Point deduction rules as Sheffield Wednesday players go unpaid again – More problems
Sheffield Wednesday have failed to pay all players’ wages for March and will automatically face a transfer embargo.
Wednesday, who sit 12th in the Championship – five points short of the play-offs and 10 ahead of Stoke City, have blamed the issue on cashflow problems at owner Dejphon Chansiri’s businesses. The family of Chansiri, who took over the club 10 years ago, runs Thai Union Group, the world’s largest producer of canned tuna.
Players’ wages had previously gone unpaid in the final months of the 2020/21 season before they were settled in June 2021. In October 2023, Chansiri asked fans to raise £2 million to help pay an outstanding debt to HM Revenue and Customs and cover wages.
In November last year, Wednesday were placed under a registration embargo by the EFL regarding a debt to HMRC.
When Reading failed to pay players in 2023, it was reported the non-binding EFL guidelines stated that clubs could face a three point deduction for each late payment breach, although the league sought a four-point penalty in that case, with a further four suspended. They ended up having one point taken away.
Wigan were docked four points twice by an independent disciplinary commission in 2023 for paying players late in March and May of that year, meaning they started the 2023/24 season on minus eight points.
Morecambe had a suspended three-point deduction when they failed to pay players wages in March 2023.
A statement from Sheffield Wednesday said: “Sheffield Wednesday can confirm a temporary issue with the payment of player salaries for the month of March. This has occurred as a result of significant sums of money owed to the chairman’s businesses which has in turn impacted on the club’s immediate cashflow.
“The chairman is working hard to resolve this situation at the earliest possible opportunity and in the meantime thanks everyone for their patience and understanding.”
Clubs are obliged to notify the EFL within two working days “if they have failed to meet their financial obligations to a player or players” and any default will be subject to an immediate registration embargo.
Ian Bennett, chairman of Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust, said in a statement published by the Sheffield Star: “We are very concerned once again about the financial instability affecting the club and the implications it may have on its operations and reputation. The Trust wants to see full transparency and accountability in addressing these issues.
“We urge the chairman to resolve the situation immediately to ensure the payment of the players and staff, as is their contractual right. This development will understandably have left fans feeling uneasy about the club’s immediate future. Fans were already saying enough is enough. We just can’t go on like this.”
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