The players of crisis club Sheffield Wednesday have taken the powerful step of issuing a statement calling for information amid continued turmoil at Hillsborough – and suggesting further wage delays may trigger a strike.
In a forthright message the group, hit by ongoing late payments amid financial troubles, have explained their decision to withdraw from the weekend’s friendly with Burnley and warned of further action, but insist they will not ‘down tools’.
Amid EFL fears that the Championship side will be unable to fulfil their first fixture of the season at Leicester City on Sunday, the group has expressed its own concerns over a ‘lack of clarity’ in what appears to be a dig at under-fire owner Dejphon Chansiri, with the clock seemingly ticking on the historic Owls’ future.
Wednesday have endured a summer of carnage, with players leaving, wages late four months out of five and their 9,000 North Stand currently closed for safety reasons. Manager Danny Rohl has departed, with the club under transfer embargo and subject to EFL charges which may lead to points deductions. Thai businessman Chansiri insists he is willing to sell, but the picture in South Yorkshire appears to be grave at best.
The group say they have ‘made it clear to the club that we want this situation to be addressed as soon as possible so decisions taken like the one not to play at Burnley are avoided in the future’. They add: ‘We can then all move forward together as a club.’
The players also say both they and staff ‘are now feeling real, practical impacts in their professional and personal lives and are extremely concerned at the lack of clarity regarding what is happening and when this will be resolved’.
Mail Sport reported that the behind-closed-doors match at Burnley was to be called off, despite the Lancashire side offering to pay for accommodation.
‘The decision taken by the players to withdraw from the planned friendly with Burnley was not taken lightly or without consideration,’ the statement adds. ‘We are fully aware of the added concern this will have caused supporters but trust there is a real understanding of the difficult position we have been put in.’
There are now obvious concerns over how what is left of the club’s squad will fare in the forthcoming campaign, but the players say they will be giving it their all.
‘We want to reassure fans that there has not been, and will not be, any ‘downing of tools’ by any of us on the training ground, and we are all working as hard as we can and supporting each other, the manager and staff,’ they add.
The statement also asks for sympathy for those who work at the former Premier League giants.
‘This has been a worrying time for us as players but, whist we are often the ones in the spotlight, we are not the only ones involved,’ it reads. ‘We stand together in support with all our colleagues employed by the club who have been affected.
