Former England international Shaun Wright-Phillips has been served with a bankruptcy notice from HM Revenue and Customs, which was presented at the High Court last Friday.
The 43-year-old ex-Chelsea star faces possible financial ruin following HMRC’s assertive legal action. Having retired from football in 2019, Wright-Phillips has since become a regular in sports commentary, lending his expertise to major broadcasters such as BBC, ITV, Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Amazon, and talkSPORT.
In addition to media appearances, since 2020, he’s performed ambassadorial duties for his old club, Manchester City. The official court papers cited his full name, Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips, in connection with the bankruptcy proceedings.
When reached for comment by Telegraph Sport, a representative for the former winger disclosed: “Shaun is not aware of this and matters are already with his accountant who is fully versed in Shaun’s affairs.
“He is currently out of the country and the matter will be strenuously contested on his return.”
Despite these legal troubles, Wright-Phillips has been actively engaging in his role as an ambassador for Manchester City. He was in Atlanta recently for the Club World Cup, where he saw City demolish Al Ain with a stunning 6-0 victory at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
While in Atlanta, Wright-Phillips also teamed up with fellow City ambassador Joleon Lescott at a Youth Leaders Summit and took part in exploring the city’s cultural landscape.
Despite his triumphs on the pitch, including a Premier League title with Chelsea, Shaun Wright-Phillips has faced challenges off the field, particularly in business. His luxury handbag shop, Maison d’IF, located in Mayfair and opened in July 2020, didn’t take off as expected.
The company’s last social media activity was on Instagram and X before it was ordered to wind up by the court in August 2023.
Shortly after submitting their annual accounts, which revealed net liabilities exceeding £200,000 as of 30 June 2022, the handbag venture folded.
Companies House records reveal that Wright-Phillips has been at the helm of several companies under his full name.
Past business endeavours have not always gone smoothly for Wright-Phillips, with one such venture ending in court proceedings in 2013 – a harbinger of the financial difficulties he currently faces.
In January 2023, Wright-Phillips launched SWP29 LTD, a PR and communications firm.
Its first-year accounts show liabilities of £103,894 against debts owed to it of £102,268.
Wright-Phillips joins a growing list of former professional footballers who have encountered financial troubles.
His ex-Man City teammate, Trevor Sinclair, declared bankruptcy earlier this month due to a £36,000 tax bill accumulated from pundit work in the tax year 2021-22.
Sinclair, currently at the helm of the Jamaican national team, faced harsh criticism from a judge for “burying his head in the sand” concerning the outstanding sum. The ex-winger risked bankruptcy following his absence from the scheduled court hearing.
