Cardiff City face loan decision

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Cardiff City Football Club will find out later if it has to repay £24m in loans immediately, in a key ruling which could lead to financial crisis.

Swiss-based financier Langston Corporation wants the High Court to make a summary judgement against the FA Cup semi-finalists.

But the club's lawyers have argued that the dispute should go to a full trial.

Cardiff's former chairman Sam Hammam has been named by the club's barrister as the man behind Langston.

Following the two-day hearing last week, Mr Justice Briggs said he would take time to consider his ruling. It is expected later on Wednesday

'Uncertain future'

Langston wants £24m of a total £31m in loans to be repaid immediately.

However, the club claim the loan is not repayable until 2016 and it could face an uncertain future if it lost the case.

The judge is to decide whether the club have a strong enough defence to go to trial, or he could rule in Langston's favour without the need for a full trial.

At the start of the hearing, Langston's counsel, Michael Driscoll QC had said: "It is common ground that the claimant loaned £24m to the club in 2004 and is yet to be repaid.

Sam Hammam was named as behind Langston for the first time

"The club says that nothing is to be repaid at this time, and the question is whether there is enough in what the club says to justify this case going to trial.

"The claimant says that there is nothing in what the club has said."

The club said that a variation to the loan agreement in 2006 meant the loan was not repayable until 2016.

However, Langston claimed in court that so many changes had been made to the contract that this agreement no longer stood.

The ruling comes at a crucial time for the Championship club, who face Barnsley in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on 6 April.

Chairman Peter Ridsdale, who succeeded Mr Hammam, has said administration would be a realistic scenario if the club lost the case.

That would lead to an automatic 10-point deduction which would threaten the club with relegation and affect plans for a new stadium near their Ninian Park ground.