Steven Caulker accuses Wigan of lying after four failures to pay players’ wages

The Wigan defender Steven Caulker has hit out at the club’s hierarchy, accusing them of lying and “absolutely scandalous” behaviour after he and his teammates failed to receive their wages four times this season.

Wigan’s players were absent from training on Friday in protest to the club’s financial crisis, which has already led to them being hit with a three-point deduction by the English Football League. The ongoing uncertainty at the Championship’s bottom-placed club has now led to one of their senior players speaking out in the strongest of terms.

“This lies us as players have been told by Wigan Athletic is absolutely scandalous,” said Caulker, the former Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers, Liverpool and England centre-back in a LinkedIn post. “There may be reason for late payment once or twice, but for the boys to have experienced this five times this season is completely unacceptable.

“We are told as players everyday that the money is on its way and will ‘hopefully’ reach our account by the afternoon. 14 days later, the money still hasn’t arrived. Furthermore, what is more concerning is that we are due to be paid again on 7 April and the club are unable to confirm whether they will have enough funds for this.

“Since I arrived at this club [in January] I have seen the players and backroom staff work tirelessly to try keep this club in the Championship. It’s really painful to now see that task become harder and harder each passing day. As the famous saying goes ‘Being silent while witnessing an injustice makes you guilty of the oppression as well’. Well my position is clear, I stand with the honest hard-working staff and players, whose mental health is now being affected by this.”

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