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Agence France-Presse

Hong Kong-owned Championship side Wigan Athletic will be handed a 12-point deduction after entering administration as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic starts to bite in English football.
If the 2013 FA Cup winners are relegated, the sanction will be applied to the start of their League One campaign in 2020-21 but if their results are good enough to stay up, it will be applied to the final 2019-20 table instead.
Wigan are currently in 14th place in the second tier on 50 points after a fine recent run – a 12-point drop would send them bottom and four points adrift of safety.
On June 24, Hong Kong businessman Au-yeung Wai-kay was registered as the owner of more than 75 per cent of the club’s holding company. The English Football League (EFL) approved the sale to Au-yeung’s New Leader Fund consortium (NLF) on June 4.
Why would a Hong Kong-based casino owner want to buy League One club Wigan Athletic based in a declining backwater in northern England?
Paul Stanley, Gerald Krasner and Dean Watson of insolvency firm Begbies Traynor have now been appointed as joint administrators.
“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,” said Krasner.

“Obviously the suspension of the Championship season due to Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the recent fortunes of the club.”
Former Wigan owner Dave Whelan responded to the news by revealing he will look at whether he is able to help the club.
Wigan Athletic takeover by Hong Kong casino giants moves step closer after Whelan family agree to sell: reports
Whelan funded Wigan’s remarkable rise from obscurity to the Premier League.
“I can’t promise anything. I’m 83 – I’ll be 84 later this year. Age is age,” Whelan told Wigan Today.
“And I have no idea about the depths of the club’s financial problems and how much they owe.
“You can’t blindly make commitments to bail a business out come what may. We sit on the fence and wait to see what details – if any – emerge.”
Championship clubs have been hit by the cost of testing and extending player contracts to complete the season and the loss of income from gate receipts with all matches behind closed doors.
Unlike the Premier League, the English second tier cannot rely on billions in television rights deals to mitigate that financial blow.
Krasner added: “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.”
Hong Kong-owned Birmingham City under EFL investigation
Wigan, who were in the Premier League as recently as 2013, have six games to play in the current season, which resumed on June 20.
The club dropped down into League One in 2015 but made an immediate return to the Championship.
Wigan recorded a net loss of £9.2 million (US$11.4 million) in their most recent annual accounts for the year ending June 30, 2019.
The club were owned by JJB Sports co-founder Whelan until November 2018, when he and his family sold to the Hong Kong-based International Entertainment Corporation (IEC), who sold the club on to NLF just weeks ago.


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English Premier League

Hong Kong-owned Wigan Athletic enter into administration; face 12-point deduction

Wigan Athletic have entered administration following a takeover by a Hong Kong-based consortium. Photo: AFP

epa08520708 (FILE) - General view of the DW Stadium before the English Premier League soccer match between Wigan Athletic and Chelsea FC in Wigan, Britain, 26 September 2009 (re-issued on 01 July 2020). English Championship soccer club Wigan Athletic have gone into administration four weeks after a Hong Kong-based consortium took over, English media reports claimed on 01 July 2020. EPA-EFE/CLIVE LAWRENCE *** Local Caption *** 01875601

Wigan Athletic takeover by Hong Kong casino giants moves step closer after Whelan family agree to sell: reports

Wigan Athletic's Dan Burn celebrates with fans on the pitch after beating Manchester City in the 2018 FA Cup. Photo: Reuters

Wigan’s Dave Whelan banned for 'chinky' remarks, but FA says he’s ‘not a racist’

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan can appeal the ban. Photo: Reuters

Why would a Hong Kong-based casino owner want to buy League One club Wigan Athletic based in a declining backwater in northern England?

Wigan Athletic’s Jordi Gomez (C) lifts the trophy after winning the English FA Cup final in 2013. Photo: EPA

TOPSHOT - Manchester United's English defender Chris Smalling (R) heads the ball in to score their second goal during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Manchester United and Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on January 29, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Paul ELLIS / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. /

Arsenal's Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey (C) celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Wigan Athletic at The Emirates Stadium in London on May 14, 2013. Arsenal won the match 4-1. AFP PHOTO/IAN KINGTON RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or â€œliveâ€ services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.

(130512) -- LONDON, May 12, 2013 (Xinhua) -- Callum McManaman (L) of Wigan Athletic drinks the champagne in the trophy after the FA Cup final soccer match between Manchester City and Wigan Athletic in London, Britain, on May 11, 2013. Wigan Athletic claimed the first major trophy in their 81-year history when Ben Watson's last-minute goal won the FA Cup final Saturday. (Xinhua/Wang Lili) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR "LIVE" SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 45 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS.

Wigan Athletic players hold aloft their Spanish manager Roberto Martinez (top) as they celebrate winning the English FA Cup final football match between Manchester City and Wigan Athletic at Wembley Stadium in London on May 11, 2013. Substitute Ben Watson scored an injury-time winner to give Wigan Athletic a sensational 1-0 win over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on Saturday in the biggest FA Cup final upset in 25 years. AFP PHOTO / ANDREW YATES NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

Wigan Athletic's Ivan Ramis (R) concedes a penalty with his challenge on Chelsea's Eden Hazard (2nd L) during their English Premier League soccer match at the DW Stadium in Wigan, northern England August 19, 2012. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT SOCCER)

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Football


If the 2013 FA Cup winners are relegated, the sanction will be applied to the start of next season but if they stay up, it will apply to the final 2019-20 table



If the 2013 FA Cup winners are relegated, the sanction will be applied to the start of next season but if they stay up, it will apply to the final 2019-20 table.


Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Hong Kong-owned Wigan Athletic enter into administration; face 12-point deduction

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} If the 2013 FA Cup winners are relegated, the sanction will be applied to the start of next season but if they stay up, it will apply to the final 2019-20 table

If the 2013 FA Cup winners are relegated, the sanction will be applied to the start of next season but if they stay up, it will apply to the final 2019-20 table