Dozy Mmobuosi: Potential Buyer of Sheffield United faces lawsuit in UK

By Oluwaseun Oyediji

Dozy Mmobuosi, the Nigerian businessman seen as a potential buyer of English football club Sheffield United has faced lawsuits in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) for not paying what he owed according to multiple sources in UK.

Dozy was sued by one of his top executives at Nigeria-based subsidiary Tingo Mobile for failing to pay him for at least half a year’s work in a $300,000 Connecticut lawsuit.

Sukhdeep Bhogal filed a case against Mmobuosi in the US a year ago, with the Indian national, saying in court documents that he worked for Mmobuosi and assisted the firm in a $400 million cash-raising process for a Tingo unit.

The lawsuit is standing as a hindrance to his pursuit of buying the English club.

The Nigerian founder and group chief executive officer of IT service management company Tingo Inc is reported to be close to buying the club from Prince Abdullah amid pending ‘additional queries’.

An EFL statement read: “The EFL notes the comments from Dozy Mmobuosi in respect of a proposed change of control at Sheffield United.

“Whilst the league is in receipt of the share purchase agreement and owners and directors’ test declaration, alongside some evidence of source and sufficiency of funding, it has previously raised a number of additional queries with the proposed purchaser and the club.

“The EFL has been awaiting a response on those queries for some time and until the league is satisfied that the requirements of its regulations have been met, it will not process a change of control at the club.”

United are chasing promotion from the Sky Bet Championship, sitting second in the table, despite being placed under a transfer embargo by the EFL last month after defaulting on a payment to another club.

The lawsuit and decisions of the EFL will in the coming days determine the fate of Dozy and the club.