By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Sheffield Wednesday have been given a 12-point deduction by the EFL, taking them to -6 at the bottom of the Championship.
The points deduction comes after the club filed a notice to appoint an administrator on Friday at a specialist companies court.
The club’s financial issues under current owner Dejphon Chansiri have been well-documented, with reports that a winding-up order from HMRC was imminent.
“The EFL can confirm that it has now received formal notice that Dejphon Chansiri, the director of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, has taken the necessary steps to appoint administrators to both the club and also the company which owns Hillsborough,” an EFL statement said.
“Whilst this development results in the automatic deduction of 12 points in accordance with regulations agreed by all clubs, it also presents Sheffield Wednesday with the opportunity to move matters towards a successful sale and secure future under new ownership. The EFL will now engage in discussions with the administrators in respect of the immediate actions required to enable them to achieve an early resolution.”
Wednesday did not make any immediate comment but are expected to release a statement in due course.
Fans have held protests calling on Chansiri to sell throughout the season,including during Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup tie against Middlesbrough at Hillsborough.
Supporters boycotted the game in their thousands in a bid to force Chansiri out.
Wednesday have been placed under various embargoes amid tax debts and after failing to pay players and staff on time on five separate 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. They won promotion back to the Championship in 2023.