Wages unpaid and club ‘held hostage’ – what’s going on at Sheffield Wednesday?

With wages going unpaid, the local MP saying the club is being “held hostage” by the owner and now some fans calling for boycotts, it has been a summer of turmoil for Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield Wednesday, who are run by owner Dejphon Chansiri, have had cashflow issues for some time.

There has been no official explanation by Chansiri on what has led to the problem but things have escalated recently.

The club has gone from delayed payments to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in 2023 and 2024 to players, coaches and staff now not being paid on time in both May and June.

They are now under three English Football League (EFL) embargoes, one relating to unpaid players, one to a further issue with HMRC and, on Thursday, a third one for failure to pay transfer fees.

They are under a registration embargo preventing them from signing anyone, even free transfers, until the outstanding wages are paid in full and can not make any transfers or loans which involve a fee for this summer’s window and the two in 2026.

No official explanation has been offered by Chansiri on what has led to the current crisis and there is no obvious solution to the problem under the current owner.

The situation at the club has been described as “shocking” and “not tolerable” by Maheta Molango, the head of the Professional Footballers’ Association.

Meanwhile, Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts has urged Chansiri to sell the club, accusing him of holding it “hostage”.

The Thai businessman, whose family controls the Thai Union Group, the world’s largest producer of canned tuna, bought Sheffield Wednesday for a reported £37.5m in 2015 from former chairman Milan Mandaric.

The Owls, who have not played in the Premier League since 2000, reached the Championship play-offs in each of his first two seasons in charge but in recent years the 57-year-old has frequently clashed with supporters during a series of lengthy fans’ forums and public statements.

In 2023 he told supporters “you have no right to ask me to leave” amid calls to sell. In an interview with the Sheffield Star in the same year, he asked fans to raise £2m to help the club pay an outstanding debt to HMRC and cover wages, before resolving the issue shortly after.

Owls players were not paid on time for March, before the issue was resolved a few days later. Since then, the same thing has happened for May and June.

Some players still haven’t been paid for May. It is believed some players have now handed in their notice, as is permitted when a player receives delayed wages in two consecutive months.

Coaches have also been affected and are now out of contract, meaning a skeleton staff is left to try to piece together a pre-season.

Highly-rated manager Danny Rohl is set to leave the club, with talks ongoing over his departure.

Non-playing staff have also suffered late payment of wages. Last month an emergency fund helped some employees.

We believe some staff have been paid £700 of their June salaries. There is no current clarity on when salaries will be paid in full.

Chansiri has not publicly revealed what kind of offer he would be willing to accept for the club.

He did reveal in a statement that he had rejected an offer of £40m plus “limited future Premier League promotion payments” from a consortium.

The owner has spent a considerable amount during his 10-and-a-half years at Hillsborough and appears determined to ask for a bid that is well beyond what many consider to be market value.

Unless his price demand comes down, it’s hard to imagine anyone buying the club.

Mandaric briefly suggested he would be interested in a return but subsequently decided against getting involved, while John Flanagan, a member of a US-based consortium, told BBC Radio Sheffield that they had had two offers for the club rejected with no counter-offer.

At the moment, it seems like a bidder would have to be prepared to overpay or come up with a package that would interest Chansiri.

An individual who is part of a bidding consortium has described negotiations with the Thai as “the most unique” he had experienced in his business career.

Due to work on the training ground being incomplete, players are currently working away from the club and doing what they can to prepare for the new season.

Some players have been training at Sheffield Hallam University’s athletics stadium at Woodbourn Road, which is based next to a facility where many fans have probably played five-a-side.

It’s a shambolic situation and a far cry from the numerous clubs going through warm-weather camps or working at their own facilities.

As noted, some of the players have handed their notice in due to delayed payment of wages or simply signalled their intention to leave.

It’s unclear at this stage what kind of squad Wednesday will have to start the season, especially given their current embargoes.

Rohl, who led the side to a 12th-placed finish last season, is set to depart although, contrary to reports connecting him to other jobs, it’s believed his exit is not specifically tied to another club.

The talented German boss hinted strongly at the end of last season that he saw his future away from Hillsborough and is understandably keen to draw a line and move on, as, seemingly, some of the players are.

Many are distraught and desperate for an end to Chansiri’s reign.

A plea from the Supporters’ Trust for fans to boycott merchandise and retail was seemingly well backed online this week and many insist they will not return to Hillsborough until a new owner is in place.

We have seen a lot of support for the players, with fans also telling staff they would be backed if they decided to walk out over the wage issue.

Wednesday fans are not typically protestors but the action at the end of last season was the most significant seen at Hillsborough.

When the club plays its next game — although no pre-season fixtures are currently arranged — there are likely to be protests.

We are also waiting for the outcome of a recent Safety Advisory Group meeting where the safety of Hillsborough’s North Stand was discussed, amid rumours that it could be closed.

Some fans have already purchased season tickets in the stand. No clarity was provided on the matter by the club when contacted by BBC Radio Sheffield.

“Enough is enough” is the call on social media and for Sheffield Wednesday fans, they have reached the end of their tether. It’s fair to say Owls supporters want a new owner and fast.