Sheffield Wednesday takeover: Will James Bord pass the EFL's fit and proper test? | OneFootball

As the wait to find out whether James Bord's takeover of Sheffield Wednesday will be approved goes on, we look at the EFL tests he will need to pass.

After being selected as the club's preferred bidder, Sheffield Wednesday are still waiting to discover whether James Bord's proposed takeover will be given approval by the EFL.

Wednesday have been on the market since former owner Dejphon Chansiri put the club into administration in late October following months of financial turmoil and off-field chaos.

After the interested parties were whittled down, former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley and American businessman David Storch were among the final contenders in the frame to buy the Owls, but a consortium led by Bord was chosen as the preferred bidder on Christmas Eve.

Bord is the founder of sports analytics business Short Circuit Science, and he currently holds stakes in Scottish side Dunfermline Athletic, Spanish club Córdoba and Bulgarian outfit Septemvri Sofia, while he recently had a brief and unsuccessful spell as an advisor to Wednesday's Steel City rivals Sheffield United.

Bord's group also includes German-born entrepreneur Felix Roemer and Jordanian Royal Family member Alsharif Faisal Bin Jamil, and they have stated that they want to bring "long-term, responsible investment" to Hillsborough, with "an emphasis on stable governance, operational discipline and data-informed decision-making".

However, the approval process is expected to take several weeks as the EFL closely examine the finances of Bord's consortium, and while the wait for a decision continues, we have taken a look at the tests they will need to pass.

The EFL tests that James Bord will need to pass to complete Sheffield Wednesday takeover

In order to assess whether someone is qualified to act as a director of a club, the EFL must determine whether the individual in question is subject to a Disqualifying Event.

There are a number of issues that could be seen as a Disqualifying Event, including if a person has an interest in more than one club, they are banned by any sport's governing body or they have been involved in two insolvency events since June 2004, whether that is at one or more football clubs.

If an individual has been found to have breached football betting regulations in England and Wales, that may also be viewed as a Disqualifying Event, as well as unspent convictions for offences such as dishonesty, corruption, perverting the course of justice, serious breaches of the Companies Act or crimes that resulted in a prison sentence of 12 months or longer.

A conviction for fraud or an individual being subject to an Individual Voluntary Arrangement or Bankrupt could also see them rejected by the EFL, while further Disqualifying Events were added to the test in 2023, including whether the person has been expelled from sporting clubs in other sports or if they represent a state entity from countries which are sanctioned or are subject to sanctions themselves.

With even more potential Disqualifying Events than those outlined above, it is clear that the EFL are determined to prevent further unsuitable owners from taking control of clubs, and they will be keen to carry out all the necessary due diligence on Bord's consortium before granting approval.

Sheffield Wednesday facing anxious James Bord wait as EFL checks continue

Wednesday's administrators have stressed throughout the takeover process that, as well as seeking to maximise returns for creditors, one of their main priorities has been identifying an owner who can pass the necessary EFL tests.

Given that Bord has been approved to take over clubs in Scotland, Spain and Bulgaria, Owls supporters may have assumed it would be a mere formality for him to be given the green light in England, but it appears this may not be the case.

While Bord is not known to have had any previous criminal convictions or involvement in insolvency events, the fact that he has interests in three other clubs may cause some concern for the EFL, even though all of his stakes are in teams outside England.

It seems the EFL's main worry about Bord's consortium is their funding, and in a recent statement, they insisted that there is "no set timescale" for the approval process to be completed, while they also warned that they will need to seek further information from Wednesday's administrators and Bord's group.

After the nightmare Wednesday endured under Chansiri, the EFL will be particularly cautious when approving a new owner to avoid a repeat of a similar scenario, and while the wait may be frustrating for supporters, it is crucial that Bord and his consortium are thoroughly assessed.