Wigan awarded a second four-point deduction by EFL after missing the wage bill deadline | Soccer News

Wigan have been hit with a second four-point penalty for paying wages and will start next season eight points minus in League One.

The Latics received the initial deduction last week in response to two late payments in March and May, with four more points suspended.

An independent disciplinary committee demanded that funds equivalent to 125% of the club’s expected monthly wage bill be paid into a designated account by Wednesday, but this has not been done.

Accordingly, the additional penalty was applied.

A statement from Wigan opened up the possibility of taking the case to court, after they challenged the decision.

“We are extremely disappointed with this latest decision. The football club have been very transparent with the EFL who have had clear visibility on the eight-figure sum to fund the rest of this season and all of next season.” , said the statement from Wigan. .

“The club will now consider all options open, including legal action in response to this, and will not comment further at this time.”

The EFL had earlier confirmed talks with Wigan – who finished bottom of the Sky Bet Championship this season – had been ongoing since Wednesday, with no resolution.

The governing body said: “The EFL have spent the last 48 hours engaging with the club to try to find a positive outcome to the matter, but at 9am on Friday morning the necessary funds have not been forthcoming. deposited.”

Latics president Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi released a lengthy statement on the club’s website shortly before the latest points deduction was announced, addressing the issues of meeting the wage bill on time.

“I want to confirm that an eight figure sum is currently being processed and is due to land in the club’s account shortly. This funding will also provide financial stability for June and the 2023/24 season,” he said. writing.

“It is important to address the many backlogs in salary payments. As I have said before, I agree that this is completely unacceptable. Since Phoenix 2021 acquired Wigan Athletic in 2021, the ownership group will have invested over £30million at the club so far.

“The inflated wage bill led to cash flow problems which prevented us from complying with the decision agreed with the EFL in January. However, every effort has been made to ensure payment of wages. Delays are common in transactions to abroad, but that is not and cannot be an excuse for late payments.”