Exclusive: Sheffield Wednesday unable to offer expected pay date with financial priority made clear
Employees at the club were given advance warning that the payment of their salaries on Monday – their scheduled payday – was ‘unconfirmed’, with subsequent apologies made when payments were missed. The club have been sanctioned by the EFL for a failure to meet several financial obligations, including HMRC payments and payments to other clubs for previous transfers. Owner Dejphon Chansiri has been charged individually and appeals have been launched.
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Rumours of a mass walk-out by non-footballing employees this week are believed to be wide of the mark and in an end of week correspondence from the club – seen by The Star – staff and players have been thanked for their continued support of the club in what has been another difficult week. Those behind the scenes at the club are believed to have shown a great togetherness in difficult circumstances having also been paid late for their work in the month of May.
On Monday Wednesday employees were warned that not it was not guaranteed that every application to a ‘hardship fund’ could be satisfied as the club continues to navigate the difficult financial situation it finds itself in. The process of the fund is understood to have been successful. Some payments of £700 are believed to have been made to non-footballing staff
Staff and players are advised, however, that the club are unable to provide an expected payment date as their troubles continue. With monies overdue in a number of areas, it is stated that the payment of their staff is their first priority and that payments will be made as soon as it is possible to do so.
It reads in part: “Regrettably, the situation has not changed and we are still unable to confirm a payment date for all outstanding salaries. These payments remain our number one priority. The Chairman and SMT continue to work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this situation to a positive resolution as quickly as possible.
“We completely understand the pressure this puts on each and every one of you and are extremely grateful for the professionalism and patience being shown by everybody across the Club.”
Your next Sheffield Wednesday read: More Sheffield Wednesday players considering notice hand-in as crisis deepens
This is doomsday for Sheffield Wednesday
Six players have handed in their notice over unpaid wages with the club operating under a strict transfer embargo
My 2024-25 season started at Sheffield Wednesday. Warm August sunshine, raucous Hillsborough, 4-0 home win and Danny Rohl signed up to a new contract. New season optimism is a powerful drug, one that distracts from most negative inflections. Sheffield Wednesday felt like they might finally be going places.
That is the first lesson in this calamitous mess: leadership will always be instructive in the end. You can sign players, keep managers and win matches emphatically, but all are ultimately only short-term, temporary relief. If the top of a football club is rotting away, the furniture will eventually get water damage.
The nightmare scenario has arrived. Sheffield Wednesday have repeatedly not paid their players on time, but more thought goes to the club staff who have suffered similar treatment and are likely not to have the same financial security as those on the pitch.
Six players, we are told, have handed in their notice and are free to negotiate exits from their contracts. A transfer ban has been imposed that will last until 2027. Barry Bannan, an immensely popular servant, has left.
Rohl, that pillar of Sheffield Wednesday optimism, has made it clear that he is sick of managing with a backdrop of chaos. Most of his support staff have seen their contracts formally expire.
In some quarters, that has led to accusations towards Rohl of jumping ship when the club needs him most. But he is just a manager and must look after his own career eventually. Supporters have no choice but to stick; nobody else can be blamed for wanting out.
The training ground underwent improvements this summer that have not yet been finished. No pre-season tour has been announced. No pre-season fixtures are currently scheduled and the season starts in six weeks.
Thoughts return to the optimism of last August. Now few can even bear the thought of being back at Hillsborough. When they do, outright mutiny will be prevalent.
The club’s official supporters trust this week called for a boycott on all merchandise and retail.
It goes without saying: Sheffield Wednesday need a new owner and a new era. If lasting damage has already been inflicted, football clubs are resilient beasts and an expedited sale may allow some catch-up on lost time. But time ticks and supporters fear an explosion to match the implosion they have witnessed.
Dejphon Chansiri, Wednesday’s owner, has used the club’s website to hit back at external criticism and vowed that he will always seek the best eventually for the club.
Those claims fall entirely upon deaf ears for as long as reports suggest a significant gap between what Chansiri expects from his sale and what potential buyers value the club at. Apologies have been made for the late payments; few are prepared to accept them.
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