This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Sheffield Wednesday’s future is up in the air at the minute after a string of decisions from the English Football League.
Last month, they charged the south Yorkshire club for financial misconduct over the sale of their Hillsborough stadium to owner Dejphon Chansiri, and since the EFL have now handed several of the Owls hierarchy with a similar penalty, including Chansiri himself.
The Telegraph revealed this week that the Thai businessman faces a potential ban from football altogether, which would leave Wednesday in an awfully precarious situation.
Points deduction?
One potential repercussion from this decision is the potential for a severe points deduction which could scupper any chances the Owls have of gaining promotion. Birmingham City were handed a nine-point penalty back in March this year for breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, coincidentally with Garry Monk in charge there too. A football finance expert has previously revealed that he expects a minimum of 12 points to be taken away from Wednesday, meaning they would go from two points adrift from the playoffs to one point outside of the drop.
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January plans?
If Chansiri does indeed get banned from football, it would seem likely that he would have to relinquish control of the club, which may result in financial issues being left behind, not considering the fact that Monk would probably like to make additions in the January transfer window. All such plans would have to be put on hold or cancelled while the club sorted out its ownership. There are plenty of knock-on effects that could happen.
Squad ambition?
Another consequence may be the impact it actually has on the playing squad, and whilst striker Steven Fletcher has praised the atmosphere this week, the club still haven’t been hit with any form of extreme punishment. The mood amongst the dressing room could quickly drop if they become entangled in a relegation scrap overnight. How many will be willing to get their hands dirty to fight for the club?
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All this uncertainty must be hard to deal with, but the result last weekend against Charlton Athletic, ending a run of five straight matches without victory sheds a tiny ray of light. We will have to wait and find out just how hard the EFL come down on Wednesday.
In other news, one Wednesday ace silenced his haters with an industrious display at The Valley…