A statement and letter to Sheffield Wednesday fans has been issued after the Bord consortium’s takeover COLLAPSES.
Further chaos for the relegated club, they hoped to secure a deal for a new buyer by Christmas. The deadline passed, and now Bord’s proposal has collapsed allegedly over a difference in what they were prepared to offer and the club’s valuation, as per the Daily Mail.
It is also reported that there had been concerns regarding the costs needed to give Hillsborough the revamp it needs.
The Owls have been in administration since October 2025 when the former owner Dejphon Chansiri left the club.
🚨MAJOR BREAKING
🦉The Bord group takeover of Sheffield Wednesday is OFF
❌Differences between offer (c £40m) & actual valuation after due diligence blamed but sources say complying with regulations ‘an issue’
🏟️Cost of upgrading Hillsborough played role
🗣️Group: ‘The dream can’t…— Mike Keegan (@MikeKeegan_DM) February 25, 2026
An open letter to Sheffield Wednesday fans from the Bord consortium’s James Bord, Felix Romer and Abdullah Faisal Bin Jamil:
“To all the long-suffering fans of this great Club, it is with the greatest regret that we have decided not to pursue our bid to become your new custodians.
“We have fondly watched Wednesday from afar for many years.
“It is a Club whose glory has been diminished over the years by poor owners who forgot or intentionally disregarded your passion, your history, and your value.
“You deserved, and deserve, better. When the opportunity came about to be part of your next chapter, we jumped at the chance and in good faith began the process of purchase.
“We have always engaged professionally, transparently and constructively with the administrator, EFL and IFR via an exceptional team of advisers.
“Tragically, the historic mishandling of the club and pattern of catastrophic under investment means our sizeable binding bid can no longer be justified.
“The detailed due diligence our advisers have done over the last two months meant that the sizeable binding bid we made can no longer be justified.
“As widely reported, we have spent over £4m to help run the Club over the last two months and, after much consideration, have decided that we can no longer continue to do so as the exclusivity agreement we signed means only a small amount could be removed from our offer – regardless of the outcome of our analysis work.
“We know this will be a bitter disappointment to many – who hoped that the ownership saga would soon be over – and for this we can only apologise wholeheartedly.
“It is a decision that we have come to after much consideration.
“We want to make one final point.
“We are lifelong football supporters who have been privileged to travel around the world watching the sport we love.
“Never in all our lives have we seen such a passionate fanbase as those who follow Sheffield Wednesday. We hope whoever picks up this baton appreciates you as we would have.
“We hope they understand the need to invest in your team, your stadium and your community. Just one part of that trio of expectation is not enough.
“We know the rest of your season is going to be challenging, as will the next, but you will rise again to your former glory and when you do, we will be cheering your success. With best wishes – James, Felix and Faisal”
A spokesperson for the consortium said: “Unfortunately, we have regretfully decided that we must withdraw from the process.
“Our initial bid had constraints applied on our ability to renegotiate – which is crucial as the figure we offered is significantly higher than that justified by the findings of a lengthy due diligence process.
“Our Consortium has a strong track record of restoring football clubs through financial stability, disciplined management and robust governance.
“We genuinely believed we could play a positive long-term role as custodians of one of the greatest clubs in English football and wanted to help guide Sheffield Wednesday towards a brighter future.
“While we leave this process with a sense of regret, our admiration for the Club and its supporters remains undiminished, and it will always hold a special place in our hearts.”
Jordanian royal family member Alsharif Faisal Bin Jamil, a member of the consortium, said in a statement: “Unfortunately the consortium has to withdraw from the process. Sheffield Wednesday is a super historic club. We were very excited to acquire the club. We have quite a good experience in turning around clubs and were looking forward to doing that with football club royalty.
“Unfortunately, the dream cannot continue. We have completed detailed due diligence of the club, the final conclusion is that the value of the club is significantly lower than the figure we are mandated on via the exclusivity agreement.
“We don’t blame the administrator or anyone. It’s just not justifiable. We are very upset. We felt it was a perfect match.
“We have pumped significant money into the club there’s a lot of sunk costs but the sheer difference between the value of the club and what we have bid means unfortunately we are unable to continue.
“One was the stadium – and we employed a structural specialist to assess it. That happened by this Monday. We have been wrestling with it to try and find a way to proceed.”
What now for Sheffield Wednesday? They have interest from multiple sources, including Mike Ashley, wit David Storch also telling BBC Radio Sheffield that his group are “incredibly passionate about the opportunity” to buy the club.
Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust said: “The Trust notes today’s announcement that the James Bord consortium has withdrawn from bidding to buy #SWFC.
“We now call on our Administrators and relevant regulators to move this process forward as quickly as possible to ensure Sheffield Wednesday can have a suitable new owner in place before the start of the 2026/27 season.
“Our squad has been decimated over the past year and we need our new owner to be in place to have sufficient time to plan and deliver a substantial rebuild before the end of the summer transfer window.
“The minimum expectation of Wednesday fans is that we can put out a team that is competitive in League One next season. We need our future ownership in place as quickly as possible if we are to have any chance of delivering that.”
Here’s the social media reaction to the statement and letter to Sheffield Wednesday fans issued after the takeover COLLAPSES…
@LMWiddowson: They mean they weren’t going to pass. Interesting timing from storch yesterday
@LeniHob: Surely, the Administrators have to take some of the responsibility for this? We are literally now back to where we were in October, what a waste of time. Plus the almost certain -15 points for next season, that could see us relegated again. When will this ever end…. 😔
@Jacob97106277: Get Ashley on the phone immediately. Bord group bunch of jokers, proper thick cunts if they actually thought we were worth 30 mil
@Jordrl66: This process has been a mess from the outset. Bord and co were always over paying what it was worth. Back to square one
@ReeceDaviesSWFC: Blatantly obvious the club is worth next to nothing. We have 2 maybe 3 players with any value what so ever. The stadium and training ground is falling down. The new owners will pay £1 and we’ve got to hope they have deep pockets. Mike Ashley is the one for me.
@GP1867: My only worry with the bord bid has now come true. Ive no doubt they know how to run a football club given their other escapades. But I just didnt know if they knew the sheer size of the task in hand here, they now do and theyve pulled out…. great #swfc
@SteelOwl: This could only happen to Wednesday. If this were a tv script, it’d be rejected on the grounds of unbelievability. Seriously worried about attendances next season, especially if we start on -15. THIS season has already worn the fans down, being in a relegation battle from day one in the Championship. What’s the exact same situation going to be like in League One? Just can’t get get it out of my head that Ashley is only bothered about buying a club in order to turn it into a giant advertising hoarding for Sports Direct. Just seeing some of the comments on here suggests that a lot of fans aren’t really that surprised or even bothered anymore. There’s almost zero connection left between club and fans.
@nelsonjd76: Very much appreciate our local journalists for breaking todays news but equally I am disappointed it did not come from the club & administrators first and directly. Such significant news should be from them, and still nothing. We need answers. #swfc
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