Wigan will start League One with four-point penalty after failing to pay wages

The ignominy of relegation from the Championship in bottom spot has been worsened for Wigan by a three-points reduction, even though the regular season is already over, and by the news that the club will start the League One season in August on minus-four points.

The English Football League issued its latest sanction against the club for a failure to pay players’ wages, while the EFL said a further four-point deduction was suspended until the end of the 2023-24 season.

That suspended sanction would apply if the club’s owner, Abdulrahman al-Jasmi, fails to deposit an amount equal to 125% of the club’s forecast monthly wage bill into a designated account by 24 May. The additional four-point deduction would also be activated if the club fail to pay players on time at any point between now and June 2024.

Jasmi has also been charged with misconduct and fined £10,000 for failing to comply with the terms of the agreed decision.

The club were first charged in January after missing wage payments in June, July and October last year, with the agreed decision including a suspended three-point deduction should the club again fail to pay wages.

The suspended sanction was activated in March with another failure to pay wages on time and a failure by Jasmi to make the requested deposit. Wigan’s chairman, Talal al-Hammad, apologised to staff earlier this week for the stress caused by the latest delay to wages being paid, and said all May wages had now been paid.

The club’s statement on Tuesday accepted investment had not been directed to “the right areas” and promised a board and staff restructure. It also said the club’s ownership group, Phoenix 2021 Limited, had committed “a substantial seven-figure sum” to the club to secure Wigan’s