Sheffield Wednesday have failed to pay players on time for the second time this year – and face the prospect of potentially catastrophic football consequences.
At least some players and backroom staff are believed to have not been paid in full on their scheduled pay day in May, as was the case in March. It was also found that several lower-paid non-football personnel had only received £700 of their monthly salary this time.
The Star has seen separate letters from the club to both players and non-footballing personnel apologising for the payment delay, as well as assurances that payments will be issued on Monday.
The Owls face a three-window registration embargo after a failure to fulfill an HMRC payment and March payment concerns brought them to a 29-day record of late payments under the EFL’s ’30-day rule’. The provision was implemented to dissuade teams from repeatedly failing to make key payments.
Speaking to The Star at the time of the March payment issues, Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri cited cashflow issues in his private business dealings and apologized for the club’s problems, saying he was ‘wrong’ to have put the club in that position and that he had done ‘everything his best’ to pay individuals on time and in full. On April 7, payments were made to players, backroom personnel, and a small number of non-football workers who had been owed salary.
Most concerningly, Chansiri told The Star that he couldn’t promise that the problem will not arise again. Just two months later, Wednesday is once again in danger of incurring that embargo, which would limit their transfer activity by prohibiting them from signing any players for transfer or loan fees during three transfer windows. Deals would have to be approved by the authorities, and the Owls’ roster would be limited to 23 players of ‘professional status’.
When it was suggested to the Wednesday owner that a three-window embargo would be ‘catastrophic’ to the club’s progress, Chansiri took a surprisingly philosophical stance, citing League One crisis outfit Reading as an example of how things can be done despite the sanctions. The Royals went on to lose out on a third-tier play-off position and were recently taken over by new owners after a long period of mismanagement and fan outrage.
“You can see even Reading for example, they have had a problem with embargos but they could get promoted,” he told reporters in March. “I don’t always understand why people think it’s bad to do anything other than acquire players. Actually, it makes no difference whether you buy, borrow, or get something for free. It matters whether a player fits into your squad or not. It does not imply that free or loan is always less expensive than buying; in fact, they can be more expensive.
“Of course, certain players may need to be sold, but whatever occurs will happen. Even if we receive an embargo, this does not mean we are unable to bring in players. You may argue that we can only bring in lower-level players, but this relies on how we recruit. Of course, it wouldn’t be as good if you weren’t under embargo, but it won’t be your last day.”
Despite Chansiri’s optimism, recent happenings have raised serious concerns among Wednesday fans about the club’s future, both on and off the pitch.
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