Why Sheffield Wednesday may have to copy Brentford and Brighton owners if takeover happens | OneFootball

The Owls' takeover situation is still up in the air - but what may have to happen to get it done?

It has been well over a month since Sheffield Wednesday named a preferred bidder to bring the club out of administration - but there has been little in the way of movement since.

Whilst the current Owls administration staff from Begbies Traynor, which includes lifelong fan Kris Wigfield, have never publicly named the individual that is at the forefront of the takeover attempt, it is common knowledge that it is entrepreneur and poker player James Bord, as was reported on Christmas Eve.

Takeovers never just happen overnight, especially with the EFL needing to properly analyse Bord and his business practices, along with his partners - Felix Roemer and Alsharif Faisal Bin Jamil - which makes their Owners and Directors Test a complicated and lengthy one.

As well as deciding whether or not the trio are fit and proper enough to become the new custodians of the South Yorkshire club, the EFL may also need Bord to do something else to approve his takeover, given his links to the gambling sector.

Prospective Sheffield Wednesday owner James Bord may have to follow in Tony Bloom and Matthew Benham's footsteps

Whilst Bord is an entrepreneur in his own right, having started up shortcircuit.science, a data science company, he has made a large sum of money in the gambling industry, having been a professional poker player over the years.

And one of his financial partners - the aforementioned Roemer - is said to have made some of his wealth from the trading of cryptocurrency, which may not sit well with the EFL when it's all analysed and put on the table.

The Guardian have recently reported that the EFL are closely looking into where the funds that Bord and co plan to invest are coming from, and that 'due diligence' in the process is only in its early stages - meaning it could be a while before a resolution is reached.

And to pass the checks, Bord and co may have to take a leaf out of the books of two successful football club owners that have their own hands in the gambling industry.

Both Brighton owner Tony Bloom and Brentford's Matthew Benham have taken their respective clubs up the footballing pyramid and consolidated them in the Premier League, and both come from the world of gambling.

Benham founded Smartodds and Bloom started up Starlizard, both of which are the two businessmen's primary businesses away from football, and as part of their agreement as football owners in England, their companies are independently audited on behalf of the FA, which is done to make sure neither are betting on football - which is prohibited for anyone involved in the sport and has been for 12 years.

It is therefore thought that Bord and Roemer would have to agree a similar deal with the FA and then with the EFL to get past the Owners and Directors Test, but it isn't a guarantee that they'd be given permission by either organisation, given Benham and Bloom were both already running their clubs when the gambling rulings came into place.

Sheffield Wednesday takeover saga continuing isn't ideal for worried fanbase

Despite the administration team's statement this week that the sale of the club is progressing, and that the preferred bidder will fund all prospective financial losses of the club, there is still bound to be fears from Owls fans that this could drag on for far too long.

It hasn't been that long since Bord was granted preferred bidder status when you take into account how long takeovers tend to get completed in, so more time is definitely needed to see whether or not the Stanmore-born businessman's wish becomes a reality.

But the closer Wednesday get to the end of the season, the more desperate supporters will want to see a takeover happen, as plans will need to be put in place for the 2026-27 campaign, and to be in the best possible position to bounce straight back in League One, Wednesday will need their new owners in place to make it happen.

Whether that is actually going to happen under Bord remains to be seen, but Wednesday fans may have to wait a while longer until they get full clarity.