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Sheffield Wednesday have filed a notice to appoint an administrator, court records show. The notice was filed at 10.01am on Friday at a specialist companies court.
The club’s financial issues under their owner, Dejphon Chansiri, have been well-documented, with reports that a winding-up order from HMRC was imminent. Now, a notice to appoint an administrator has been filed at the Insolvency and Companies Court, which is a specialist court within the high court.
Wednesday did not make any immediate comment but are expected to release a statement in due course. Under EFL rules, the club would face a 12-point penalty for entering administration. That would put Wednesday, who are bottom of the Championship, on -6 points.
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The EFL said in August it was deeply concerned about the club’s financial situation. The manager Danny Röhl and several key players departed in the summer and Wednesday began the season with only 15 first-team players.
Many Wednesday supporters boycotted a home game against Leeds in the Carabao Cup in protest against Chansiri, who took over in 2015 from Milan Mandaric, and thousands also stayed away from the home game against Middlesbrough two days ago. Chansiri has said he is willing to sell but has dismissed at least two bids because they have not matched his asking price.
Wednesday won promotion to the Championship in 2023 and face an uphill battle to avoid dropping back into the third tier. The club have been placed under various EFL embargoes in relation to tax debts and for failing to pay players and staff on time on five occasions this year, including in September.
In the 2020-21 season Wednesday were deducted six points for breaking the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules and were relegated to League One as a result.
