The Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust has called on Dejphon Chansiri to sell the club after the near disaster of failed payments to players, claiming that the resolution of the situation “changes nothing.”
Chansiri left it late to sort out the mess that was his players’ March wages, but in the final hours before his club was hit with heavy sanctions, he invested his own £2 million to make sure that the remaining players who were yet to see money come into their bank accounts for the work they did in March got what they were owed.
He admitted just days before today’s (Monday, 7th April) deadline, set by the EFL, that there was no guarantee that his playing staff would receive the money that they were due. Failure to imburse them would have led to an automatic three-window transfer ban, permitting Wednesday from buying any new players until January 2027.
Thankfully for Wednesday the players have been paid in full, as was confirmed by a statement from the club today, but they are not out of the woods yet. Just one more day of late payments in the next three months would put them back in the same situation they were in.
Sheffield Wednesday supporters call for Dejphon Chansiri to go
In light of the news that the Owls avoided the transfer sanctions that stared them in the face, the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust has issued a statement of their own, entitled ‘Press Statement from Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust – Payment of Players – This Changes Nothing’, calling for the club’s owner to part ways with Hillsborough and allow someone else to run and fund Wednesday.
“Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust acknowledges the recent development regarding the payment of players’ wages but firmly believes that this does not address the broader issues facing the club,” the message read.
“While we appreciate that the immediate crisis has been averted, we remain deeply concerned about the long-term stability and management of Sheffield Wednesday.
“We and many others note a pattern here; are these crises genuine, or are they manufactured to create a dependency? We are committed to working with other fan groups and wider agencies to advocate for a change in ownership that will bring sustainable and responsible leadership to our club.
“The trust and confidence of the fans have been repeatedly undermined by ongoing financial mismanagement, and we believe that new ownership is essential to restore stability and pride in Sheffield Wednesday.
“We urge all members of the Sheffield Wednesday community to continue supporting the players, coaching staff, and club employees, who have shown remarkable resilience during these challenging times. Our combined efforts are directed towards ensuring a brighter future for the club, and we will not rest until meaningful changes are achieved.”
Urgent change is needed at Hillsborough
Many dark clouds now linger over the blue side of Sheffield, ones that some supporters thought had been eradicated by their saviour: Danny Rohl. The manager steered the club away from what would have been a certain relegation last season, and set them on an upward trajectory for this campaign. But even Rohl can only do so much when there are so many shackles strapped to him.
| Sheffield Wednesday’s league positions under Danny Rohl (as of 7/4/25) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games played | Wins | Draws | Losses | GD | Points | Position | |
| 2023/24 | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | -24 | 53 | 20th |
| 2024/25 | 40 | 14 | 10 | 16 | -7 | 52 | 13th |
Wednesday have been at constant risk of losing the German this season, with clubs from the Premier League always keeping an eye on the impressive, young boss. Now that threat is even more real. He looked deflated by everything following his side’s 1-0 loss to Hull City on Saturday, in which some players played without having been paid.
Southampton’s removal of Ivan Juric as their boss following their relegation to the Championship presents a new opportunity for Rohl to leave Wednesday should he decide to push for that option.
Even the most loyal Wednesdayite would have to admit that even newly relegated Southampton, who may set the record for the least points scored by a team in Premier League history, are probably a more attractive proposition than what is currently unfolding within the four walls of Hillsborough.
Discussion about this post