Sheffield Wednesday is a dead man walking, it's morally right for EFL to treat them
Alan Biggs on Sheffield Wednesday’s ongoing battle with the EFL
Hate using the same line twice but make no apologies for this: “You can’t kill a dead body.”
Or maybe you can - twice - if the EFL’s overkill on punishment compromises a full rescue of Sheffield Wednesday.
Fortunately, the prospective new owners will not waver on their commitment in even the worst circumstances, according to those they’ve briefed.
But let’s be clear what’s put the club in this critical state - the reckless ownership of Dejphon Chansiri and the EFL’s own failure of governance.
It is not about Wednesday wanting to be treated as a special case. They ARE a special case.
“Unique,” as David Storch, the American businessman fronting the preferred bidders, terms it.
The club has swallowed its potentially lethal medicine; an 18 point deduction allied to numerous embargoes condemning it to relegation and threatening its competitive existence.
It was right - initially - for those punishments to be applied, in my opinion. They are intended, after all, as a deterrent to clubs operating in such chaotic, irresponsible fashion.
But we are well past the point at which fairness and common sense, not to say compassion, should be applied. Even the EFL’s own guidelines include the word “discretion.”
The club in this state is worth only what a properly vetted party (no argument on that requirement) is prepared to pay - in this case £18m.
Arguably way more than it is worth and understandably well below the figure required to pay 25p in the pound to Chansiri and other creditors, the ones genuinely deserving of sympathy.
Considering the many millions needed to make urgent infrastructure repairs and refloat the team, it is frankly barbaric to keep in place both a 15 point penalty next season and severe trading restrictions.
Surely any would-be purchaser would have grounds for second thoughts. Indeed, it was unclear from their statement last week whether Storch’s Arise Capital Partners were being swayed by such doubts.
Interpretations ranged between them preparing the ground to pull out or simply putting public pressure on the EFL to soften their hardline stance. Thankfully, it appears the latter.
Adding to the intrigue, at the outset of their interest the group indicated they would not proceed on minus 15 - and then did so with a winning offer.
Hopefully they will complete the deal, as they intend, because club and fans are desperate for closure on this and the Americans come across as custodians to be trusted.
But what is absolutely clear is that Wednesday are at the centre of a battleground. In such territory, casualties are treated where possible, even by enemies. This is their own side, or should be!
It is not only possible to treat the dead man walking in this case but morally right to do so.