Former Liverpool and England footballer John Barnes is facing a fresh bankruptcy petition from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), reigniting the threat of financial ruin just over a year after he avoided going bust.
The petition was filed at the High Court on Friday, less than two months after it emerged that John Barnes Media Limited, his now-liquidated media company, had amassed debts exceeding £1.5 million. Liquidators’ reports show HMRC is owed £776,878 in unpaid VAT, National Insurance, and PAYE, alongside £461,849 to unsecured creditors and a £226,000 director’s loan.
Barnes, 60, agreed to repay the loan in instalments and has so far returned £60,000, but liquidators warned there would be no funds for unsecured creditors and only a “small distribution” to HMRC.
The former winger, capped 79 times for England, has faced multiple bankruptcy petitions since 2010, including one in 2023 over a £238,000 personal tax bill that was settled at the last moment.
Barnes was banned from being a company director for three and a half years in 2023 after an Insolvency Service investigation found his firm failed to pay more than £190,000 in corporation tax and VAT between 2018 and 2020, despite a turnover of £441,798. Mike Smith, chief investigator at the service, said Barnes’s failure to ensure taxes were paid “should serve as a deterrent to other directors”.
Barnes formed John Barnes Media Limited in 2012, offering media representation services. The company ceased trading in 2020 and went into liquidation last year.
Despite his financial troubles, Barnes remains a high-profile figure, serving as a Liverpool FC club ambassador since 2022 and frequently commenting on football and social issues.
Barnes has been approached for comment on the latest HMRC action.
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John Barnes faces fresh bankruptcy petition from HMRC over unpaid taxes