Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust announce 'next stage' of anti-Dejphon Chansiri plans
The Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust have called upon all fans to boycott the upcoming game against Middlesbrough.
The Owls remain in limbo, with payments for September still not paid and the club under embargo for various breaches by the English Football League that has put a halt on any much-needed recruitment. Dejphon Chansiri appears to be clinging on rather than looking to sell the club despite his obvious problems, and it’s led to various forms of protest from the supporters.
Over the weekend a number of them braved the consequences of running onto the field in order to show their displeasure, and the SWST says that their latest round of action is done ‘in solidarity’ with those who did so. They’ve called for a full boycott of the Boro game as well as any early-bird season tickets that go on sale as part of a statement released on Sunday.
What the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust have said
“Fellow Wednesdayites,” it read. “The crisis at Sheffield Wednesday under Dejphon Chansiri's ownership is not a short-term slump; it is a long-term issue. It has been years of decline, division, and disconnection from the community that has given this club life.
“In solidarity with fellow supporters who yesterday risked jobs and livelihoods to protest against Dejphon Chansiri, we today announce the next stage in our campaign to convince him to sell our club.
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- We ask our members and wider fanbase not to purchase season tickets during any early-bird phase of sales, which we believe is likely to come earlier than ever before, possibly even during October.
- We're asking everyone who can, including season ticket holders, to go a step further now and enact a full boycott of the home game against Middlesbrough, live on Sky on 22nd October.
“The Middlesbrough game is a prime opportunity to communicate to Chansiri via national media that we will not continue to fund our own decline. Your empty seat will speak louder than a thousand words. Instead, we ask supporters to watch the Middlesbrough game at your local pub in Sheffield, ensuring your hard-earned money stays in our community.
“Meanwhile, our defunding campaign has been a success, but the single biggest financial lifeline available to the Chansiri regime remains season ticket revenue. That cash flowing into the club could keep Chansiri around for months. It must be denied to him. Every pound spent in the ground helps to extend his campaign of destruction. Every penny saved to spend under a new owner brings our brighter future one small step closer.
“The retail boycott has already shown the strength of our collective action. Its impact has been real, it has been felt, and it can be seen in every shuttered kiosk and closed fanzone. Change will come when we all understand the power we hold together. Use it. Embrace it. And together we can build a better future for Sheffield Wednesday.”
Wednesday have one match to play, away at Charlton Athletic, before the game against Boro rolls around, and the hope is that the latest plan will see the lowest attendance at Hillsborough for a league game of the entire Chansiri era.
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