Exclusive:Bizarre twist in tale behind Sheffield Wednesday pitch invasion by little people
Sheffield Wednesday’s end of season celebrations on Saturday were momentarily interrupted by two pitch invaders.
A Sheffield Wednesday pitch invasion by two social media content creators that appeared to have been funded by a former would-be owner may not be all it seems, The Star understands.
In the moments after Wednesday beat West Bromwich Albion to record their first home victory of the season, two people with dwarfism rushed their way onto the pitch, with one evading the pursuit of stewards for some time. The scene received an excitable reception from a sold-out Hillsborough, with on-field Owls players visibly amused.
The pair, who are known as ‘Likkle Man’ and ‘Kane West’ and share a combined social media following of 1.4m, later uploaded videos of their escapades to social media that showed they were wearing t-shirts brandishing the logo of gambling and crypto casino Gamdom, a company owned by former would-be Owls co-owner Felix Roemer.
Roemer was a primary investor in the James Bord consortium that withdrew from its status as Wednesday’s preferred bidder in March. Videos were later uploaded that saw members of the pair’s wider party standing outside Hillsborough suggesting they had completed Roemer’s mission and their t-shirts also included the words ‘Relegation Party’ - leading many to believe the events to have been some sort of prank by the German entrepreneur.
However, in response to an invitation to comment from The Star, Roemer has denied any involvement and claims the stunt to have been organised by a rival website owner in a ‘trolling’ attempt. It is also claimed the rival runs a website that carries a range of bizarre ‘fake news’ stories about the German tech mogul, some of which were discovered online by Wednesday supporters during the Bord consortium’s attempts to buy the club. Roemer also expressed his delight that Wednesday had won the match.
The pranksters were joined at Hillsborough by a number of friends and are understood to have watched the match from a hospitality box. The Star has had suggestions that they purchased hire of the box having offered the club hefty fees for front row seats only to be told the match was sold-out.
It’s understood that new Wednesday owner David Storch, whose unveiling provided an emotional centre-piece to the afternoon, visited each of the hospitality boxes before the game - including that of the pranksters - and left their room to some bemusement after they appeared to have no clear interest in Sheffield Wednesday.
The bizarre tale has been taken as light-hearted fun by the spectators present but may have more serious consequences for the Owls in that they may be liable for an FA fine for a failure to comply with FA Rule E21, which pertains to the encroachment of unpermitted people onto a playing surface. Clubs can be charged and sanctioned by an independent FA Regulatory Commission.
It’s understood that the pranksters have not yet been banned by Wednesday but will be subject to the relevant internal processes. Owls fans who suggested ‘Likkle Man’ showed a turn of pace that could be handy in League One next season will hope leniency is shown.