Rival Watch

[From Despair To Where?]

Is this a different Cardiff to the one who've just appointed a German born Turk who was managing in the Turkish Supaliga until the city his club is based in was decemated by an earthquake?

[Winston Biscuit]

2 more board members resign from Wigan meaning owner Tammal Al Hammad is the only person left on the board.

Staff were told everyone would be paid wages by the end of May. Only some of them received it. Some backroom staff and all senior playing squad receives no wages for another month.

[CountryRoyal]

2 more board members resign from Wigan meaning owner Tammal Al Hammad is the only person left on the board.

Staff were told everyone would be paid wages by the end of May. Only some of them received it. Some backroom staff and all senior playing squad receives no wages for another month.

Having witnessed Wigan play I can confirm they don’t deserve payment.

[Sutekh]

2 more board members resign from Wigan meaning owner Tammal Al Hammad is the only person left on the board.

Staff were told everyone would be paid wages by the end of May. Only some of them received it. Some backroom staff and all senior playing squad receives no wages for another month.

Having witnessed Wigan play I can confirm they don’t deserve payment.

More points deductions incoming?

[tidus_mi2]

2 more board members resign from Wigan meaning owner Tammal Al Hammad is the only person left on the board.

Staff were told everyone would be paid wages by the end of May. Only some of them received it. Some backroom staff and all senior playing squad receives no wages for another month.

Having witnessed Wigan play I can confirm they don’t deserve payment.

More points deductions incoming?

100%, they might not even start the season the way their owners are going.

[Stranded]

Latest statement is that Wigan have now been sold. To someone. Not clear who.

[YoungRon]

Having witnessed Wigan play I can confirm they don’t deserve payment.

More points deductions incoming?

100%, they might not even start the season the way their owners are going.

It's a common occurrence. Especially if the owners are not immersed in the team's internal affairs.

[Winston Biscuit]

Its Wigan so there has to be some shenanigans involved somewhere

[Wycombe Royal]

Charlton have also been sold to new owners....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65808709

[Sutekh]

Latest statement is that Wigan have now been sold. To someone. Not clear who.

On ebay probably.

[tidus_mi2]

Latest statement is that Wigan have now been sold. To someone. Not clear who.

Nothing their owner says can be trusted, this happened shortly after 2 directors stepped down as they felt their position had become untenable.

[traff]

Latest statement is that Wigan have now been sold. To someone. Not clear who.

Nothing their owner says can be trusted, this happened shortly after 2 directors stepped down as they felt their position had become untenable.

Wow, they have an owner who talks. What next?

[Royal_jimmy]

I think it's very likely Wigan will drop to league 2 this season. The EFL are a disgrace allowing these people to own football clubs

[Royal_jimmy]

Latest statement is that Wigan have now been sold. To someone. Not clear who.

Nothing their owner says can be trusted, this happened shortly after 2 directors stepped down as they felt their position had become untenable.

Wow, they have an owner who talks. What next?

Silent owner >>>>>>>>>>>>>> an owner who talks a load of garbage

[From Despair To Where?]

I think it's very likely Wigan will drop to league 2 this season. The EFL are a disgrace allowing these people to own football clubs

To be fair, he's better than their last owner. He put the club into administration a month after buying it.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

I think it's very likely Wigan will drop to league 2 this season. The EFL are a disgrace allowing these people to own football clubs

I think it all rests on who this new owner is and how much they are willing to invest in the club. If it's anything like the last couple they've had then yes, relegation seems pretty likely. If it's someone with a bit of money in their pocket, then they will probably be ok.

It's been a challenging few years for Wigan though and they've had some success at this level as well.

[tidus_mi2]

I think it's very likely Wigan will drop to league 2 this season. The EFL are a disgrace allowing these people to own football clubs

I think it all rests on who this new owner is and how much they are willing to invest in the club. If it's anything like the last couple they've had then yes, relegation seems pretty likely. If it's someone with a bit of money in their pocket, then they will probably be ok.

It's been a challenging few years for Wigan though and they've had some success at this level as well.

Their promotion a couple seasons back saw them commit to wages they couldn't afford, hence the mess they are in right now. They are also most likely due another 4pt deduction due to missing wage payments again.

[RG30]

From The Athletic;

Sarbjot Johal, a 21-year-old entrepreneur, is trying to save crisis-stricken Wigan Athletic.

The League One club announced last night that a takeover is in process — subject to EFL approval — and Johal, who had previously hoped to purchase Morecambe is now plotting the way forward.

Johal is based in Solihull and oversees the Vitanic, Lovely Drinks and Sarb Capital brands but his net worth is unknown and documents on the Companies House website show no obvious signs of significant wealth.

He invested in Morecambe earlier this year and was set to become the new owner subject to EFL approval yet Morecambe were relegated to League Two last month and the situation remains unresolved.

Wigan, recently relegated from the Championship, are in a financial mess and have still not paid the players or coaching staff for the month of May. Other bills are also stacking up and the club now needs significant investment just to get through to July.

In a statement, Wigan said last night that “the prospective new owners have committed to resolving all outstanding liabilities at the earliest opportunity.” Funds are expected to be received this week but until then the concerns remain.

It was only a fortnight ago when the chairman Talal Al Hammad promised an eight-figure sum of money would be used to ensure the financial stability of next season, yet as it stands there are no funds available to cover the day-to-day costs.

Wigan will start the 2023-24 season on minus eight points after repeated late payments of the monthly wage bill and a failure to pay £2.3million, 125 per cent of the monthly wage bill, into a bond by May 24 as agreed with the EFL.

On-field matters are way down the priority list right now, though, as efforts are made to save the club.
Last night the directors Tom Markham and Oliver Gottmann resigned and said in a statement that “with no visibility of when funds will arrive”, their position was untenable.

That left just chairman Al Hammad on the board and fuelled further worries about the future.

Phoenix 2021 Limited bought the club in March 2021.

Prior to that, Wigan had been in administration for nine months following the sudden withdrawal of financial support by their former owner, Hong Kong-based businessman Au Yeng Wai Kay.

Phoenix 2021 is owned by Bahraini entrepreneur Abudlrahman Al-Jasmi, although the 62-year-old appears to have taken very little interest in running the club, leaving it to his son-in-law, Al Hammad, the chairman.

Having narrowly avoided relegation to League Two in 2021, Wigan won the 2022 League One title in the new ownership’s first full season in charge. That earned the Lancashire-based club a return to the Championship and hopes were high that they would stay there, as the Bahrainis agreed to a mid-table budget.

After a relatively solid start, the campaign badly unraveled on and off the pitch. After winning four of their first 10 league games, they only won four in their next 32.

In March, it was revealed that they had lost nearly £8million in their League One promotion season.

They were docked three points for failing to pay staff and players on time and chief executive Mal Brannigan left the club.

The following month, Wigan’s relegation was confirmed – despite a late improvement in form under new manager Shaun Maloney – and the club missed its wage bill for the fifth time over the course of the season.

On Friday, supporters called on the owner Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi to sell the club.

[From Despair To Where?]

Another Spencer Trethewy?

If I was a Wigan fan, I'd be planning the phoenix club as we speak.

[YoungRon]

I think it's very likely Wigan will drop to league 2 this season. The EFL are a disgrace allowing these people to own football clubs

I think it all rests on who this new owner is and how much they are willing to invest in the club. If it's anything like the last couple they've had then yes, relegation seems pretty likely. If it's someone with a bit of money in their pocket, then they will probably be ok.

It's been a challenging few years for Wigan though and they've had some success at this level as well.

Something like Newcastle? Wigan probably dream of a similar owner