Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri has said that he will not “put additional money into the club” following insults directed at him from supporters.
The Championship side are currently bottom of England’s second tier after being winless from their opening eight matches.
It has resulted in growing pressure from supporters, who have aimed criticism at Chansiri over recent years.
Calls have been made from fans asking for Chansiri to go, but in a statement released on Friday, he argued that any arranged protests would be a “waste of time” and that anyone wanting to buy the club should “show me the proof of funds and submit an offer in the professional way”.
He said: “From now, I will not put additional money into the club. If you say you are the owner and I am the custodian, then show me how to be the good owner and help save your club.
“You want me to leave but you want me to spend money? If you want me to leave, then show me how to run the club and invest the money before I do that. You have no right to ask me to leave. I am the one who saved the club and spent the money for the club, I am the one who needs to pay around £2million on average every month. Some fans need to have more respect for owners of clubs and not be so selfish, thinking of their own benefit without doing anything good to the club. This is not acceptable and as a result I am not willing to inject more money while I am being treated unfairly by those fans.
“The club needs support from everyone during difficult times. In football, there are good times and not so good times. It is easy to celebrate good times but we must support each other in difficult times. I think at the moment, it is too much, with some people crossing the line. For example, as a club we have made many statements about the conduct of supporters, and those who have broken the regulations could lead to us receiving fines from the FA. Some clubs have been fined up to £100,000 for breaking the regulations and of course this is something we do not wish to see at Sheffield Wednesday. Coming onto the pitch at the end of the game against Peterborough, throwing objects onto the pitch against Middlesbrough, these situations can cost clubs a lot of money which again is my responsibility.
“Regarding protests, I do not believe this can help our club. The people who are trying to organise these protests are not prepared to identify themselves, while they are happy to encourage other fans to show themselves, how can this help? Protests are a waste of time. I would like these fans to show me how much you love your club, do not damage it. I do not want to fight with anyone but to use your words – ‘enough is enough’. Please do not damage our own club, otherwise these fans need to take all responsibilities and liabilities.”
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Chansiri, who led a consortium to buy Wednesday in January 2015 from Milan Mandaric, previously targeted promotion to the Premier League by 2017.
But having spent the previous two seasons in League One, Wednesday have so far struggled in 2023-24 and look no closer to reaching the top flight.
“I know there are people who wish for me to leave. I personally have never said a single word on my valuation of Sheffield Wednesday or how much I would want to sell Sheffield Wednesday for, because I have never considered selling,” he added.
“It is easy – someone come forward, and if I am satisfied that the club will better prosper, then we can talk. Some fans say there are many people wanting to buy football clubs but it is not just about money, it is about the right person or organisation who will take good care of the club.There was speculation recently from an interested party but it was said I refused to talk about the sale of the club. This is not correct.
“It is simple, if you want to buy the club, show me the proof of funds and submit an offer in the professional way. I met this person as a sponsor and I did not know who he was representing but the same applies, show me the proof of funds and submit an offer. Neither of these two things happened and as a sponsor, his business was yet to pay the full amount for the sponsorship so how could I sell the club like this anyway?
“If anyone wants to buy the club, they should act professionally and follow the correct process. All the information required is published in the accounts every year, there is nothing to hide. When I bought Sheffield Wednesday, would Milan have sold it to me if he was not satisfied with my offer? All I want and all I have ever wanted is the best for Sheffield Wednesday and if anyone wishes to invest and come and do a better job, then we can talk. Until that happens I will continue to try my best and focus on trying to help us move up the Championship table.”
Wednesday are next in action this evening, at home to Sunderland in the Championship.
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(Photo: Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)