One of England’s oldest clubs, Sheffield Wednesday, is at its lowest ebb, sitting on -6 points at the bottom of the Championship. The 158-year-old club’s “bittersweet” day saw the end of Dejphon Chansiri’s reign but the start of administration and a 12-point penalty.
Chansiri, blamed by fans for “years of financial mismanagement,” appointed administrators as the club faced a $pounds{}$1 million tax bill and an HMRC winding-up petition. The club has also failed to pay staff and players on time for most of the past seven months.
The 12-point deduction leaves the Owls 15 points adrift of safety. Despite this, manager Henrik Pedersen called for a “fresh restart” and said he sees a “bright future” for the “fantastic club.”
Administrator Begbies Traynor is now in charge and will sell the club and stadium “as a whole,” which they called “great news for supporters.”
The Supporters Trust, “overjoyed” at Chansiri’s exit, is now urging fans to “re-engage.” “The club’s most urgent need is stability and income,” the trust said, calling for an end to boycotts.