Sheffield Wednesday points deduction? Cryptic lawyer message raises questions | OneFootball

Sports lawyer Nick De Marco has delivered a message amid his involvement in the Sheffield Wednesday takeover

Top sports lawyer Nick De Marco has spoken out after being appointed by Sheffield Wednesday's prospective owner, David Storch's Arise consortium.

The Owls, who have already been relegated to League One, are set to be handed a 15-point deduction next term, as Storch's bid fell short of the amount required to pay the creditors 25p in the pound.

Wednesday have already been deducted 18 points this season, thanks to the failed ownership of Dejphon Chansiri, who ultimately dragged the Hillsborough side into administration.

Henrik Pedersen's side still have a negative points tally, having managed just one win in 38 Championship attempts this term.

Nick De Marco issues statement following Sheffield Wednesday appointment

Wednesday travel to fifth-place Hull City this Saturday, and may struggle to earn their second win of the season, even though the Tigers have been on poor form in recent weeks.

Off-pitch matters have now taken centre stage for the Owls, though, as the South Yorkshire club's future will remain unclear until a takeover is completed.

Storch has impressed key figures at Hillsborough, including Pedersen, but the American is now subject to the EFL's Owners' and Directors' Test, and will have to be assessed by the Independent Football Regulator if his transaction isn't completed until May.

Meanwhile, lawyer De Marco, who has been appointed by Wednesday's prospective owners, posted on X: "When it is argued, in various football disputes, that points deductions must be imposed even for inadvertent breaches, in order to vindicate compliant clubs, one has to wonder whether that reflects a genuine commitment to consistent strict enforcement in all cases, or is simply a position adopted for the purposes of a particular case.

"Consistency is very important in sport. The lack of it can undermine public confidence in the integrity of the whole game. I do not comment on any one individual case. I just hope that those involved in the decision-making processes can see the merit in treating each case according to its particular circumstances, rather than being inflexible in some, but very flexible in others.

"That, I am sure, would help restore the confidence in sports arbitration we all wish for."

De Marco has stressed that he is not commenting on one individual case, but his message infers that he may take action against the EFL's decision to deduct the Owls 15 points next term.

Meanwhile, speaking live on talkSPORT on Tuesday, football finance expert Stefan Borson urged Storch to meet with Chansiri to convince the former Wednesday owner to write off the unsecured debts.

However, the Thai businessman has inflicted chaos at the South Yorkshire club, and appears unlikely to perform a good deed following years of poor ownership.

If Chansiri is unwilling to write off the debts for Storch, that is where De Marco's work will likely come in to try and help the Owls avoid a point deduction.

Meanwhile, as reported by the Sheffield Star, Wednesday's weekly wages are set to be capped at £7k per player, which will hamper their chances of being competitive in League One next term.

Nick De Marco will likely be called to action amid Sheffield Wednesday takeover developments

As previously mentioned, Wednesday's two ways of avoiding a 15-point deduction are to either convince Chansiri to write off his debts or to challenge the EFL's ruling via De Marco.

However, it appears significantly more likely that De Marco will be brought to action than Chansiri will do his former side a favour, having done them a major disservice in the recent past.

The Owls' former owner failed to pay staff and player wages on time on numerous occasions in his latter months at the helm, which caused ex-boss Danny Rohl to leave Hillsborough.

Several star players followed Rohl away from South Yorkshire last summer, including Josh Windass, who is vying to help Wrexham win promotion to the Premier League.

Chansiri's damaging legacy lived on into the winter transfer window, as Wednesday legend Barry Bannan moved to Millwall, who are alongside the Red Dragons in the promotion race.