Sheffield Wednesday have been placed into administration by owner Dejphon Chansiri, who has also taken the same step for the company that owns Hillsborough Stadium. The English Football League has immediately deducted 12 points from the club, leaving them bottom of the Championship on -6 points, 13 adrift of safety.
Chansiri, whose family controls a major canned tuna business, bought the club for £30m in 2015. His tenure has been marked by rising ticket prices, frequent managerial changes, and multiple financial sanctions. The EFL first charged the club over its accounts in 2019, and a subsequent 12-point deduction in 2020 (reduced to six on appeal) contributed to relegation to League One. After returning to the Championship in 2023, Wednesday faced transfer embargoes over unpaid taxes and wages, culminating in five sanctions this summer. Reports that HMRC was about to issue a winding-up petition prompted Chansiri to pre-emptively request administration.
Administrators from Begbie Traynor now control day-to-day operations. Their aim is to stabilise finances and find a new owner. Joint-administrator Paul Stanley said: 'Our immediate priority is to ensure that we are able to operate as normal for the next home fixture against Oxford United on Saturday.' Under the football-creditors rule, players and staff will be paid first, followed by secured and then unsecured creditors. Chansiri, who has reportedly lent the club £100m, is an unsecured creditor and is unlikely to recover his loans in full.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy described the situation as 'exactly why this government set up the new independent football regulator'. The regulator, expected to be fully operational by the 2027-28 season, will conduct enhanced owners’ and directors’ tests and require clubs to maintain sufficient cash reserves. A spokesperson for the IFR said: 'It is unacceptable that fans of football clubs face this level of uncertainty. Our regime will work to prevent instability and protect clubs for the benefit of supporters and their communities.'
