EXCLUSIVE: Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri is securing a debt against Hillsborough Stadium. A search to protect a ‘pending charge’ was made at the Land Registry on 30th Sept. The owner of the charge could sell Hillsborough if Wednesday don’t keep up with repayments.

Hillsborough is owned by Sheffield 3 Limited which is controlled by Chansiri. He agreed to pay £60m for the stadium but it's unclear how much has been received by the Owls. The 17/18 accounts showed £7.5m due within one year, but the 18/19 accounts are now 2 months overdue.

The pending charge has been registered by New Avenue Projects Limited. It has previously acted as an intermediary, matching clubs with lenders, and taking a commission. It means financing of the loan is likely to involve a third party.

New Avenue Projects Limited is owned and run by Nigel Weiss, a former city finance lawyer. When asked about the nature of the charge placed on Hillsborough Stadium, Weiss and Sheffield Wednesday declined to comment.

Football clubs across the EFL are struggling with coronavirus restrictions that have forced stadiums to remain closed. The EFL estimates the impact across its three divisions of a full season without fans to be around £250m. More tonight in Football Heaven from 6.