Exclusive: Sheffield Wednesday ‘fail to pay’ players April wages

Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri is under renewed scrutiny after it was alleged that he failed to pay the players before their crucial match against Nottingham Forest.

Wednesday are fighting for their Championship lives and scraped a goalless draw with Forest on Saturday to set up a monumental final-day survival showdown with Derby.

With Derby losing 2-1 at Swansea later on Saturday afternoon, Wednesday will preserve their status in the second-tier if they beat Wayne Rooney's struggling team at Pride Park this weekend. They, however, also need Rotherham to fail to beat Luton on Tuesday night.

But Chansiri's alleged failure to pay the players their April wages on Friday will have come as a damaging blow to morale, 24 hours before such a huge game in their recent history.

It is alleged that Wednesday's players are also still waiting for their wages from March. Wednesday declined to comment on Sunday afternoon.

Their season has been plagued by many other claims of unpaid wages, while they started the campaign with a six-point deduction after being found guilty of breaching financial rules by the EFL. The initial punishment was for 12 points, but Wednesday succeeded in reducing the amount after an appeal.

Darren Moore is the club's third permanent manager of the season, after the departures of Garry Monk and Tony Pulis. A former Premier League manager of the year, Pulis was sacked in December after just ten matches in charge.

Wednesday are now facing a pivotal 90 minutes this weekend as they bid to avoid dropping into League One. After the draw with Forest, in which goalkeeper Keiren Westwood saved a Lewis Grabban penalty, Wednesday are currently 23rd in the table, three points behind Derby who have lost six games in a row.

Moore could return for Saturday's game after missing the last four matches with coronavirus-induced pneumonia.

Moore's assistant, Jamie Smith, said: “We now have a huge week ahead and it’s going to the final day.

“All we can do is focus on ourselves because we are heading for a huge game at Derby this week.

“We have a whole week on the training ground to get the squad prepared for what will be a defining game.”