It has now been more than a month since Sheffield Wednesday selected a preferred bidder to guide the club out of administration, yet there has been very little visible progress since then.
Although the current administration team from Begbies Traynor — which includes lifelong supporter Kris Wigfield — has never officially named the leading figure behind the takeover bid, it is widely understood to be entrepreneur and professional poker player James Bord, as first reported on Christmas Eve.
Football takeovers rarely happen quickly, particularly with the EFL required to thoroughly examine Bord and his business background, along with his partners Felix Roemer and Alsharif Faisal Bin Jamil. This makes the Owners and Directors Test a complex and time-consuming process.
In addition to deciding whether the trio are suitable to become the new owners of the South Yorkshire club, the EFL may also require Bord to meet additional conditions because of his connections to the gambling industry.
Prospective Sheffield Wednesday owner James Bord may need to follow the path set by Tony Bloom and Matthew Benham
While Bord is a successful entrepreneur in his own right, having founded the data science company shortcircuit.science, much of his personal wealth has come from years spent as a professional poker player.
One of his financial backers, Roemer, is also believed to have generated part of his fortune through cryptocurrency trading — something that may raise concerns for the EFL once all funding sources are fully examined.
The Guardian recently reported that the EFL is closely scrutinising where Bord and his partners’ investment funds originate, and that the “due diligence” phase is still in its early stages. This suggests it could take some time before a final decision is reached.
To pass the necessary checks, Bord and his partners may need to adopt a similar approach to two highly successful football club owners who also come from gambling backgrounds.
Brighton owner Tony Bloom and Brentford owner Matthew Benham have both guided their clubs up the football ladder and established them in the Premier League, despite their roots in the gambling industry.
Benham founded Smartodds, while Bloom created Starlizard — businesses that remain their main ventures outside football. As part of their ownership agreements, both companies are independently audited for the FA to ensure neither is involved in betting on football, which has been banned for anyone connected to the sport for the past 12 years.
It is believed Bord and Roemer may need to agree to similar arrangements with the FA and the EFL in order to satisfy the Owners and Directors Test. However, approval is far from guaranteed, especially as Bloom and Benham were already in charge of their clubs before the current gambling regulations were introduced.
Sheffield Wednesday takeover delays worry anxious supporters
Despite assurances this week from the administrators that the sale process is moving forward and that the preferred bidder will cover any future financial losses, there remains understandable concern among Owls fans that the situation could drag on.
In fairness, Bord has only recently been named preferred bidder when compared to how long most football takeovers take to complete, meaning patience is still required to see whether the Stanmore-born businessman’s ambition becomes reality.
However, as the end of the season approaches, supporters will grow increasingly anxious for clarity. Plans must soon be put in place for the 2026–27 campaign, and if Wednesday are to give themselves the best chance of bouncing straight back from League One, having new owners in place will be crucial.
Whether that will ultimately happen under Bord remains uncertain, and Sheffield Wednesday fans may need to wait a little longer before receiving full confirmation of the club’s future direction.
