Trust chairman position clarified as fall-out from Sheffield Wednesday fan meeting continues
Sheffield Wednesday take on Portsmouth in their final home clash of the season this afternoon, with supporters set to protest the ownership of chairman Dejphon Chansiri.
The fall-out from the publication of the latest Sheffield Wednesday Engagement Panel minutes has rumbled on, with the club having sought to clarify social media posts and speculation around the terms of publication in a Saturday morning statement.
In that statement, the club said they had been informed chairman Ian Bennett had offered his resignation to fellow members of the Trust. The Star have since spoken to Trust board members who have made clear Mr Bennett remains in his post as chair, but did not feel it appropriate to comment on internal discussions in the public domain. Speaking to The Star, Mr Bennett confirmed he would be staying on and addressed protestors at various stages of the action.
Wednesday released 11 pages of minutes on Friday evening following a meeting with members of their Engagement Panel (EP) on April 15. The meeting was called by the EP members in the wake of concerns raised by several fan groups and members of the EP with regard to the continued ownership of chairman Dejphon Chansiri following his failure to pay players and some staff on time for the month of March.
The agreed process of the publication of EP minutes is that they are signed off by both the club and the wider EP itself, with the EP signing off as one body. The Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust - newly reinstalled to the panel - later announced on social media platform X - formerly Twitter - that as an individual group on the EP they had not signed off the minutes as they felt they ‘did not represent a fair reflection of the meeting’.
Other supporter groups on the EP received criticism subsequently voiced their opposition to the post, with one account suggesting the Trust had ‘gone rogue’. It’s understood Mr Bennett denies sending the post personally.
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The Trust later sought to clarify the situation, posting: “Would like to say that all Members of the EP are Wednesday Through and Through and the Trust stand with them 100%. The voting through of the minutes did not reflect any pandering to Chansiri. It was a decision that it would not be possible to get everything in there from a 6 hour meeting. Other groups also voted against not just us. The ones voting for and against doggedly held Chansiri to account alongside us.”
The Saturday morning statement released by Wednesday read: “Sheffield Wednesday wish to clarify the X post by the SWFC Supporters Trust in relation to the recently published minutes from last week’s Supporter Engagement Panel meeting. Minutes were taken by SWFC and issued to all members of the panel on Wednesday afternoon for their comments alongside a request for any amendments they wished to include.
“We received the feedback the following day and the SWFC Trust did not offer any amendments or changes. There were a number of requests from other members that were actioned. The club updated the minutes and resent to the panel. A vote was then taken and the overwhelming majority voted that the minutes offered a fair and balanced view of the meeting.
“The only comment made by the Trust referred to a brief debate on foreign ownerships not relevant to this part of the meeting. For the avoidance of doubt, the Trust then agreed to pass the minutes, which were signed off by the panel on behalf of all attendees.
“We were therefore shocked and disappointed to read the X post when the panel, including the Trust, had informed the club that the minutes were signed off. The Trust’s subsequent actions not only contradicted their earlier agreement but has also undermined the panel and its members who dedicate their time and efforts into the process.
“The club have since been informed that the chair of the Trust, who was the only Trust member at the meeting, has tendered his resignation given the actions of his colleagues as he was not made aware of the X post and did not support it. The panel spent a significant amount of time ensuring they were in agreement that the minutes were fair and balanced, hence their publication.”