(Credit: Getty, Imago)

Edward Bazeley

Thu 31 July 2025 15:03, UK

Sheffield Wednesday are set to travel to Burnley for a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

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However, the fixture has been cast into doubt as Sheffield Wednesday players could boycott their matches thanks to the severe financial shortcomings of Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership.

July is set to mark the third consecutive month in which the Owls squad will receive their wages late, as the beginning of the new Championship season looms.

Chansiri’s financial mismanagement was largely responsible for boss Danny Rohl leaving Sheffield Wednesday, while the summer has also witnessed several high-profile player exits.

Chansiri has failed to pay his staff and players on time (Credit: Imago)

Wednesday’s pre-season schedule has been heavily dictated by the monetary chaos in South Yorkshire, but the friendly with Burnley on 2 August allows new boss Henrik Pedersen to test his shrinking squad up against Premier League opponents.

The Clarets did the double over Rohl’s former club in the Championship last term on their way to sealing automatic promotion.

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Meanwhile, as reported by the Burnley Express on Thursday, 31 July, the Lancashire club have offered to fund Wednesday’s overnight stay ahead of Saturday’s behind-closed-doors friendly.

Scott Parker’s men are also set to face Stoke City on 2 August as they ramp up their preparations for the upcoming Premier League season.

Football Insider verdict

Burnley deserve great credit for stepping in and offering to help their former Championship rivals amid increasingly testing times at Sheffield Wednesday.

OpponentDateLeicester (A)10/08Stoke (H)16/08Wrexham (A)23/08Wednesday could refuse to play in the Championship

However, the Turf Moor side’s kind gesture may not be enough to ensure that this weekend’s scheduled fixture at Gawthorpe takes place.

Because the Owls squad have been told they are unlikely to receive this month’s wages on time, with the deadline looming at the end of Thursday, 31 July, they could refuse to play in August’s Championship fixtures.

Should Pedersen’s side choose to take that action, they would also likely refuse to travel to Lancashire on Saturday, to display their understandable discontent towards Chansiri.

Furthermore, because Saturday’s fixture is behind closed doors, the Wednesday squad will not feel that they are letting supporters down if they don’t play Burnley.

Meanwhile, amid the worsening crisis in S6, very few Owls fans will blame their side if they even go on to boycott next month’s Championship fixtures as well as their scheduled Carabao Cup clash at Bolton Wanderers.

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