What Dejphon Chansiri has previously said on Sheffield Wednesday’s cashflow problems

Sheffield Wednesday’s problems appear to be mounting.
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The absence of matchday revenue since the start of the coronavirus crisis has hit most clubs and the Owls have struggled since, with reports of unpaid wages at Hillsborough having reared their head on several occasions.

The latest financial bombshell comes with the revelation that senior playing staff contracted into next season are considering issuing a 15-day notice period to the club having not had their wages paid for more than two months.

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It’s an ugly mess for the relegated Owls, who in the coming weeks will be looking to sign a raft of new players as the release of 10 senior men at the end of the month draws ever closer.

Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri.Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri.
Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri.

Speaking on a press call in November last year, Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri warned there could be further issues and that his own business interests have suffered as a result of the pandemic.

He said: “We don’t know if it will last a few years of whatever.

“In this situation it’s all over the world so every business has stopped or gone slow.

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“I don’t what the EFL is going to do or if the Government will support us.

“In the UK I don’t know what the EFL or the Government are planning to do. I don’t see any support. We’ve had this for nearly a year but we don’t see direction, just a void. But the club’s can’t wait because we face a big cost. No one’s trying to support so every club needs to help themselves.

“We are not the only club [with this problem]. All businesses all over the world have collapsed. They stop and slow.”

A similar press call on New Year’s Eve, Chansiri reiterated his stance that clubs including his required outside financial support and spoke of Wednesday’s cashflow issue.

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“In the COVID situation we don’t have any revenue, and at the beginning we thought it’d be just a few months - now it’s nearly a year,” he said.

“Business all over the world has collapsed, and we got hit also because of the cashflow. We don’t keep cash on hand too much.

“The players have now all been paid… I can’t guarantee the future in this situation, because we don’t have revenue.

“In a normal situation we wouldn’t have any issues. In six years it’s never happened. But whoever needs to get money, they’ll get at the end anyway. But we’re not getting any help, not from the EFL or government."

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There’s no doubt that relegation to League One has come at the worst possible time for Wednesday, with football finance experts putting the estimated cost of Championship relegation at somewhere in the region of £8m.

In a statement released in the hours after the drop was confirmed, the Owls owner said: “As your owner and chairman, I take full responsibility for everything that happens at our club.

“I am the leader and in good times or bad, the responsibility for Sheffield Wednesday lies with me. I am sorry to you all that we have been relegated.”

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