The BBC exclusively reported on Wednesday that after Sheffield Wednesday's Thai owner, Dejphon Chansiri, has been officially listed as a judgement defaulter for repeatedly failing to pay staff wages and his taxes, he has not only refused to sell his shares but has also repeatedly told His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officials investigating the club's finances, to "go to hell," sparking renewed controversy.

According to the report, Chansiri has been severely warned by the English Football League (EFL) for repeatedly failing to pay players and staff wages since October 2023, as well as numerous tax arrears.

Despite dozens of concessions from the EFL, Chansiri has shown no remorse. Finally, after Sky Sports reported on Wednesday that he had failed to pay players and staff for the third consecutive month, the EFL finally gave up and officially designated Chansiri a judgement defaulter. They ordered him to sell all his shares before the start of the new season and imposed a three-window transfer ban on Sheffield Wednesday.

The report also added that despite multiple offers from potential buyers, Chansiri has consistently refused to sell, citing his £100 million valuation for the club.

This valuation is four times higher than that of the international accounting firm Deloitte.

Due to the severity of the situation, the EFL has commissioned His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to investigate the club's financial situation.

Unexpectedly, when HMRC officials emailed Chansiri to question him about his outstanding tax and debt obligations totaling £4 million, Chansiri aggressively told them to "go to hell."

Chansiri refusal to acknowledge his irresponsible behaviour and his arrogant attitude have led to the resignation of German manager Danny Rohl from the club following his rude treatment of HMRC officials.

Furthermore, due to the transfer ban, Sheffield Wednesday cannot re-sign players whose contracts have expired. Two key strikers, Josh Windass and Michael Smith, have already decided to leave the club, joining Preston North End and newly promoted Wrexham, respectively. This has forced the club to cancel its first pre-season friendly match of the summer due to a shortage of players.

Currently, media and fans are concerned about Sheffield Wednesday's ability to have enough players for their EFL Championship opener against Leicester City and resolve all of the club's issues before the new season starts.

The Owls have become the first English club, following Morecambe, to be driven to the brink of bankruptcy by a dishonest owners this summer. They are also the third EFL club, following Bury and Macclesfield Town, to fall prey to financial trouble due to poor management by their owners.

It is worth noting that this is not Chansiri's first scandal.

Chansiri asked fans to help him raise £2 million to help Sheffield Wednesday end its sanctions for violating the English Football League (EFL)'s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and its ban on signings during the transfer window, but his tone was extremely harsh.

In addition to pressuring each fan to contribute £100, Chansiri threatened them, "If you don't want to save the club you support, then don't call yourself the club's largest shareholder, or the owner, or the club's guardian."

At the time, Chansiri had already threatened to refuse funding, unwilling to accept fans' criticism of his style.

Once the news broke, Chansiri was once again heavily criticized by fans and the media.

At the time, British online media outlet HITC Sport described Chansiri's ownership of Sheffield Wednesday as "England's worst owner" and criticized him for his complete lack of respect for the fans.

The report at the time pointed out that Chansiri's claim that the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the club's financial well-being was unfounded. This was because even before the outbreak, Chansiri had been spending lavishly on transfers without prior consideration, offering players illogically exorbitant wages. These players had largely underperformed, leaving few clubs interested. Therefore, the media outlet stated that Chansiri must be held accountable for his willful behaviour.

The report also criticized Chansiri's frequent threats to withdraw funding from the club and his constant shifting of the responsibility for the club's operating funds onto the fans.

The media outlet criticized Chansiri's actions as childish and irresponsible, and expressed hope that Sheffield Wednesday, a historic club, would find a new owner soon so that Chansiri's nightmarish ownership could be put to an end.

Furthermore, after acquiring a stake in the club, Chansiri lavishly acquired dozens of underperforming players in the first three years, resulting in their exorbitant wages becoming a constant drag on the club's finances.

Because he disliked having others around him acting as his agents so he could exercise absolute control, Chansiri took on all necessary club decision-making power, including the manager's authority over signings and squad selection. Consequently, Sheffield Wednesday frequently experienced a turnover of several managers within a single year.

Previously, Jamaican manager Darren Moore was also dismissed for no apparent reason after leading the club to an shock title win in League One.

About Dejphon Chansiri

Chansiri, 55, was born in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 3, 1968. His family owns the Thai Union Group (TUF), one of the world's largest exporters of canned tuna. His personal net worth is estimated at US$200 million.

Chansiri bought Sheffield Wednesday for £37.5 million in January 2015, becoming the second Thai group to become the largest shareholder of an English club after Leicester City's largest shareholder, King Power Group.