Independent Football Regulator says new powers to ‘shut out rogue owners’ will be implemented ‘as soon as possible’
The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) could force Dejphon Chansiri out of Sheffield Wednesday within weeks, it can be revealed.
In its first major policy announcement since the Football Governance Bill became law, the IFR said new powers to “shut out rogue owners” would be implemented “as soon as possible”.
Those measures include the ability to force such owners to “divest from a club”, something the English Football League (EFL) has admitted it has been unable to do with Chansiri.
On Thursday, the IFR confirmed the launch of a five-and-a-half-week “consultation” on its proposed powers, to which it said it would respond before the new regime went “live”.
The news emerged days after EFL chairman Rick Parry warned the likes of Chansiri of the impending threat of the regulator.
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Parry told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The EFL has powers to disqualify owners in clearly limited situations; it can’t be subjective and it can only happen if they’ve failed fairly dismally on a variety of fronts.
“The regulator will be able to order owners to sell clubs within a defined timescale, and if they’re not meeting that commitment then the regulator will be able to appoint a trustee to go in and actually run the club.
“So, actually, its message to owners at the moment is, ‘It’s probably better dealing with the EFL and meeting your commitments rather than taking your chance with the regulator, because the powers will definitely be more stringent and that power to order owners to divest is extraordinarily powerful’.”
The IFR announcement was made amid calls from the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust for fans to stay away from the club’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Grimsby Town on September 16 in protest over Chansiri’s ongoing ownership.
They have since received the backing of Grimsby fan group the Mariners Trust, which has encouraged supporters to boycott buying food and drink at the match at Hillsborough.
“In solidarity with their cause, the travelling Mariners are encouraged to join the boycott by refraining from buying any pints, pies, or other items inside the stadium,” the Mariners Trust said in a statement.
“They would also appreciate it if our fans wore last season’s yellow shirt to show our support for [Wednesday supporters’] black and gold campaign.
“Football clubs belong to their communities and must be protected from poor ownership and management.”
Despite several offers to buy cash-strapped Wednesday and a growing clamour for him to sell up, Chansiri remains in control of the club.
Various embargoes have been placed on the Championship side for tax debts, late payments to players and staff, while money owed to rival teams has left them in a perilous financial position.
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