Ex-England winger Trevor Sinclair has been officially declared bankrupt after failing to settle a tax debt of more than £36,000.
The 52-year-old, known for his playing days with QPR, West Ham, and Manchester City, was made bankrupt by HMRC following unpaid taxes and penalties dating back to the 2021–22 tax year.
Despite previous opportunities to arrange payment or propose an alternative solution, Sinclair did not attend the court hearing on Thursday.
Judge Caroline Wilkinson confirmed that HMRC had received no communication from the former Premier League star and concluded that Sinclair was unable to meet his financial obligations.
The bankruptcy order was issued at Central London County Court, where it was revealed that the debt stemmed from income Sinclair earned through punditry work.
HMRC’s legal representative explained that two significant payments exceeding £13,000 each were due, alongside unpaid National Insurance and penalty charges.
The court had previously granted Sinclair extra time to respond, after being informed by his solicitor in April that he was pursuing media work and had received a potential job offer in Saudi Arabia.
It was also disclosed that Sinclair’s tax issues began after the death of his accountant, which led to complications in filing returns. His legal team had argued that the debt emerged because he was treated as self-employed when he should not have been.
In April, Judge Wilkinson had urged Sinclair to confront the seriousness of the matter, warning him that avoiding the issue was no longer an option. However, when the case resumed on Thursday, HMRC confirmed that Sinclair had still made no effort to engage or present any proposals, such as an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA), which could have offered an alternative to bankruptcy.
Judge Wilkinson stated, “Mr Sinclair is not in attendance today and no proposals have been put forward for paying his debt.”
“In the circumstances, the court finds that Mr Sinclair is unable to pay his debts as they fall due and it will make the bankruptcy order.”.”
Trevor Sinclair earned 12 caps for the England national team and featured at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, with a memorable career moment being his stunning bicycle kick for QPR against Barnsley in 1997, which earned the Match of the Day Goal of the Season award.
Since retiring from football in 2008, Sinclair transitioned into broadcasting but faced controversy in 2022 after remarks made following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, leading to his suspension by talkSPORT.
He had earlier faced legal trouble in 2018 when he was convicted of drink driving and racially abusing a police officer, following an incident in which he urinated in a police car after his arrest.
