As Sheffield Wednesday’s takeover saga drags on following the Owls’ admission to administration and the long-awaited departure of grossly unpopular, now-former chairman Dejphon Chansiri, the new owners of the Championship club — whoever they are — have been urged to make one major change at Hillsborough.
No lack of names have been associated with a takeover of the second-tier’s bottom-placed club, which is set for relegation to League One after suffering a further six-point sanction from the EFL this week.
For the time being, it is unclear who will take over at Hillsborough following Chansiri’s much-anticipated departure, with the Owls’ current administrators set to determine preferred bidder status on Friday, December 5 – the deadline for the two-week negotiating period with interested parties.
However, whomever completes the takeover of the Steel City side has been urged to demolish Hillsborough’s Leppings Lane End, which was the site of a horrific crush during an FA Cup match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool in April 1989, killing 97 fans.
The problematic stand is still in use today, and the majority of Wednesday supporters think that once the club is under new ownership and has renewed capacity to invest, action must be made to demolish the Leppings Lane End.
Sheffield MP Clive Betts argues for the destruction of the Leppings Lane End at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium.
Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts, who attends each home game on Wednesday, has expressed his displeasure with the prolonged usage of the Leppings Lane End, demanding for the controversial stand to be destroyed when the new owners take over.
Betts has maintained that the stand is “almost untouched” and has described how he intends to have the new owners demolish it. Betts believes it is a “disgrace” that the Leppings Lane End is still in operation and has received just minor renovations, given the enormity of the Hillsborough disaster.
The MP told BBC Radio Sheffield: “I go to Hillsborough for every home game. I stand on the Kop and gaze across to the West Stand, the Leppings Lane End, where 97 people died 36 years ago.
“And it’s still there, basically undisturbed, with some improvements to the capacity and such. However, the stance has remained mostly intact.
“One of the things I would ask the new owner of Sheffield Wednesday, when they are announced in the coming days, is that one of their objectives be whether their club moves grounds or redevelops Hillsborough. Let’s put that stand down.
“It is, you know, a memorial of itself to that terrible tragedy, and in some ways it’s quite awful it is there 36 years later.”
When asked if he believes the stand should be fully demolished, Betts replied, “Yes, absolutely.
“After speaking with some of my colleagues, who are Liverpool MPs, last night, I believe they would also strongly endorse this.
“I think it’s a disgrace, not only to Wednesday but to the football world, that the building is still there, mostly unchanged, where 97 people died.
Sheffield Wednesday fans respond to Clive Betts’ statement to new Owls owners from the Leppings Lane Stand.
BBC Sheffield released the film on X, and it has struck a chord of agreement among Wednesdayites and others.
Many Wednesday fans, particularly those who grew up supporting the club before and during the Hillsborough disaster, are still outraged that the Leppings Lane Stand still exists 36 years later.
This one fan agrees with Betts, and he believes that the FA and government should bear the majority of the cost of destruction and future reconstruction, citing the loss of millions of dollars in revenue.
It’s also argued that action should have been taken soon after the Hillsborough diaster took place, as voiced by this Wednesdayite.
Meanwhile, this fan has argued that completely rebuilding the stadium would be a good thing, describing it as a sign of “instant ambition” from the Owls’ new owners.
Wednesday supporters are not the only ones who agree. It may be difficult for Wednesdayites and Sheffield United fans to agree, but this Blades fan understands Betts’ concern and says the stand remains a “death trap” due to the concourse’s restricted capacity.
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