Sheffield Wednesday escaped a 15-point penalty despite breaching the EFL's insolvency policy when exiting administration, sparking fury among rival clubs and prompting a league review. New owner David Storch refused to pay former owner Dejphon Chansiri the £16m he was owed from £64m in loans, arguing the Thai businessman left the club in a parlous state.

Storch's offer worth several million pounds remains on the table, payable only if Wednesday achieve promotion at the first attempt. The EFL board was satisfied that Storch made every reasonable attempt to negotiate with Chansiri, who refused to engage and demanded the club be put back on the market despite the risk of liquidation. The EFL guidelines require new buyers to pay football creditors and HMRC in full, with other creditors receiving 25p in the pound.

Several Championship clubs remain unhappy that Wednesday avoided punishment while clubs like Derby County had to negotiate with outgoing owners to avoid points deductions. The EFL is expected to hold talks before next season about the insolvency policy, which remains the only area where the board can use discretion on points penalties rather than the independent Club Financial Reporting Unit. Fans at Hillsborough celebrated with a countdown to the "removal" of a penalty that had never actually been applied by the league.