Championship rivals of West Brom and Birmingham City hit with points deduction after failing to pay player wages for a FOURTH time

Wigan Athletic’s Championship status is under further threat after they failed to pay player wages.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Championship rivals of Birmingham City and West Brom, Wigan Athletic, have been docked three points by the EFL for a failure to play player salaries in March.

It is the fourth time the club have been late issuing monthly payments, after failing to do so in June, July and October.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A suspended three-point deduction was applied in January which has now been issued, after another failure to pay their players on time.

As part of their agreement with the EFL in January, the Latics agreed to a suspended points penalty until December 31 after "multiple breaches" of EFL regulations.

As part of the agreed decision, owner Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi was told to deposit 125 per cent of its forecast monthly wage bill in a designated club account.

This has also not happened, with new charges issued to the club while Al-Jasmi will also be charged with an Independent Disciplinary Commission to deal with the case.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

An EFL statement read: “Wigan Athletic has, with immediate effect, been deducted three points from the 2022/23 Championship table after the Club failed to pay player salaries again in March 2023.

“The Club had previously been charged and sanctioned for failing to adhere to the terms of the Standard Contracts that were in force between the Club and its Players in the months of June 2022, July 2022 and October 2022.

“This latest infringement by the Club to meet its obligations means the terms of the Agreed Decision the Club entered into with the EFL in January 2023 has been breached and the application of the suspended sporting sanction has been automatically triggered.

“In a further breach of the Agreed Decision, the Club’s owner has failed to deposit an amount equal to 125% of its forecast monthly wage bill in a designated Club account. This had been a key term of the Agreed Decision to help prevent the Club breaching EFL Regulations again, should there be future delays in the processing of overseas payments.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Separately, new charges have now been issued to the Club following this latest instance of non-payment of player wages and for not complying with the Agreed Decision. The Club’s owner will also be charged with misconduct, with the matter to be referred to an Independent Disciplinary Commission.”

The deduction moves Wigan further adrift of Championship safety, with the club remaining at the foot of the table but with just 31 points. Earlier this month, they drew 1-1 at home to Birmingham City before a 1-0 loss at West Brom a few days later.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.