31 July 2025, 17:29 | Updated: 31 July 2025, 17:47
Sheffield Wednesday FC v Millwall FC – Sky Bet Championship.
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Sheffield Wednesday’s players have reportedly refused to play the behind-close-doors friendly against Burnley on Saturday after the club failed to pay their wages on time.
Players were told they wouldn’t be paid their July wages on time at a meeting yesterday afternoon, making it the fourth time their pay has been delayed in the last five months.
Wednesday are currently under an English Football League (EFL) embargo for unpaid transfer fees and unpopular owner Dejphon Chansiri is trying to sell the cash-strapped Championship club.
It comes just hours after the Owls appointed Henrik Pedersen as their new head coach on Thursday following the departure of Danny Rohl.
Saturday’s friendly has now been cancelled after players and coaching staff decided to boycott the match after not receiving July’s monthly salary on time – the third month in a row this has happened.
Rohl left Hillsborough on Tuesday during a chaotic summer which has seen Wednesday placed under a number of embargoes because of financial issues.
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The North stand at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield.
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Alamy
Thai businessman Chansiri is widely unpopular among Owls fans and even local politicians, who blame him for the dire situation the club finds itself in.
The news comes just a day after the club was told it is banned from opening the HIllborough Stadium’s North Stand over safety concerns.
The prohibition notice, issued by Sheffield city council, comes just 10 days before the start of the season.
Sheffield councillor Joe Otten said the decision to close the stand was taken after an assessment “by engineering specialists who can no longer confirm that the North Stand is safe for spectator use”.
The North Stand was built in 1960 and holds 9,255 fans, of which many are season ticket holders. Fans are now unsure if they will be able to attend games during the upcoming season.
Sheffield South MP Clive Betts hit out at Chansiri over the stand closure, criticising his “abject failure” in running Hillsborough.
“This is yet another abject failure of Chansiri who is unable to competently run Sheffield Wednesday,” said Betts.
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“This is just the most recent issue in a host of problems he has brought and failing to recognise and address. Chansiri clearly has no idea what he is doing with the club and should just move on and sell to an owner that will actually care about the club and its fans.”
Wednesday might also face further sanctions because of the repeated delays in paying their players and staff.
The club is currently under a transfer embargo – made worse by a number of first-team players leaving this summer – as their crisis deepens.
Several high-profile players including Josh Windass and Michael Smith have ended their contracts, joining Akin Famewo, Callum Paterson, Mallik Wilks, Pol Valentin and Michael Ihiekwe in leaving on a free transfer.
Wednesday have just over 10 days before they face Leicester City in their first game of the season in the King Power stadium, and its survival in the league this season is far from secure.