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The Independent
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Sheffield Wednesday and Morecambe woes shows the problem with modern football
In what is now a 'normal' day for Sheffield Wednesday, one employee was asked how they were doing by a fan, only to burst into tears. They don't know if they're going to be paid, or what the future is, leading Clive Betts MP to lambast controversial owner Dejphon Chansiri in Parliament on Tuesday. Many Morecambe fans similarly felt like crying when the news came through on Monday that the sale of the club from Jason Whittingham's Bond Group Investments to Panjab Warriors wouldn't yet be completed. This was despite sources insisting that everything was in place for the sale to proceed, and finding its delay 'inexplicable'. Local MP Lizzi Collinge publicly said to Whittingham, also in Parliament, "Come on, sign the damn paperwork!" That's after three years where Morecambe have gone from League One to the National League and, potentially, oblivion. The stories of Wednesday and Morecambe warrant their own telling but there are striking parallels, that are now more pointed, since they come from different ends of a football pyramid that is finally about to see an independent regulator. The Football Governance Bill was voted through the House of Commons on Tuesday, meaning we now know what it will look like for the future. Fans of Wednesday and Morecambe can't say the same about their clubs, and the worry is it's too late. A feeling of 'helplessness' stands out. 'We really support the Football Governance Bill,' says Tarnia Elsworth, of the Shrimps Trust fans group, 'but my fear is Morecambe and Wednesday are going to be the last victims. 'We get fans coming to us, 'this is my club I've loved for 30 years, and you're saying there's nothing I can do about it?'' Ian Bennett, of the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust, says they're 'left in limbo'. His colleague James Silverwood warns the 'story has implications way beyond Wednesday for the whole of English football'. Geoff Walters, a Morecambe fan who is also a Professor in Sports Business at the University of Liverpool, argues 'this underpins the need for a strong regulator'. So many details are familiar, after all, going back through Reading and Derby County to the landmark moment of Bury's demise. It is about who owns clubs, governance, and a ruinous wage race. One of the great tragedies is that crowd sizes show the game is thriving on one level, and yet whole seasons can still be distorted by clubs entering financial ruin. Even at Morecambe, there have been record season ticket sales for a first season back in the National League, on the promise that Whittingham will be gone. Fans might instead lose hundreds of pounds as well as their club, if the worst happens. The game should be self-sustainable but isn't. Wednesday and Morecambe could easily be sold but aren't. Both clubs have numerous interested buyers. Chansiri is said to be looking for 'completely unrealistic prices'. The Wednesday story is currently more striking because of their historic stature, and the fact these issues have crept as high as the Championship. The EFL have warned for four years that the wage race from parachute payments would lead to this. Others, backed by research from the supporters' trust, feel this is specifically down to 'an owner who has run out of money'. This is despite Chansiri's profile as a member of the Thai family that controls the world's largest producer of canned tuna, Thai Union Group, leading Betts to question why money is no longer available. Players and staff were not paid on time in May and June, with that and money owed to other clubs and the HMRC leading to two EFL transfer embargoes. Meanwhile, at least £6m is understood to be needed for essential improvements to Hillsborough, which may yet pass to unknown new ownership if Chansiri can't pay loans taken against the stadium. Improvements may be impossible if players have to be paid, but many are expected to walk as free agents if not paid for July. 'We might start the season with no players and a three-sided ground,' Bennett says. Some sources even fear that basic utilities could be cut off. Bennett complains that communication has been minimal or just 'disdainful'. With barely any pre-season plans, it might reach the point where Wednesday have to show they can fulfil the season. Like at Hillsborough, Morecambe's most immediate issue is funding. A club that had previously been a 'good little business' has started to make losses. Prospective buyers Panjab Warriors have even lent Morecambe just over £6m. An irony is that some supporters credit Whittingham with initially appointing a capable board, only for that to descend into farce when he began proceedings to sack them all from their intention to put the club into administration. The board has since resigned twice in a week over delays to the sale. 'We're powerless,' Elsworth says, amid another common complaint in English football: owner disengagement. Meetings have led nowhere. Fans don't even know the price wanted. More remarkably, Whittingham could have got a much better price when Morecambe were in League One in 2022-23, only for the value to now be decreasing every day. A primary question, raised by Betts, is why the current system can't take retrospective action to remove ownership once issues become apparent. The National League are conscious their potential sanctions would just punish Morecambe rather than the owner. The EFL have similarly been trying to avoid punishing Wednesday as much as they can. Supporters have pointed to how Dai Yongge was eventually disqualified by the EFL as Reading owner, but that is understood to have been enabled by business matters in China. Non-payment doesn't meet what is a high threshold. It's also not without risk, since the next step is expulsion of the club. 