Sheffield Wednesday enters administration, but fans call it liberation

Sheffield Wednesday have been placed into administration by Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri. After losing 12 points, the club now sits at the bottom of the EFL Championship on minus six points.

This comes after a fan boycott in protest of the club’s mismanagement.

In five of the last seven months, Chansiri had not paid staff and players’ wages, and the EFL put the club under five embargoes. This effectively means it cannot strengthen the team by adding new players or staff members until it has met its current financial responsibilities. Currently, the transfer ban is in place until 2027.

In a statement, Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust said:

Entering administration was the inevitable outcome of years of financial mismanagement, a lack of accountability, and repeated failures to engage credible buyers. Administration is not something to be celebrated. It needn’t have ended this way. But we are overjoyed to have Dejphon Chansiri out of our club for good.

Administration represents a necessary turning point. With the club now totally out of Chansiri’s hands, this may be the first step to getting our Wednesday back. It closes an era defined by poor decisions and deep divisions, both on and off the pitch. Once Hillsborough is recovered from his ownership, Chansiri’s influence will finally be consigned to history, a regrettable chapter in Sheffield Wednesday’s long and storied history.

Sheffield Wednesday: A one-man show

Dejphon Chansiri has a net worth of a ridiculous £437m.

His family fortune comes from Thai Union Group, a “seafood empire” and the world’s largest canned tuna producer, which his father founded. It generates $4.2bn annually. But clearly, none of those funds were available to the Owls.

According to the New York Times, Chansiri did not operate with a board of directors. He was the only shareholder for over a decade. Companies House records show that no one else has held a position of authority since 2019. Chansiri has been trying, and failing, to do it all alone.

Less than an hour after he placed the club into administration, club staff tore the Chansiri seats out of the stadium.

🚨Less than an hour after the club was put into administration, the Chansiri seats are being torn out of the North Stand at Sheffield Wednesday.#SWFC🦉 pic.twitter.com/7Im6WprEDa

— Alex Miller (@AlexJPMiller) October 24, 2025

In a testament to how disliked Chansiri was, over 20,000 fans tuned into the livestream.

20,000 people were watching the livestream of the Chansiri name being removed from the North Stand.

Wednesday fans slowly getting their club back 🦉 pic.twitter.com/9oyD7DrQos

— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) October 24, 2025

Protest works

In the last few months, fans have attempted to starve Chansiri’s income and force him out.

They stopped attending home games, buying club merch, and attendance dropped from an average of over 26,000 last season to under 12,000. It seems the huge financial hit finally pushed Chansiri out.

Whilst the fans are disappointed to have lost points, the reaction on social media has been one of hope and pride. Because they fought for their club — and they won.

Lived in Sheffield for six years and saw how important Sheffield Wednesday is to the city. Well done to every single fan who made sacrifices to ensure Dejphon Chansiri was forced to put the club into administration. Hopefully this is a corner turned. #swfc https://t.co/VgFK3fjIAh

— Jimmy Stone (@JimmyStone_) October 24, 2025

Wish I was in Sheffield to join the party today. -12 points more than worth it. We’re free at last. We’ll be back. Love this club. 💙🦉#WAWAW #WTID https://t.co/WhAYWx0rXQ

— Graham Meakin (@Graham_Meakin) October 24, 2025