Already relegated Championship side Sheffield Wednesday face starting the 2026/27 League One season with a further points deduction.
Under EFL rules, all ‘football creditors’ must be paid in full by anyone wishing to take over a club, and other creditors must be paid 25p on the pound, says Sky Sports‘ Rob Dorsett having looked at the EFL rules.
Dejphon Chansiri must be paid £15million of the £60million he is owed if Wednesday’s new owners are to start 2026/27 without a deduction.
#swfc look set to start life in Lg1 with 15-point deduction because no-one currently trying to buy the club is prepared to pay £15m to Dejphon Chansiri. Means breach of EFL rules to pay 25% to existing creditors. David Storch and Mike Ashley front runners, others in background.
— Rob Dorsett (@RobDorsettSky) March 10, 2026
BREAKING: Sheffield Wednesday look set to start life in League One next season with a 15-point deduction, because none of the bidders currently trying to buy the club is prepared to pay £15m to the outgoing owner, Dejphon Chansiri. pic.twitter.com/UoAgIMsB4p
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 10, 2026
Rob Dorsett said: “I’m told that Sheffield Wednesday are almost certain to start life in League One next season with a 15 point deduction because none of the parties bidding to buy the club right now is prepared to pay £15 million to the outgoing owner Dejphon Chansiri and that will come as a body blow to Wednesday supporters.
“It was still reeling from what you’re looking at now on your screen, pictures of Sheffield Wednesday becoming the first championship club ever to be relegated as early as February.
“But they did hope that they would start in League One with new ownership and a fresh next season and the information I have is that that’s going to be problematic.
“Now under EFL rules, anybody taking over a football club has to pay football creditors in full, 100% of the debt that they are owed.
“Now football creditors include other football clubs who are owed transfer fees, players wages for example, football agents who are owed fees, that sort of thing.
“And every other creditor, everybody else who is owed money by the football club that’s gone into administration, has to be paid at 25p in the pound, so 25% of their debt.
“Now Chansiri put £60 million worth of loans into Sheffield Wednesday in his time at the club. He is still the club’s single biggest creditor and so as such anybody that buys the club has to pay him £15 million, a quarter of that £60 million, or otherwise they will fall foul of the EFL rules.
“And it’s been made very clear to me today that none of the parties who are bidding to buy Sheffield Wednesday is prepared to pay Chansiri that money.
“James Bord, the former professional poker player who had preferred bidder status and who was prepared to buy the club and who pulled out of the deal two weeks ago, he was prepared to pay Chansiri £15 million as part of the deal which would have avoided the 15-point penalty, but none of the current bidders that are interested in buying Sheffield Wednesday are prepared to do so.
“And so the reality is, it’s almost certain, unless something significant changes between now and when the club is sold, that Sheffield Wednesday will start life in League One next season with a 15-point deduction.”
Sky Sports add that the EFL are ready to move quickly, once a new offer is provisionally accepted by Begbies Traynor, Wednesday’s administrator.
All parties hope that another preferred bidder could be appointed later this week, though no timeframe is guaranteed
Here’s how fans reacted as Sheffield Wednesday face starting the 2026/27 League One season with a further points deduction…
@stewallace86: Do you not think the fans and the club have been punished enough? Why keep punishing them over and over for having an owner who isn’t fit for purpose? One that also passed all the required checks from the EFL. Doesn’t seem fair.
@StuartHibbert01: We’re going to have to suck it up, but the rules need changing before the next club goes into admin. Poor owners should get nothing and possibly try to pay the other creditors more.
@owl_s74: Pay £15m to a failed owner , now banned by the EFL 😂 Rules are rules and we have to accept it, but what a sham , EFL clubs need to get together and change this , cannot be allowed to happen to the next club that ends up in this situation
@Justom29:
Those -15 point bastard owls
League 2 ole ole
#swfc
@consikora: Everything wrong with the EFL model, punish the owner not the club and fans. #swfc
@knowlesm: Seems astonishing to me that the football authorities can get medieval on the ass of #swfc and keep hammering it down like they did with #lufc before but #mcfc keep on skating while the likes of #efc and #nffc get slaps on the wrist. The rule book and punishments need codifying.
@Swfc_Owls: Well it’s looking like a -15 point start for Sheff Wed in L1? After all the point deductions we already had.! Anyone know how Man City getting on with their 115 breaches? That’s been dragging on for like 3 yrs? Just asking.!! #swfc
@CJLewis_90: Lots of doom and gloom. I’d rather be defiant until we know more. Tsamina Mina, Ey Ey, Waka Waka Wednesday, 15 points, who gives a fuck, We’re going straight back up! Look at the atmosphere in the away end at Derby, let’s not lose that defiant spirit! Stick together 🦉🎶 #swfc
@swfc1712: I’d rather take the 15 point deduction than giving Chansiri any money. Let the new owners invest the 15 million into the club instead of that narcissist. #SWFC