How Sheffield Wednesday fans planned to protest against Dejphon Chansiri for the Steel City derby - it's hilarious | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday fans were willing to take their protest against former owner Dejphon Chansiri to the next level

Sheffield Wednesday supporters planned to protest Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership at the Steel City derby in amusing fashion before he placed the club into administration.

Before the Thai businessman was forced to relinquish his control of the Owls, fans were protesting his rule in a number of ways, such as not attending matches, marching outside Hillsborough, as well as not buying merchandise and confectionery from the club.

Despite not paying players on time for five of the last seven months of his rule and having repeatedly been told that placing Wednesday into administration was the best route forward, Chansiri seemed insistent on remaining as the Steel City side’s owner.

With the end still seemingly not in sight, the Owls’ faithful had begun to plan a huge display of protest for their clash with rivals Sheffield United in November, which would’ve taken a comedic twist.

Sheffield Wednesday fans were to fly Dejphon Chansiri blimp during Steel City derby

Whilst more traditional forms of protest had already been practiced by the Owls during the opening stages of the season, things were set to be turned up a notch heading into the Steel City derby.

As per the Sheffield Star, plans had been made to float a 15-foot blimp of Chansiri dressed as a clown-haired baby. This is said to have been inspired by the ‘Donald Trump baby balloon’ displayed in London’s Parliament Square in 2018.

Quotes were reportedly sought and an image was created by a specialist company, with the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust ready to expend a four-figure sum to make the stunt happen.

However, due to Chansiri placing the Owls into administration in late October, these plans didn’t end up seeing the light of day and there will be no blimp of the comically dressed Thai businessman floating over Hillsborough.

Sheffield Wednesday protest shows the effort that went into disposing of Dejphon Chansiri

Now, with potential new owners such as Mike Ashley and John McEvoy still keen on buying Wednesday, the days of protesting Chansiri’s rule already seem long gone.

However, the Thai businessman may still have been in charge for the Steel City derby if it wasn’t for the action taken by Wednesday’s supporters.

Ultimately, Chansiri was forced to place the club into administration after failing to satisfy a £1m HMRC bill, a process that would've been sped up due to the money he was losing from supporters not going to matches and spending money at the ground.

Their constant protest raised global awareness of the situation and helped drive Chansiri out of the club. Although the blimp never came to life, it highlights the extent to which the Owls’ faithful were willing to go to secure a brighter future for their club.