How Sheffield Wednesday's owner Dejphon Chansiri created a net worth of $575 million | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri's net worth and how he got there

Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri first purchased the club from Milan Mandaric in January 2015, and has overseen an eventful decade with the South Yorkshire outfit.

Since Chansiri purchased the club for a reported fee of £37.5 million back in 2015, the Owls landed a Championship play-off spot in both 2016 and 2017 before facing relegation from the second tier in 2021.

The Owls then secured a League One play-off spot in 2022, but lost out in the semi-finals to eventually promoted Sunderland, who defeated Wycombe Wanderers in the final.

But by 2023, it was Wednesday who appeared in the third tier's Wembley showpiece, and they beat South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley to ensure that Championship football would return to Hillsborough.

The Owls then endured a turbulent 2023/24 second tier campaign, which witnessed the sacking of former boss Xisco Munoz after he failed to win any of his ten league games in charge.

But the decision to axe the ex-Watford boss proved an inspired one from Chansiri, as the Spaniard's successor, Danny Rohl, kept Wednesday in the Championship despite inheriting a team who sat bottom of the league after 11 matches.

How Chansiri made his money

The Sheffield Wednesday owner has a net worth over $500m

Chansiri made his fortune being a part of the Thai Union Group, which is chaired by his dad, Kraisorn Chansiri, and run by his brother, Thiraphong Chansiri.

According to a Forbes report in 2020, the Chansiri family have a net worth of $575m, largely thanks to their business which has a revenue of $4.2 billion.

As per The Athletic, the Thai Union Group's portfolio includes John West as well as brands such as Fisho and Chicken of the Sea, while according to Forbes, the company are the world's biggest producer of canned tuna, while Europe and the USA accounted for 71% of the company's annual sales back in 2020.

The Owls owner previously owned construction and property business in his homeland, Thailand, while he also owns Sheffield taxi firm D Taxis as well as Elev8, who formerly made Wednesday's training kits.

Chansiri's time in charge hasn't been without controversy

The relationship with the Sheffield Wednesday fans hasn't been healthy

As reported by The Athletic back in 2019, the Owls were charged by the EFL for alleged breaches of Profit and Sustainability Rules following the sale of Hillsborough Stadium to their owner, Chansiri.

The club were subject to this charge in November 2019, after being subject to soft embargoes during the previous two summer transfer windows, for failing to meet EFL financial regulations.

As reported by inews in 2023, Owls fans have protested against Chansiri's ownership following events such as a request he made for supporters to contribute £100 each to help pay wages and an unpaid tax bill.

But when supporters were unhappy with his ownership back in 2019, Chansiri told the Sheffield Star: "I have to laugh sometimes when some fans say I'm not transparent and honest.

"I am always as honest as I can be with the fans, but some only want to hear what they want to hear.

"If some fans don't believe what I have to say, there is no point in talking to me.

"I always say the truth, even when they are not things the fans are going to like.

"I will always tell the truth.

"I'm not going to lie.

"I'm not going to tell them everything they like to hear, like some other clubs do."

But while Chansiri's time as Owls owner has been turbulent, there is no question that he comes from an incredibly wealthy background as part of a family whose net worth exceeded $500m back in 2020.