Sheffield Wednesday are rock bottom of the Championship and 15 points adrift of safety after owner Dejphon Chansiri put the club into administration. The move triggered an automatic 12-point deduction, dropping the Owls to a bleak -6 points.
The club’s financial situation had become untenable, with “significant loss for several years,” according to the administrator. Debts include $pounds{}$1 million to HMRC, and the club has repeatedly failed to pay staff and player wages, prompting an exodus over the summer.
For the fans, the news is “bittersweet.” The Supporters Trust, which had led boycotts, said it was “overjoyed” to see Chansiri gone, blaming his “financial mismanagement” for the crisis. Seats bearing his name were quickly removed from the stadium.
Administrator Begbies Traynor is now in charge, with the immediate task of finding a new owner. They will market the club and Hillsborough stadium as a single package to “protect the interests of creditors” and ensure the club’s operation.
Despite the near-impossible task ahead, manager Henrik Pedersen remains hopeful. He called it a “fresh restart” for a “fantastic club” and vowed, “We will keep fighting… I have a big belief we can survive.”