Tuna brand John West make surprise 'corporate statement' regarding Sheffield Wednesday
The South Yorkshire crisis club is into a second week of late payments to employees and after a repeat failure to fulfil financial obligations on time and have been slapped with EFL charges - with club owner Dejphon Chansiri handed a charge himself. The club were given two weeks to respond to the charges. There remains no clear public indication of when the financial problems might be rectified.
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Hide AdChansiri’s family are the owners of the Thai Union Group who acquired MWBrands, the company that owned John West among other brands, in 2010 for a reported $883m. The deal was reported to have made John West the world’s largest producer of canned tuna. Now, amid rising controversy at Hillsborough, John West have sought to clarify that neither they or the Thai Union Group have a financial interest or connection with the club itself.
A statement released on the @johnwest_uk X account read: “Corporate Statement regarding SWFC: Neither Thai Union Group nor John West Foods have any financial interest in, or connection with, Sheffield Wednesday F.C. For further info, please contact the club directly: [email protected] Thank you.”
The continued ownership of Chansiri has raised controversy in recent years, with large-scale protest in April coming after a delay in paying the full March wages of players, some backroom staff and a small number of senior staff. Wednesday supporters have raised in their opposition to the Thai’s running of the club in recent years and with the latest financial debacle having left some lower-paid, non-football employees waiting on their full expected pay some nine days on from payday, many believe it paints an increasingly concerning future for the club.
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