Sheffield Wednesday: Planes, protests and a phoenix club – fans of Championship Owls call for Chansiri exit

The introduction of the independent football regulator cannot come soon enough for Wednesday.

It was signed into law last month and will be officially launched later this year, with the Football Governance Act granting powers to a body independent from government and football authorities.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said in July: “This is a huge moment for football fans because we’ve had far too many clubs including mine, Wigan Athletic, at risk from poor ownership and finances.

“This is the moment football fans can breathe a sigh of relief because we are fixing the foundations of football and putting fans back at the heart of the game where they belong.”

Yet while those at Wednesday wait, there is little that can be done via that route.

“I know the secretary of state and sports minister, they both understand the scale of the problems at Wednesday and need for urgency in this,” said Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East and a lifelong Wednesday fan who travelled to Leicester.

“They get the political downside if there’s just-passed legislation but the regulator isn’t able to do anything yet and is sat on their hands as a major football club falls over.”

There is confidence Wednesday will survive, although the will of the people is not enough on its own.

The club received a solidarity payment from the Premier League this week, allowing them to pay off debts to staff, players and other clubs, but that money will not last long. The closure of the North Stand and fan boycott denies the club crucial revenue.

Wednesday are no longer under a transfer embargo, but they cannot pay fees for players – permanent or on loan – until 2027 as they had surpassed 30 days of late payments to clubs.

The EFL has said it is in “advanced discussions” with Chansiri over the sale of the club and former Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor has said he is monitoring the situation, while a US-based consortium told BBC Sheffield in June it had two bids rejected.

But the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust, who paid around £2,500 for the plane and stadium banner, are not waiting around, with plans for a phoenix club already in the works.

“I don’t think we will get to that, but being a responsible supporters’ trust we are putting those plans in place,” said deputy chairman James Silverwood.

“It’s not something you want to be doing under crisis conditions.

“There can be a brighter future. The problem at Sheffield Wednesday is not a lack of credible buyers; the problem is a credible seller.

“Sheffield Wednesday will survive. What damage is done to it before is another question.”