Wigan handed suspended three-point deduction for late payment of wages

Wigan handed suspended three-point deduction after being late paying players’ salaries three times last year… with the Championship strugglers also required to deposit 125% of the monthly wage bill into a club account

  • Championship club sparked fears of a cash crisis after failing to deposit funds
  • Initially blamed ‘Queen’s Jubilee’ and then ‘issues with foreign banks’ for delay
  • Wigan admitted ‘multiple breaches’ of regulations with a sanction on Thursday 

Wigan Athletic have been handed a three-point suspended penalty after failing to pay their players’ wages on time on three separate occasions.

Last year, Sportsmail revealed that the Championship club, former FA Cup winners, had repeatedly failed to deposit funds in their squad’s accounts on time, sparking fears of a cash crisis and leaving some considering their futures.

Following the first two instances club officials were dismissive, blaming the ‘Queen’s Jubilee’ and then ‘issues with foreign banks’ as reasons for the delay. 

Wigan Athletic failed to pay their players’ wages on time on three separate occasions last year

Chairman at the Bahraini-owned outfit, Talal Al Hammad, boldly took to social media to deny that there was a problem while, on the third occasion, the club declined to comment.

On Thursday, the EFL announced that the club, now managed by ex-Arsenal and Manchester City star Kolo Toure, had admitted ‘multiple breaches’ of regulations with a sanction delivered thanks to ‘three cases of late wage payment to players’.

They added that owner Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi will also be required to deposit 125% of the monthly wage bill into a club account in case of further delays in payment.

Kolo Toure is yet to win a game as Wigan manager, with his side bottom of the Championship

The club will have to maintain the account at ‘appropriate levels’ until 31 December, while the suspension remains in force.

After sacking popular manager Leam Richardson in November – two weeks after handing him a three-year contract extension – Wigan appointed Toure. 

In the eight games that followed under the new man they are yet to win a game, have exited the FA Cup and find themselves bottom of the table.




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