Simon Jordan slams EFL and Dejphon Chansiri over possible Sheffield Wednesday points deduction
English Football League and former Owls owner come under fire from pundit over ‘flawed’ ruling
Simon Jordan has criticised the English Football League regarding a possible points deduction for Sheffield Wednesday, saying they do not have the ‘balls’ to admit their rules are ‘flawed.’
The Owls could be hit with a 15-point deduction in League One next season because a proposed takeover by a small consortium led by American businessman David Storch will not result in unsecured creditors receiving 25p in the pound. The EFL is adamant that it is a solid rule but others have argued that it is only ‘guidance’.
Storch has told the Owls’ supporters’ trust that he will recompense locally-based creditors but not former club owner Dejphon Chansiri who has made a claim for a large sum following administration. Storch has stated that the EFL is standing firm on the 15-point deduction and that intentions to challenge the ruling in arbitration have been rejected by the authority.
Speaking on talkSport, Jordan, who showed early interest in buying Wednesday with his friend and entrepreneur Ryan Howsam but opted against it because of the 25p rule, said: “Everyone knows that administration can’t be a benefit to clubs but when you have been depleted, demoralised and debilitated you have not got much left and you are building up from the bottom.
“Here we are now with the Football League not having the balls to turn round and say actually it is not a rule, it is guidance. I said this three months ago and one of the reasons I pulled out with my friend Ryan was that I am not paying this 25p in the pound because I want to nick this football club to invest in it going forward. If it is going to take five years of my life I don’t want to give any money to anyone else while I build it.”
He continued: “The Independent Regulator should be saying this is flawed, why is more money going out of the game? We want more money in the game? Not more money going out of the game to someone who ruined the football club. My view is that the rules are wrong, they should be dramatically changed.”
The former Crystal Palace chairman also indicated that the EFL will be under pressure from its other member clubs to make sure Wednesday do not benefit from administration in any way.
He explained: “When you look at clubs in administration, If you look at the state of them, they are carcasses. They normally don’t have any facilities, they normally don’t have a playing squad, they have normally lost all of their assets so you are already into rebuild mode. But that is not good enough, you have to be completely and utterly under the heel of everyone else under the Football League otherwise they are not happy and they think you have got an advantage.”
If former owner Chansiri, who is the main unsecured creditor, was to withdraw his claim then The Owls could avoid a points deduction but so far he has not been forthcoming.
“He’s got no love for Sheffield Wednesday,” Jordan said of Chansiri. “He has done £250m in cold blood. Chansiri doesn’t live in this country, he doesn’t support Sheffield Wednesday, he has done £250m and he wants £25-30m back or whatever it is.”