The Championship club have attempted to distance themselves from the saga.

It is “a matter between the current owners and former owner”, according to a statement issued by the Blades after CBSL was wound up.

The club did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2009, Southampton’s parent company, Southampton Leisure Holdings, went into administration. The south-coast club tried to argue it was a separate entity. An EFL investigation disagreed, with Saints docked the mandatory 10 points.

Sheffield United’s situation is not quite the same, but the parallels are there.

The EFL says it will “consider the implications” of last week’s developments and weigh up “whether any further action is required”.

For Sheffield United fan James Kemp, better known as Blade on a Bike for this charity fundraising, it “just beggars belief”.

“Do they think they can just change company names to avoid paying what they owe the previous owner?” Kemp told BBC Sport.

“It’s just not the way to go about business. So in my view, I think there will be sanctions.”

Regulation 12.3 allows the EFL to consider an insolvency event which happens to any company linked to the football club, like with Southampton.

If the EFL board considers CSBL to be financially connected to the Blades, the club may face the prospect of a 12-point penalty this season.

Then appendix 3, clause 10 demands advanced notice of at least 10 days for any planned transfer of ownership.

And here is where it gets more serious for the Championship club.

BBC Sport understands that neither the IFR nor the EFL were informed by Sheffield United that they were changing their ownership structure, nor that Timothy Ryan had been added to the board.

The Football Governance Act, which created the IFR, prohibits anyone from becoming an owner or director unless an application has been made and the IFR has determined they are suitable.

So this is not just about the unpaid debt, but also the transfer of assets and approval from the IFR and the EFL.

Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has rejected reports suggesting he is leaving the UFC as he continues to work his way back from a serious eye injury.

Aspinall has not fought since October when the first defence of his title ended in a no-contest after repeated eye pokes from Ciryl Gane left the Briton unable to continue.

The 33-year-old was subsequently diagnosed with a rare eye condition and had persistent double vision before having surgery.

In June, Aspinall said he had returned to full training for a rematch with France’s Gane and suggested they could fight in September.

But reports emerged on social media on Wednesday claiming Aspinall had decided to leave the UFC – something he has dismissed.

“I’m not leaving the UFC,” Aspinall posted on X.

“I’ve never said I have in any interview, and any words that have been taken from others today are simply not true.

“We are talking with the UFC daily and they will update you guys always.”

Gane beat Alex Pereira to win the interim heavyweight title at the UFC’s White House card in June, before calling for a unification bout with Aspinall.

Aspinall has competed 10 times in the UFC, winning eight and losing one, with one no-contest, although his sole defeat came against Curtis Blaydes when he suffered a serious knee injury.

NEW YORK — To understand the precarious state of the New York Yankees’ bullpen, consider this:

Reliever Michael Fulmer was “coming in regardless” for a crucial eighth inning in what became a lopsided 9-3 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night, manager Aaron Boone said.

Fulmer was cut by the worst-in-baseball Los Angeles Angels on Sunday and had pitched in just three major-league games this season.

He had only just signed with New York and, as of Wednesday morning, was heading to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Then the team put reliever Fernando Cruz (partially torn UCL) on the injured list, so it needed Fulmer to replace him.

The Yankees, according to manager Aaron Boone, felt like they had no choice but to trust Fulmer on Wednesday — as they faced their heated rivals and clung to hopes of winning the American League East — with just 31 games left in the regular season.

“We need some guys now to step up and be a part of it,” Boone said.

Michael Fulmer is in for his Yankees debut after being signed earlier today pic.twitter.com/KtlEyiZzX0

— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 27, 2026

It worked. This time, anyway.

Fulmer was warming up with the score tied 3-3 in the seventh inning. When he entered in the eighth, the Yankees were ahead, 7-3, and he pitched well against the heart of Houston’s order. He struck out Yordan Alvarez and got groundouts from Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve.

“Welcome to the Yankees,” Boone told Fulmer afterward. “I threw you in there against Yordan, Paredes and Altuve right out of the gate.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Fulmer replied.

The Yankees, however, almost certainly see it differently.

The team’s decision not to trade for a reliever at the Aug. 3 deadline had already seemed like a gamble. At the time, the Yankees were leaning heavily on Cruz, left-hander Brent Headrick, righty Paul Blackburn and closer David Bednar. With Aaron Judge out of the lineup since early June and the offense struggling mightily, the Yankees were playing tight games almost every night. It seemed like a foregone conclusion they would acquire at least one more reliever.

Ahead of the deadline, their actions seemed to align with that expectation. The Yankees traded struggling right-hander Camilo Doval to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and then sent four pitchers (including 40-man roster relievers Jake Bird and Yovanny Cruz) to the Washington Nationals.

But it didn’t happen. At the time, general manager Brian Cashman said the Yankees “definitely looked and engaged trying to upgrade the ‘pen” but he didn’t feel comfortable making any deals. Then things started falling apart.

Not long after the deadline, relievers Angel Chivilli (elbow discomfort) and Kervin Castro (elbow neuritis) went on the injured list. Then on Sunday, starting pitcher Ryan Weathers (flexor tendon strain) landed on the IL. The Yankees had hoped Weathers would be able to transition to the bullpen in September, and the left-hander still might. But though they say they’re confident Weathers will return before the end of the regular season, there’s no guarantee he’ll avoid a setback.

Weathers’ injury also meant the Yankees had to tap into the last line of their rotation depth Wednesday, calling up prospect Elmer Rodríguez. The right-hander provided his best outing of the year, giving up three runs over six innings. But it was Rodríguez’s fourth call-up of the season. A player is only allowed to be optioned five times in a year before he must be outrighted off the 40-man roster.

The Yankees’ relief depth is paper thin. They received a characteristically solid outing from Blackburn, who pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and left with the game tied at 3-3. But Boone said he wasn’t going to use Blackburn for multiple innings, likely in an effort to scale down his workload after 51 appearances in his first full season as a reliever. New York is probably at least a couple weeks away from trying out Clarke Schmidt (Tommy John surgery) in the bullpen. Schmidt is expected to start a rehab assignment soon.

So, on Wednesday, Boone turned to Fulmer, who joined Justin Topa as the second journeyman the Yankees added this week.

“I think he can help us,” Boone said. “I really do.”

The Yankees need a lot of help right now. Boone said he must audition relievers to see who sticks.

“We need to find out about people and see if they can step up in situations,” Boone said. “At the end of the day, look, we’re going to go heavy with obviously Paul and Headrick and (Bednar) on certain nights. But we’ve got to take care of them, too, because we know how critical they are to us having the ultimate success this season.”

It’s a dangerous game to be playing with a month left until the playoffs. But what choice do the Yankees have?