Decisions of significant importance for a football club with a substantial fanbase should indeed undergo careful scrutiny, particularly if they directly impact the fans. In the case of Sheffield Wednesday, owner Dejphon Chansiri’s choice to part ways with the team’s manager, who was also a fan favourite, has triggered a growing and passionate outcry from the supporters.
This tumultuous phase experienced by the club has affected the performance of the team. The new manager has struggled to make any progress as Sheffield Wednesday remains at the bottom of the second-tier
Who is Dejphon Chansiri?
Dejphon Chansiri is a Thai businessman who owns Sheffield Wednesday’s Championship side. The Chansiri family holds control over the Thai Union Group, recognized as the world’s largest producer of canned tuna.
According to Forbes, as of May 7, 2019, the Chansiri family’s estimated worth was $720 million. In January 2015, a consortium led by Chansiri successfully acquired a 100% stake in Sheffield Wednesday from Milan Mandarić for a sum of £37.5 million. Their ambitious goal was to achieve promotion to the Premier League by the year 2017.
Chansiri, Sheffield Wednesday fans clash: Explained
Frustrated Sheffield Wednesday, fans temporarily halted their recent match against Middlesbrough by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch as a form of protest.
They have been unsatisfied with the club’s decision on various levels. Dejphon Chansiri bought the Owls from Milan Mandaric in 2015 but has come under fire over recent months.
Fed-up supporters have launched a number of protests against the Thai businessman ever since he axed Darren Moore, the former Sheffield Wednesday manager, in June, just days after securing promotion back to the Championship.
Dejphon Chansiri has recently complicated matters with his ‘infuriating’ statement. The inciteful that even rival fans picked offence and castigated Dejphon Chansiri.
The statement reads: “Hello to all Sheffield Wednesday fans. I have thought about making this statement for some time, and it is extremely difficult to do something I never thought I would have to do. But in the end, I think it is time to say some things that I feel I have to say before it is too late.
“First of all, I would like to thank all the fans who have supported the club so well over the past nine years or so since I came to Sheffield Wednesday. There has been joy and sorrow, the joy we have shared together and in times of sorrow, we have supported each other.”
“Right now, we are not in a good situation at the table, and I believe that supporters have every right to voice opinions, speak from the heart and say anything they wish about football.
“That is the nature of the game, which I always respect. But I also believe there are limits to balance for the benefit of the club and all other stakeholders as a whole.
He continued in his passionate address, saying, “Fans can complain, criticise, give strong opinions, balanced opinions, say anything you like. But no one has the right to cross the line or the right to try and cause damage, throw insults, or go to my family, which has happened again, which I cannot accept.
“Right now, this is too much. I have always welcomed constructive debate and thought, which is fine, but to the people who have contacted me directly with insults and to my family, I can tell you that I will never accept this.”
Dejphon Chansiri had much more to say, but the whole essence is how the fans have reacted and the toll it’s had on the team’s performance. As it stands, Wednesday finds themselves at the bottom of the second tier and has yet to secure a victory under their new manager, Xisco Munoz.
