How did Sheffield Wednesday avoid 15-point deduction?
Even so, a sell-out crowd - dressed in a Honolulu party theme - flocked to Hillsborough for Saturday's 2-1 win over West Brom. The fans were there to herald the new ownership, a consortium led by David Storch, his son Michael and Tom Costin. Supporters were told to get into the ground early - and were not disappointed.
After the group had been introduced, the big screen changed to show "-15" points, then ticked on to -14. As the countdown continued, the Wednesday fans cheered louder and louder. And then it reached zero.
Out of nowhere, the Owls had two huge reasons to celebrate - new owners, and no points deduction. On 15 April, David Storch had put out a statement which left fans fearing the worst. The American businessman said the 15-point penalty was "set to be imposed" and a request for arbitration had been "refused" by the EFL.
The details of what happened next may never be fully revealed, but Storch did what so many clubs do when taking on the establishment - he turned to Nick De Marco. De Marco is considered one of the leading sports lawyers, who in 2020 helped the Owls get a points deduction related to financial fair play reduced from 12 points to six. A case as complicated as this - weighing up the interests of the club, the EFL and former owner Dejphon Chansiri - needed De Marco.
Chansiri had made a claim for £64m in loans, meaning Arise would need to pay £16m to satisfy the 25p in the pound rule. Storch and his team were not comfortable paying Chansiri for failure, especially because so much money needed to be spent on the infrastructure of the stadium and the training base. Was there a way around this which would satisfy the EFL?