deadline #approaches #News #The72 #Football #League #News