Sheffield Wednesday Supporters' Trust calls for regulator to step in over 15 point penalty
Owls' prospective new owner David Storch revealed he'd been told of the punishment yesterday
Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust wants the Independent Football Regulator to intervene over the English Football League’s decision to impose a 15-point penalty on the club next season.
The Owls’ prospective new owner, American businessman David Storch, has also called for independent arbitration, but said he was still committed to completing his takeover in May.
Wednesday went into administration last October and Storch was informed by the EFL that they would start next season in League One with a 15-point penalty as his ÂŁ20million bid was not enough to sufficiently cover money owed to unsecured creditors.
His bid will represent about 6p in the pound to the unsecured creditors – previous owner Dejphon Chansiri is owed a reported £63.1m – and is well short of the 25p in the pound required to avoid the sanction.
The Trust said the 15-point deduction was “unacceptable” without “a clear path to an independent hearing or appeal regarding the circumstances involved”.
A Trust statement read: “We are not asking the EFL to abandon its rules. We are asking for independent scrutiny before a sanction of this scale is imposed.
“The prospective owners have stated that they requested independent arbitration, which was refused. This should concern anyone who values integrity, transparency and accountability in football governance.”
The statement added: “The Trust will write to the Independent Football Regulator to ask it to ensure the league’s approach receives external scrutiny.
“If the EFL continues to refuse an independent process, we may take additional steps (to) include formally raising concerns with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and continuing to work with local MPs to ensure proper examination of this issue.”
Storch pledged the consortium still intended to complete a takeover by May 1, but said the EFL must recognise the “unique” nature of the Owls’ situation.
Storch said the facilities at Wednesday’s Hillsborough home were “inadequate” and “the full scale of the serious infrastructure challenges has become apparent” during the due diligence process.
“Sheffield Wednesday is worth saving. We believe in its supporters, its history and its future,” said Storch.
“And, as we have shown to date, we remain prepared to invest the time, capital and energy required to rebuild this club properly – from its infrastructure to its footballing foundations.
“We are simply asking to be heard properly, for the circumstances to be fully considered and for a decision that reflects the reality on the ground – not one that risks further harm to a club facing extraordinary challenges and that has already suffered substantial penalties.”
The EFL has made no comment on Storch’s statement, but the Press Association understands the league is continuing to work with both the administrators and preferred bidders to find an agreeable conclusion to the matter.
The Owls have been deducted 18 points in total this season for breaching finance rules under Chansiri and inevitable relegation was confirmed in February – the earliest in EFL history.