EFL concerned about Sheffield Wednesday fulfilling opening fixture

According to reports from the BBC, Sheffield Wednesday’s financial situation and their ability to play their opening Championship game are both getting more and more of the attention of the English Football League.

Under the control of Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri, the Owls are experiencing a growing financial crisis, including paying HMRC late fees, multiple defaults on players’ and staff salaries, and mounting debts.

The club has terminated several first-team players who have exercised their contractual rights, parted ways with manager Danny Rohl, and closed its Hillsborough stadium’s North Stand due to safety concerns.

The club has a first-team squad of only 14 players, with more likely to departing on August 10, but their championship season is set to begin on August 10.

Additionally, The BBC has learned:

One player, who spoke unnamed to the BBC, claimed that the club had left players in the dark and had not given them any information about what the future holds.

In March, May, and June, wages were paid late, and earlier this week, players were informed that July’s payments would also be delayed.

Players who have received late payments for two consecutive months are entitled to give their notice, which effectively ends their contracts right away and gives them free agents.

Max Lowe, an English full-back, is the most recent to exercise that right, with other players considering the same thing.

Lowe and Barry Bannan, who both have contracts with the club, are listed on the current roster, but they also include former captain Barry Bannan, whose contract expired earlier this summer, and they are expected to close negotiations on a move elsewhere soon.

Due to an embargo over late fees owed to other clubs, Wednesday are also currently unable to pay player transfers in the next three windows.

The EFL charged the club and Chansiri with breaking its rules by failing to pay wages at the beginning of June. Because written submissions are still being worked through, those cases have not yet been heard.

The PFA’s (PFA) head, Maheta Molango, described the situation at the club as “shocking” and “not tolerable.”

The PFA is reportedly working with the club’s players to understand their legal and contractual rights and how to defend against breaches.

Fans have recently criticized Chansiri for demanding that he sell the club.

In June, Chansiri claimed to have rejected two separate bids for the club, each worth £30m and £40m, from potential buyers.

He added, “I take full responsibility for failing to fulfill my current obligations, but I also have to make sure that Sheffield Wednesday is sold to the right people with the necessary credentials to sustain the club”

Clive Betts, a Sheffield South East MP and lifelong supporter of the club, previously said Chansiri needed to sell Wednesday to stop the club from completely crumbling. “We as fans deserve better.

You have no right to ask me to leave, Chansiri has frequently argued with fans and said that in 2023.

Sheffield Wednesday Fans’ Trust said to Chansiri in a statement released this summer, “You are the one who is killing the joy of supporting a football team for tens of thousands of people.”

Sheffield City Council issued a North Stand-related prohibition notice this week. Before the work to fix the problem has been completed, spectators are prevented from entering the stand.