Exclusive:Sheffield Wednesday are in administration - Dejphon Chansiri's reign is over
Sheffield Wednesday have officially been placed in administration, The Star can reveal alongside BBC Sheffield, with Dejphon Chansiri having relinquished control of the club after a decade.
The Owls have been locked in severe financial issues for some time and amid a sustained threat of a winding-up petition from HMRC, it appears Chansiri has seen no other option but to instruct administrators who on the receipt of legal confirmation after 11.59am on October 24 2025 have taken on the running and management of the club. It comes after a great deal of back-and-forth between the Chansiri camp and authorities in the UK over the last fortnight.
The news means Wednesday are liable for an EFL points deduction which is expected to be 12 points. Pre-existing EFL proceedings that could lead to a further points deduction are ongoing. It leaves an already against-all-odds relegation scrap looking more doomed, but marks the firm beginning of the end of Chansiri’s failed management of the club.
The Thai remains as owner of Wednesday in name, though the appointed administrators are now tasked with ensuring the club continues to operate and that jobs are preserved, as well as taking on the responsibility of a sales process that ensures creditors are satisfied. The Star can reveal discussion around the possibility of administration have been taking place behind the scenes since October 8, after HMRC threatened to issue a winding-up petition on the club amid continued unpaid debts. This week a six-figure debt was added to an existing £1m figure owed to HMRC.
Who are Sheffield Wednesday’s administrators?
It can be revealed that the appointed administrators are Julian Pitts, Paul Stanley and Kris Wigfield, all of Begbies Traynor Group. The firm has previous experience of the administration of football clubs having taken on the restructuring and sales process of then-crisis clubs such as Bournemouth, Wigan Athletic, Southampton and Bolton Wanderers within the last two decades.
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It is also confirmed that the three men have been appointed to oversee the administration of Sheffield 3 Ltd, the company that owns Hillsborough stadium. As reported by The Star last month, a £7.4m debt on the stadium was owed to New Avenue Projects Ltd with enforcement action set to take place if debts could not be settled. The appointment of Begbies Traynor as administrators to both the club and the company that owns the stadium will allow for the two cases to be sold as one entity by a prospective buyer.
Still some uncertainty at Sheffield Wednesday
Though the news marks the end of Chansiri’s failed leadership of the club, it does bring a level of uncertainty with regard to the immediate future and the club’s next ownership. It is claimed the administrators are already in ‘active discussions’ with interested parties and that Wednesday remains an attractive proposition to prospective buyers.
The administrators will also take on the handling of satisfying outstanding creditors, of which Chansiri is the largest one. The Star is told that in accordance with insolvency law, payment to creditors including Chansiri will be taken from the eventual sale of the club, with EFL rules stating unsecured creditors must be paid a minimum of 25 pence for every pound owed.
All administrator fees will also be taken from sale proceeds. Previous similar cases have seen these fees run into a seven-figure sum. All revenue taken during administration - including matchday, retail and merchandise revenue - will go into the upkeep of the day-to-day running of the club.
No timescale set on a Sheffield Wednesday sale
Without the true test of buyer interest within the administration process and of due diligence processes, no timescale has been immediately set on a sales process, though the administrators have committed to selling the club ‘as quickly as possible while ensuring the club’s long-term stability.’ The Star has been aware of interested parties around the acquisition of the club over the last months.
Supporter spending is expected to be vital to the upkeep of the club throughout the administration process and fan-led boycotts brought in in protest against Chansiri’s ownership are expected to be reversed. Administrators do not anticipate any concern with regard to the completion of matches in the short term, with a confidence that a swift and full return of the financial support of the Wednesday fan base will cover day-to-day expenditure.
This is the first time Sheffield Wednesday have been placed in administration in its storied 158-year history. It is the eighth time since its rebrand in 2004 that a Championship club has been placed in administration.