'You would think consistently not having the resources for the club to be a going concern should be grounds enough,' one prominent source argues. All of this leaves the clubs with three scenarios in the current system if there is no sale. One is more lenders, and both somehow persevering. Two is going into administration, which would bring a points deduction, but where buyers sense opportunity. Three is liquidation, and potential phoenix clubs. Bennett admits Wednesday fans have considered that last option, but hope for a potential sale through administration. Elsworth fears Morecambe wouldn't come back, as a fan-owned club would struggle to survive. 'This isn't Wimbledon. The west end of Morecambe is one of the most deprived areas of the country. A community is being destroyed.' That sense of powerlessness is palpable. 'There's players not getting paid and you're listening to the Man United situation, Alejandro Garnacho… that doesn't need more airtime.' Such stark statements raise questions about English football's priorities, and issues the regulator has to square. As Elsworth surmises, 'a sale isn't going to solve everything.' A mechanism for intervening with owners where issues arise is still essential. 'There's a lot to think about,' Walters says. 'Even a perfect system isn't going to ensure every football club is sustainable, but it's about where you can step in.' Bennett puts it plainly. 'The football regulator is going to have a hell of a job.'
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
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 Sport takes an in-depth look at the situation at the Championship side. How has it come to this? Sheffield Wednesday, who are run by owner Dejphon Chansiri, have had cashflow issues for some 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 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 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 situation at the club has been described as "shocking" and "not tolerable" by Maheta Molango, the head of the Professional Footballers' Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts has urged Chansiri to sell the club, accusing him of holding it "hostage".Betts, a life-long Owls fan, said: "He must accept that he needs to sell Wednesday to prevent the complete collapse of the club … we as fans deserve better." Who is Dejphon Chansiri? 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 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 2023 he told supporters "you have no right to ask me to leave" amid calls to sell. In an interview with the Sheffield Star, external 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 the end of last season, a significant demonstration organised by the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters' Trust called on Chansiri to leave. What's the latest? 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 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 have also been affected and are now out of contract, meaning a skeleton staff is left to try to piece together a manager Danny Rohl is set to leave the club, with talks ongoing over his staff have also suffered late payment of wages. Last month an emergency fund helped some believe some staff have been paid £700 of their June salaries. There is no current clarity on when salaries will be paid in Radio Sheffield have requested interviews with Chansiri and the offer remains open. What issues do potential bidders for the club face? Chansiri has not publicly revealed what kind of offer he would be willing to accept for the did reveal in a statement, external that he had rejected an offer of £40m plus "limited future Premier League promotion payments" from a 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 his price demand comes down, it's hard to imagine anyone buying the 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 the moment, it seems like a bidder would have to be prepared to overpay or come up with a package that would interest 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. In the past the Sheffield Wednesday owner has made it clear he doesn't believe in non-disclosure agreements, making it difficult for interested parties to even take the first step in the process. What's going on with the players and boss Danny Rohl? 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 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 a shambolic situation and a far cry from the numerous clubs going through warm-weather camps or working at their own noted, some of the players have handed their notice in due to delayed payment of wages or simply signalled their intention to unclear at this stage what kind of squad Wednesday will have to start the season, especially given their current 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 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 both cases that's reflective only of the shambles going on rather than anything against the club or supporters. What are fans saying and doing? 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 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 fans are not typically protestors but the action at the end of last season was the most significant seen at the club plays its next game — although no pre-season fixtures are currently arranged — there are likely to be 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 reporting by Ian Woodcock, BBC Sport, Yorkshire
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Is Chansiri's asking price too high?
