Wigan Athletic football club goes into administration
1 July 2020, 13:55
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Wigan Athletic football club has gone into administration, the first professional club to do so since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The club has been struggling to manage its finances in recent times and said that there was no other alternative to safeguard the club.
Paul Stanley, Gerald Krasner and Dean Watson of Begbies Traynor have been appointed as joint administrators.
Stanley said: "We understand that everybody connected with the club and the wider football world is seeking clarity on the future of Wigan Athletic.
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"That's exactly what we are seeking to provide as we move through this process and we seek out interested parties to rescue this famous old club here in the region.
"It is a fast-moving situation and we will provide updates on key developments."
Krasner, former chairman of Leeds United and now a partner at Begbies Traynor, added: "Our immediate objectives are to ensure the club completes all its fixtures this season and to urgently find interested parties to save Wigan Athletic FC and the jobs of the people who work for the club.
"Obviously the suspension of the Championship season due to Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the recent fortunes of the club.
"Wigan Athletic has been a focal point and source of pride for the town since 1932 and anyone who is interested in buying this historic sporting institution should contact the joint administrators directly."
Wigan will be handed a 12-point deduction after entering administration with the timing of the sanction to be decided when final Championship placings are determined, the EFL has announced.
"The EFL is awaiting formal notification from the administrators and once the league has received this it will commence discussions with the relevant individuals with the aim of achieving a long-term future for the club," an EFL statement said
Until 2018, Wigan was owned by Dave Whelan, who moved the club from the fourth tier of English football to the Premier League.
The Latics are currently 14th in the Championship with six games left to play. The second tier season restarted on June 20.
The club were in the Premier League as recently as 2013, winning the FA Cup in the same year.
Wigan dropped down into League One in 2015 but made an immediate return to the Championship.
The club recorded a net loss of £9.2million in their most recent annual accounts for the year ending June 30, 2019.
That was an increase of £1.5m on the previous year.
