Sheffield Wednesday became the latest team to face a slew of heavily criticised punishments from the EFL earlier this season, with a series of deductions costing the Owls a total of 18 points.

The beleaguered Owls began the 2025/26 Championship season with a -12 point deficit due to a failure to pay players on time under now-ex-owner Dejphon Chansiri, before losing another six points in December after entering administration and removing the unpopular Thai businessman from Hillsborough.

Henrik Pedersen’s side was always doomed to relegation, having previously been ripped apart during a turbulent summer window that saw the departure of previous manager Danny Rohl, as well as a number of key personalities in the playing roster.

Ultimately, Wednesday became the earliest club to suffer relegation in English Football League history when a 2-1 defeat at Steel City rivals Sheffield United agonisingly confirmed their fate last month, and while there is now renewed hope and optimism surrounding the Owls as David Storch closes in on a long-awaited takeover of the bottom-placed Championship outfit, they are set to begin the following season on -15 points in League One reason is that the current offer does not meet the EFL’s criteria to repay creditors at 25p per pound.

That, of course, refers to the £15 million due to Chansiri, with the 57-year-old’s presence still haunting Wednesday months after his departure.

With Wigan Athletic, Reading, Derby County, and Bolton Wanderers among a slew of EFL clubs receiving points deductions in recent years due to tumultuous ownership situations, questions have long been raised about the game’s rules and clubs in need of assistance – and Wednesday’s own situation has been highlighted once more following a divisive level of punishment to Premier League giants Chelsea.

Chelsea’s penalty criticized in angry Sheffield Wednesday rant

Chelsea was fined £10 million and given a suspended transfer ban on Monday afternoon after being found to have made £47 million in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties for dealings involving unnamed academy players between 2011 and 2018 during Roman Abramovich’s reign at Stamford Bridge.

Although the punishment is the highest in Premier League history, Liam Rosenior’s side has avoided any sporting sanctions. There’s also an immediate nine-month academy transfer ban and a separate £750,000 fine for academy player registration charges, but given the Blues’ staggering financial resources and the scale of points deductions handed out to EFL clubs, it’s natural to wonder if there’s a double-standard policy in place to protect larger sides while failing to provide adequate support to those in need.

This school of thinking was echoed by Sky News’ Sophy Ridge and Wilfred Frost on their Sky News Mornings broadcast, when they both took aim at what they perceive is a lenient punishment for Chelsea while blasting the way Wednesday was dealt with.

Ridge explained: “At the risk of enraging Chelsea fans, £10 million, a suspended transfer ban, and no sporting sanctions, just a fine for something that would’ve clearly given them a sporting advantage – as a Sheffield Wednesday fan, you just look at the difference and how big clubs and smaller clubs are treated.”

Sheffield Wednesday, the only club in English Football League history to be demoted in February, has had 18 points deducted this year. The club is attempting to find an owner and a future for itself, but the situation remains uncertain.We’re learning that we’ll be penalized -15 points next season as well, so how appealing will that be to an owner facing back-to-back relegations?

Frost went on to say, “The Sheffield Wednesday example demonstrates how, when an owner makes an error off the pitch, the consequence for the fans on the pitch may be severe, which, especially when ownership changes, feels excessive.

“Just look at the Premier League; Everton and Nottingham Forest were deducted points (for the 2023/24 season). I believe most fans supported the notion of initially having some regulations to cap people at the top with bottomless funds only to give trophies, but it wasn’t really designed to punish clubs who spent a little more than they planned and then failed to deliver on the field.

“On every level, highlighted again today by this Chelsea fine being so small, you don’t think these rules are really working.”

Sheffield Wednesday will love David Storch’s stance as a new points deduction looms.

Sheffield Wednesday will face a further -15 point deduction ahead of their return to League One, preventing the club from fully moving on from Chansiri’s perilous reign and raising concerns about whether the Owls will have to drop all the way to the fourth tier to begin the full rebuilding process.

In any case, it’s comforting of Storch’s goals and ambitions that the billionaire is still pursuing a buyout despite the immediate challenges that may arise.

It says volumes about his desire to be the man to revitalize Wednesday after years of adversity, and while immediate challenges exist, Wednesdayites can now look forward to a stable and encouraging long-term future once more.