Sheffield Wednesday have revealed they have failed to pay their players on time for March, heightening pressure on owner Dejphon Chansiri amid increasing fan discontent
Sheffield Wednesday have failed to pay their players their March salaries on time. The club has blamed the delay on money owed to businesses owned by chairman Dejphon Chansiri causing a cashflow issue.
Thai tuna magnate Chansiri is coming under increasing pressure from the Owls’ fanbase to sell up and this latest development will heighten unrest in the stands at Hillsborough. Wednesday sit 12th in the Championship, five points outside the top six, but supporters are unhappy at how the club is being run.
“Sheffield Wednesday can confirm a temporary issue with the payment of player salaries for the month of March,” the club said in a statement. “This has occurred as a result of significant sums of money owed to the chairman’s businesses which has in turn impacted on the club’s immediate cashflow.
“The chairman is working hard to resolve this situation at the earliest possible opportunity and in the meantime thanks everyone for their patience and understanding.”
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It comes after Chansiri was told a US-based consortium is ready and waiting to buy Wednesday off him, if he is willing to negotiate a fair price for a sale.
Chansiri bought the club from ex-Leicester and Portsmouth chief Milan Mandaric a decade ago. Initial success saw Wednesday flirt with a first return to the Premier League since the turn of the millennium, falling short in successive playoff campaigns.
But the proceeding years have been played out amid a backdrop of chaos, including a points deduction, transfer embargo and relegation to the third tier.
Chansiri even asked supporters to stump up the cash for an unpaid tax bill in 2023 and, at a disastrous fans’ forum earlier this year, told attendees his plan for the future of the club was none of their business.
Wednesday managed to maintain the services of highly-rated coach Danny Rohl earlier this season amid interest from Southampton. Although it may be a different story in the summer with the German’s buy-out clause reportedly smaller for a club in the same division as Saints head back to the second tier.
The Owls face Hull in the Championship on Saturday at Hillsborough. It remains to be seen if players are paid before the Tigers’ visit to South Yorkshire.
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