A former England rugby star has jumped to the defence of Liverpool legend John Barnes, who didn’t play in an era when football was awash with money, and has been declared bankrupt
John Barnes needs guidance, not criticism, after being declared bankrupt, according to a fellow retired sports star. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) recently revealed that John Barnes Media Limited, his now-liquidated company, had racked up debts of over £1.5 million.
The liquidators’ reports indicate that HMRC is due £776,878 in unpaid VAT, National Insurance and PAYE, with an additional £461,849 owed to unsecured creditors and a £226,000 director’s loan. Barnes, who was capped 79 times for England, has faced several bankruptcy petitions since 2010, including one in 2023 over a £238,000 personal tax bill that was settled at the 11th hour.
Barnes has received sympathy from former England rugby star David Flatman, who has worked with the Liverpool legend at various engagements. Flatman didn’t perceive Barnes as being lavish with his money and suspects he simply needed more help in managing his finances.
He also pointed out that Barnes wouldn’t have retired with millions in the bank, like a player like Wayne Rooney. Speaking exclusively to Cosmos Currency Exchange, Flatman said: “If you’re a guy who got paid vast amounts of money in the NBA or the NFL, and you’re on $40million a year, and everywhere you go you arrive with an entourage.
“But I’ve done events with John Barnes before, fundraising events, and he doesn’t arrive in a helicopter or Rolls Royce, with 12 people taking a cut. He’s just a good bloke who arrived, did the event and got paid.
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“Was he surrounded by the wrong people? I don’t know. But at the same time you do need somebody to tell you to stop spending all your money. I am 45 and I still need that.”
Flatman pointed out that Barnes didn’t play in an era when football was awash with money at the top level, as it is now. He said: “Was John Barnes playing in an era where lads were getting half a million a week? No, he didn’t.
“Did he retire with £100m in the bank like Wayne Rooney? Did he have a family office running his money? Probably not. He likely left his money to be dealt with by someone else and he may just not fully have known what was going on. But guess what? That’s most of us. I’m not in that situation, but it’s a situation I think about a lot because I’m useless with money!”
Flatman believes too much is expected of sportspeople of all ages. He added: “It has nothing to do with playing sport. It has to do with how some people are just useless with money, tax for example, and people are human beings. It’s nothing to do with sport.
“It’s just that when they do go bankrupt, everyone hears about it because they are famous. There could be three blokes on my street who have gone bankrupt, but no one knows.
“It’s nothing to do with sport. Some people think it’s to do with earning a massive salary, then bang it goes. Well, Barnes stopped earning his football salary a very long time ago. The link to sport is misleading sometimes, I think.”
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