MPs make joint statement on Sheffield Wednesday future amid 'legitimate concerns'
Sheffield MPs have released a joint statement in support of Sheffield Wednesday fans’ ‘right to protest’ ahead of action at Hillsborough this weekend.
The Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust has led the organisation of a show of protest against the ownership of club chairman Dejphon Chansiri. Fans will march from the city centre towards Hillsborough ahead of their final home match of the campaign against Portsmouth, with their final stretch to take place through Hillsborough Park towards the stadium.
Ahead of the protest, six politicians met with the Trust on Friday to discuss concerns over the future of the club, citing the ‘legitimate concerns’ of the fan base with regard to the club’s enduring future. They include local MPs Clive Betts, Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh, Gill Furniss, Abdisam Mohamed and Marie Tidball as well as former Home Secretary Lord David Blunkett.
Two Berkshire MPs, Yuan Yang and Matt Rhodda, are also said to have been present having acted in the interests of supporters of crisis club Reading in recent months. Fan pressure has risen on Chansiri in recent weeks after he confirmed to The Star that the club was within days of incurring a three-window EFL registration embargo having failed to pay the payers on time for the month of March due to cashflow issues in his personal businesses - and failed to guarantee similar incidents would not take place in the future.
A statement released on Friday evening read: “Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is an important part of our city’s culture and heritage, and we are determined to work with all involved to ensure the club endures. We support the fans right to peacefully protest and to voice their legitimate concerns. Ultimately, they want what is best for their club, as do we.
“As Sheffield MPs we have met with the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust, and we understand their strength of feeling and their passion for their club. We will be writing to the Chairman with the aim of opening up better communications channels to ensure that constructive and positive discussions can be held to find a long-term solution to the current situation.”