Wigan Athletic unsold since Hong Kong owners called in administrators last July

Administrators dismiss ‘fake news’ over reports that they have been paid as club remains unsold almost eight months on

Club faces relegation from English League One and possible points deduction depending on finances of new ownership

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Callum McManaman (left) leads Wigan Athletic celebrations after beating Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup final at Wembley. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 11:33am, 25 Jan 2021Updated: 11:33am, 25 Jan 2021

The administrators for English League One side Wigan Athletic have dismissed reports about them taking payment from the club as “fake news” in a media statement, amid growing fan dissatisfaction.

Wigan remains without new owners almost eight months since Hong Kong-based owner Au Yeung Wai-kay walked away only weeks after taking over the EFL Championship club.

Begbies Traynor were appointed as the administrators by Au in July 2020, soon after he took control of the 2013 FA Cup winners from Hong Kong-listed casino and hotel operators IEC, which had been owner since 2018.

“Since our last update there has been a substantial increase in the traffic on social media, coupled with separate interviews by Paul Stanley and Gerald Krasner [of Begbies Traynor] on Talk Sport,” they said in a statement posted on the club website on Friday.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in action against Wigan Athletic in a friendly. Photo: Reuters

“Unfortunately, there has been a lot of misreporting and understanding of the situation which has led to fake news being circulated. We would remind staff and fans that because an item appears on social media it does not make it true, especially where anonymous sources are quoted. We hope here to put the record straight.”