Former Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri has been handed a three-year ban from owning an EFL club, following his departure from Hillsborough after the club entered administration.
Chansiri’s troubled stewardship has been widely documented, with Wednesday supporters enduring relegation to League One and severe financial instability during his tenure.
Remarkably, fans even greeted the announcement of administration with relief, seeing it as the long-awaited end to a reign they felt had dragged the club to breaking point. His failure to pay player wages on time was a major flashpoint in the final stages of his ownership, as his willingness—or ability—to continue funding the club dwindled.
Although Sheffield Wednesday themselves have faced penalties for Chansiri’s mismanagement, many fans see those consequences as worth it simply to have him gone. But Chansiri, too, has now felt the fallout, receiving a three-year ban from involvement in any EFL club.
With the ban newly confirmed, Football League World has examined when the Thai businessman could legally return to football ownership in England.
When Chansiri Could Return
The EFL has seen numerous examples of poor ownership over the years, and Chansiri’s decade in charge stands out due to the prolonged period of instability, ultimately ending with administration and a significant points deduction.
The ban issued against Chansiri prevents him from serving as a director or owner of any EFL club for three years. As a result, the earliest he could re-enter English football as an owner would be late 2028—assuming any club would even consider selling to him after his controversial track record.
While he is blocked from English clubs, the sanction does not cover football organisations abroad. Chansiri could therefore explore ownership opportunities outside the UK if he wishes to remain involved in the sport, although foreign clubs unfamiliar with his time at Sheffield Wednesday may be unaware of the risks.
Is a Three-Year Ban Enough?
Sheffield Wednesday supporters have suffered through a decade of instability under Chansiri, culminating in administration and a drop to League One. Unfortunately, their story mirrors a pattern seen too often in the EFL—wealthy owners arriving with big promises, only for their clubs to end up in financial chaos, or worse, liquidation.
The EFL’s fit and proper ownership tests are designed to prevent such situations, but Chansiri’s example shows that those assessments do not always catch long-term risks.
Given the extent of the damage done at Wednesday, some argue that a three-year ban is too lenient. Many believe Chansiri has demonstrated that he is not suitable to run a football club, and that allowing him the opportunity to return in just three years risks the same problems occurring elsewhere. Ideally, critics say, he should not be permitted to own a club again at all—but the current sanctions will give him that chance.
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