Sheffield Wednesday boycotts key as Dejphon Chansiri faces £149m reckoning, ‘I’m hearing…’

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Sheffield Wednesday supporters have ramped up their protest efforts against owner Dejphon Chansiri – and EFL Analysis can exclusively reveal the impact it’s having on the Owls chief.

Wednesday were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town on Tuesday night and are currently in the Championship bottom three, with fierce rivals Sheffield United expected to overtake them soon after the re-appointment of Chris Wilder.

From Wrexham’s owners joining the ‘black and gold until it’s sold’ protest and pledging shirt funds to the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust, to fans boycotting matches and food and drink in the stadium to organising a mock funeral for the club, Owls supporters have been working overtime to try and get Chansiri to sell up.

But just how much of an impact are Sheffield Wednesday fans’ countless demonstrations having on Chansiri?

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Sheffield Wednesday’s fan pressure must continue as fan regulator want to make ‘statement of intent’ with Dejphon Chansiri

Speaking exclusively to EFL Analysis, finance expert Adam Williams explained the potential monetary impact Wednesday’s protests, boycotts and other actions are actually having on their controversial owner.

He said: “Sheffield Wednesday are somewhat unusual in that they don’t separate between matchday income and media revenue in their accounts, so we can’t say with absolute precision how reliant they are on ticketing income. However, we can safely assume that it is around the £9-10m mark, which is towards the top end of the Championship. It’s also about one-third of their total turnover which, for a club with operating losses of £7-9m per season, is very significant.

“The merchandise boycott will have an impact on the top line too. They made £8.4m from sponsorship and retail in the last financial year. Even if you chip, say, 10-15 per cent off that figure, it’s going to have an impact. For every pound they lose in revenue, that’s another pound that Chansiri needs to find from somewhere, on top of the money needed to cover the existing operating losses. Seemingly, he doesn’t have the ability to do that as it is, so further boycotts are going to tighten the screw in that respect.

“Boycotts can be an effective tool, even if it is painful for bedrock fans. I think it can be as much about the optics and keeping the situation in the headlines as much as it is about depriving the Chansiri regime of revenue.”

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Williams says Wednesdayites must make the most of the incoming football regulator, which will cost between £103m and £149m over the first decade of its existence.

“With the new regulator coming in, exerting that kind of pressure could be key,” he said. “At one point, I was sceptical that the regulator would be able to do anything about the Chansiri saga until it was too late, but the mood music I’m hearing now is that they basically want to make a statement of intent.

“I think that is more likely to come in the form of pressurising Chansiri to accept a sale rather than forcing him out per se, but it will be a ‘jump before you’re pushed scenario’. I don’t want to give Wednesday fans false hope, but I’m increasingly confident of that, as are most of the people I speak to.”

Fans feeling ‘numb’ after Sheffield Wednesday Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town

Williams’ revelation will be music to Owls fans ears after Tuesday’s Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town.

Henrik Pedersen’s side lost 1-0 to the League Two Mariners, with his young team dropping out of the competition after pulling off a shock victory against Yorkshire rivals Leeds United in the previous round.

Fans boycotted the fixture in protest, but over 3,000 tickets were still sold in the home end. Plenty of supporters took to social media after the game to express how hard it is to be an Owl at the moment with their club’s future hanging in the balance.

One fan, working as a journalist for the game, summed supporters’ emotions up perfectly, writing: “I walked away from Hillsborough last night feeling completely numb – and that is the worst part in all this. The heart and soul has been ripped out of #SWFC, and it is devastating to see. Right now, it is impossible to find anything to cling onto in the way of hope. Dark times.”

Wednesday will be hoping to bring some joy against Portsmouth at Fratton Park in the Championship this weekend.