Sheffield Wednesday placed in administration

Sheffield Wednesday have been placed in administration and hit with an automatic 12-point deduction by the EFL.

Julian Pitts, Kris Wigfield and Paul Stanley of Begbies Traynor have been appointed joint-administrators after it was revealed His Majesty's Revenue & Customs were set to issue a winding-up petition against the club.

Staff have been briefed, while administrators also held a meeting with players. The Owls host Oxford United at Hillsborough on Saturday (15:00 BST) with the club bottom of the Championship and now on -6 points.

While enforcing the immediate deduction, in a statement the EFL said that administration was "the opportunity to move matters towards a successful sale and secure future under new ownership".

The move into administration effectively ends Dejphon Chansiri's decade-long ownership of the club with the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust confirming their boycott of matches is over.

Seats spelling out Chansiri's name in the North Stand at Hillsborough were removed on Friday afternoon.

In a statement, Sheffield Wednesday said administrators were appointed, "following significant efforts to agree a sale to a credible future custodian in recent weeks which unfortunately could not be concluded and amid rising pressure from creditors."

With confirmation of the club going into administration, the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust (SWST) announced that their boycott of matches at Hillsborough was now over and they are encouraging as many Owls fans as possible to attend the Oxford game on Saturday.

Rob Brookes, a board member of the SWST said: "Communications are going out as we speak to completely reverse the boycott situation.

"Trying to get as many people back into the ground, get people into the club shop, back onto the concourse. We hope it will be a bumper crowd tomorrow."

The news was also acknowledged by the government as Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says that it reinforces their belief in the introduction of an independent football regulator.

"For the fans, staff and players of Sheffield Wednesday this is an extremely worrying situation," said the MP for Wigan. "Having been in this position with my own team, Wigan Athletic, I know everyone who loves the club will be hoping for a resolution as soon as possible.

"Situations like this are exactly why this government set up the new Independent Football Regulator. Owners should be good custodians who act with their club's best interests in mind and clearly, in this instance, that has not been the case.

"We are working quickly to give the regulator the powers it needs so it can better secure the future of football clubs and ensure they remain at the heart of their communities."

The Football Governance Act became law in July, with David Kogan appointed as the first chair of English football's new independent regulator (IFR).

Earlier this month, Kogan said Wednesday's struggles were a "significant problem" and that the watchdog is seeking powers to investigate clubs in such situations.

"We understand this is a difficult time for the fans and staff of Sheffield Wednesday football club," said an IFR spokesperson, following confirmation of the move into administration.

"We are working closely with the government to bring forward our powers as quickly as possible, to be in a position to take action against owners and directors who are not acting in the interests of their club.

"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."

Thai businessman Chansiri took over at Hillsborough in March 2015 with ambitions to lead the club back into the Premier League for the first time since 2000.

They were beaten in the Championship play-off final by Hull City the following May but that was the closest they came to ending their top-flight exile under his ownership and were relegated to League One in 2020-21 after a six-point deduction for breaking spending rules.

Darren Moore led them back to the second tier in 2023 but left by mutual consent shortly afterwards and Danny Rohl then stabilised the club after a wretched start to 2023-24 under Xisco Munoz.

During Chansiri's reign there had previously been some issues with wage payments but things really came to the fore when May's wages were not paid on time, having previously happened in March.

At present, they are under five EFL embargoes and wages have not been paid on time in five of the past seven months.

The highly-rated Rohl, who has now taken over at Rangers, departed in July and his assistant Henrik Pedersen took charge with the club unable to add to their small playing squad because of the financial issues.

As well as protests before and during games this season, fans boycotted the EFL Cup ties with Leeds United and Grimsby Town, while a small number entered the field of play to temporarily halt the 5-0 home reverse by Coventry City and there was then a mass boycott of the league game with Middlesbrough.

Chansiri has been absent from the club for the whole period of turmoil.