17 hours ago
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Championship side Sheffield Wednesday could be hit with a staggering points deduction after failing to pay players on schedule for five of the last seven months.
The Owls have endured a torrid financial time under owner Dejphon Chansiri, who has faced repeated calls to sell the club after both players and support staff were left unpaid.
The club is currently under a transfer ban until January 2027 after receiving previous sanctions from the EFL for financial mismanagement.
Fans have been protesting Chansiri's ownership since the beginning of the season, when supporters at their opening match against Leicester City staged a coordinated walk-in in the fifth minute of the game.
Disapproval for how the club has been run has even impacted the club's mascot, with Barney the Owl displaying a scarf in the yellow-and-black colours fans have been using to protest Chansiri on the sidelines.
But fans could be in for yet more misery should the EFL decide to punish the club with a mammoth 15-point deduction.
Sheffield Wednesday could face a staggering 15-point deduction after failing to pay players
Fans have been protesting the club's ownership in their number since the start of the season
Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri has overseen a period of financial mismanagement
The EFL will likely charge the club for breaking their financial regulations, with an independent disciplinary commission then weighing in on the sanction required.
As per the EFL's regulations, clubs can be subject to a deduction of three points per late payment - although the precedence of how other clubs have been punished for similar breaches could enter into play.
As per the Sun, Sheffield Wednesday's punishment could fall closer to the eight-point deduction handed to Wigan during the 2023-24 season for their three failures to meet specific funding deadlines.
With a deadline set for Sheffield Wednesday on Monday, some players - including junior players and some administrative staff - are thought to have been paid on time, but some senior players are not believed to have received their wages.
Fans are set to continue protests when the side face Coventry this week.
At Leicester in August, fans flew a banner over the King Power Stadium calling for Chansiri's departure, and waved flag which included the slogans 'SWFC For Sale - Enough Is Enough', 'Chansiri Out', and 'Chansiri = Poison! Keep Fighting SWFC'.
The Yorkshire side currently sit in the relegation places after a sorry start to their season, recording just one league win against Portsmouth.
