LONDON - Thai-owned Sheffield Wednesday have been docked 12 points after a court filing on Friday showed the English second-tier football club had filed for administration amid mounting financial troubles.
The English Football League (EFL) had previously charged the Championship side in June with multiple breaches of regulations after they failed to pay players’ wages on time.
The Yorkshire club, one of the oldest in the country, previously faced player registration embargoes and were docked six points during the 2020-21 season for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
“The EFL can confirm that it has now received formal notice that Dejphon Chansiri, the director of Sheffield Wednesday, has taken the necessary steps to appoint administrators to both the club and also the company which owns Hillsborough,” it said in a statement.
“While this development results in the automatic deduction of 12 points … it also presents Sheffield Wednesday with the opportunity to move matters towards a successful sale and secure future under new ownership,” the EFL added.
Wednesday finished 12th in football’s second tier last season but find themselves rock-bottom of the table this season with six points and just one win in 11 matches.
But with Wednesday entering administration, the team were automatically docked 12 points to plunge them deeper into the relegation mire. They now sit on -6 points, 15 points from the safety zone.
The same punishment was applied to Derby County in 2021 and resulted in their relegation.
The EFL had also charged Mr Dejphon with causing the club to be in breach of regulations despite his commitment to fund the club’s cash requirements.
Mr Dejphon, whose family controls the seafood giant Thai Union Plc, acknowledged the charges at the time and apologised to everyone connected with the club.
He has been looking to sell Wednesday, which he bought in 2015, for £100 million, a price considered high for a club deep in financial crisis.
Administrators step in
The club said Julian Pitts, Kris Wigfield and Paul Stanley of Begbies Traynor, a company that specialises in corporate restructuring, have been appointed joint administrators of Wednesday and the company that owns Hillsborough stadium.
“The joint administrators have taken over the running of the club with immediate effect to protect the interests of creditors, and to ensure Sheffield Wednesday can continue operating while we seek a new owner as swiftly as possible,” Wigfield said.
“Like many football clubs, it has been trading at a significant loss for several years, with those losses historically funded by the former owner Mr Dejphon.”
In June, Mr Dejphon said he was willing to sell the Yorkshire club. At the end of the month, British media reported the players and staff had again not been paid on time.
The following month, senior players like Josh Windass and Michael Smith left by mutual consent, as did German manager Danny Roehl, who was this week hired by Scottish side Rangers.
“Situations like this are exactly why this government set up the new Independent Football Regulator,” British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said in a statement.
“Owners should be good custodians who act with their club’s best interests in mind and clearly, in this instance, that has not been the case.”
David Kogan, the new chair of the Independent Football Regulator, had said earlier this month that club owners deemed unsuitable could be forced to sell their teams as a last resort.
Owner’s ouster ‘necessary’
Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust said it marked “one of the most bittersweet days in our club’s proud 158-year history” as the club entered administration, but they also described it as a “necessary turning point” to remove Mr Dejphon as the owner.
“Entering administration was the inevitable outcome of years of financial mismanagement, a lack of accountability and repeated failures to engage credible buyers,” it said.
“Administration is not something to be celebrated. It needn’t have ended this way. But we are overjoyed to have Dejphon Chansiri out of our club for good.”
Wednesday fans boycotted their 1-0 home loss against Middlesbrough earlier this week to protest against the club’s ownership. They next host Oxford United on Saturday.
Founded in 1867, Wednesday is one of England’s oldest professional football clubs with a rich early history including FA Cup wins and League titles.
It was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, but it was relegated in 2000, followed by years of financial instability and fluctuation between the Championship and League One.