"The silence is killing everybody. Nobody knows what's happening; the managerial position, the wages position with the players, he's managed to pay some of the staff if not all of them," Ian Bennett of the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust tells BBC Radio Sheffield."It's basically a disgrace. It should never have got to this situation."BBC Radio Sheffield's Football Heaven hosts special guests including Bennett, Clive Betts MP, former owner Milan Mandaric and Daily Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath to talk about the financial turmoil surrounding Sheffield Wednesday under current owner Dejphon episode was recorded before the club was handed restrictions over spending in the next three transfer windows after failing to pay staff wages on Chansiri seemingly unwilling to sell the club for less than £100m, many Owls fans are beginning to worry that the Thai businessman has unrealistic while some see Chansiri's valuation as an inflated price, according to football finance expert Professor Dan Plumley the devout fan base and potential of Premier League football does make the purchase price "tricky"."What we often miss in club takeovers is the sell of the upside," Plumley said."That's where you can start to stretch those valuations and we can have an argument about whether they are realistic or unrealistic in the context of the finances - but with a football club, you are buying into that other side of things as well."Watch the full radio special on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wednesday hit with transfer restrictions over wages
Sheffield Wednesday have been handed restrictions over spending in the next three transfer windows after failing to pay staff wages on EFL has also charged both the club and owner Dejphon Chansiri over the non-payment of wages last restrictions will prevent the club from carrying out any transfers or loans which involve a fee for the next three restriction is currently running alongside the registration embargo which was imposed a fortnight ago, preventing the club from signing any new players, even free transfers, until they have paid outstanding wages in only exception to that ruling would be if the club had fewer than 23 players in their senior playing squad, in which case they would be allowed to bring in a free transfer or free loan without breaking the have given notice that they will appeal the decision, which is due to start this summer and also take in the two windows in club twice failed to pay wages on time, in March and May, and the delays are said to have exceeded the 30 days in total which are provided in EFL apologised to players, coaches and staff in a club statement over the late payment last month, and the club was placed under a registration embargo two weeks problems led Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts to urge the current owner to sell the club, accusing Chansiri of holding it "hostage".In a statement, the ruling body said: "The EFL can confirm that Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is now subject to a three-window fee restriction after exceeding 30 days of late payments between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025."In accordance with EFL regulations, the restriction will cover the entirety of this summer's window and two full windows thereafter (Winter 2026 and Summer 2026)."The club has notified the EFL of its intention to appeal this decision, and this will be heard in due course."Separately, on 3 June 2025, the EFL issued charges against the club and owner Mr Dejphon Chansiri in respect of non-payment of player wages in March 2025 and May 2025. This matter is being considered by an independent disciplinary commission, and because of the ongoing proceedings, the League is unable to comment further at this time."Wednesday have responded by acknowledging the EFL statement, confirming their intention to appeal and adding: "The club are also unable to make any further comment at this time."
BBC News
16-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Watch: What is the future of Sheffield Wednesday?
Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri has remained coy over the club's recent financial struggles with some players still waiting to be paid their wages for does the future look like for the Owls? That's probably the main question on the lips of every supporter right Radio Sheffield will be hosting a visualised Football Heaven special on Tuesday, 17 June looking at the ongoing problems at South East MP Clive Betts, football finance expert Professor Dan Plumley and others will appear on the show at 18:00 can watch and listen online via the BBC Sport website and app or on BBC iPlayer. The show will also be available after should you miss it.
