Sheffield Wednesday players have not been paid for July, the fourth time in five months; highly-rated manager Danny Rawle has left the club; Hillsborough's North Stand has been closed; Wednesday kick off their season on Sunday, August 10, live on Sky Sports.
The new Championship season kicks off in a few days but while optimism and expectations are running high, Sheffield Wednesday are plunged into chaos and uncertainty.
A founding member of the Premier League and based in a city considered the cradle of modern football, the proud old club has been in crisis since the summer with unpaid wages, transfer restrictions and a partial stadium closure.
“It's total chaos. There's no end in sight,” Ian Bennett, chairman of the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters' Trust, told Sky Sports News.
“The problems never stop. You think the next day can't be any worse, and it really is. We're not even sure if we'll play the first game. The fans will support whatever the players do.”
- Sheffield Wednesday have failed to pay the majority of their players' wages again
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Sky Sports has detailed the chaos at Sheffield Wednesday…
What's the latest news?
Sheffield Wednesday's friendly against Burnley scheduled for Saturday has been abandoned following reports that players refused to play behind closed doors without being paid their July wages. It is the fourth time in five months that players have not been paid on time.
On 29 July, the club was forced to close the 9,255-seat North Stand at Hillsborough Stadium after Sheffield City Council issued a restraining order following a meeting with the local safety advisory group.
On the same day, manager Danny Rohl left the club by mutual consent and was replaced by assistant Henrik Pedersen.
Sheffield Wednesday kick off their season on Sunday 10 August against Leicester City (live on Sky Sports) before hosting Bolton in the League Cup first round on Wednesday 15 August.
Sky Sports News has approached the EFL for comment.
Who is the owner of Sheffield Wednesday Dejphon Chansiri?
Pictured: Dejphon Chansiri bought Sheffield Wednesday from Milan Mandaric in January 2015.
Dejphon Chansiri , a 57-year-old Thai businessman whose family owns the international seafood company Thai Union Group, bought Sheffield Wednesday in January 2015 for around £30 million.
He bought the club on Wednesday from Serbian-American businessman Milan Mandaric, previously owner of Portsmouth and Leicester, who rescued the club from administration after taking over in December 2010 and injected £7million to clear debts of more than £20million.
How did we get here?
Concerns over the club's ownership were heightened in July 2020 when Wednesday were given a 12-point penalty for breaching EFL profitability and sustainability regulations during the 2020/21 season. That penalty was later reduced to six points following a successful appeal. However, the Owls were relegated from the Championship, three points adrift of safety.
In May 2023, Wednesday returned to the Championship via the League One play-offs, but in October that year the club faced a transfer embargo for the first time due to debts owed to HMRC.
The debt was repaid the following month, a day after Chansiri appealed to fans to help raise funds.
“If 20,000 people donate £100 each, that's the composition
Sourse: skysports.com
