Wigan Athletic to start 2023/24 League One season with points deduction

Wigan Athletic will start the 2023/24 League One season on minus four points after the club failed to pay their players’ wages on time for a fifth occasion this month.

The EFL have also deducted a further three points from this season’s campaign and handed out a four-point suspended penalty. The Latics had already finished bottom of the Championship in 2022/23 but their final points tally is now 39 instead of 42.

The suspended penalty will be activated should the club fail to pay their players on time between now and the end of June next year. Cobblers will be in the same division as Wigan next season after their promotion from League Two.

An EFL statement said: “The sanction will be applied at the start of the new league campaign with the club also receiving an additional four-point deduction for season 2023/24, which is to be suspended until June 30, 2024.

"That sanction will come into effect if the club’s owner, Mr Abdulrahman Al Jasmi, fails to deposit an amount equal to 125 per cent of the club’s forecast monthly wage bill in a designated club account, a key term of the Agreed Decision reached between the EFL and the club in January, by Wednesday, May 24, 2023.

"The suspended deduction will also be activated if the club fails to pay its players on time between now and the end of June 2024. In addition, the club has also had a further three points deducted from its 2022/23 Championship total for the late payment of players’ wages in March 2023 resulting in their final total being 39 points.

"Mr Al Jasmi was also charged with misconduct and fined £10,000 for failing to comply with the terms of the Agreed Decision. Both Mr Al Jasmi and the club have accepted the sanctions, which have been ratified by an independent Disciplinary Commission, and have agreed to pay all associated costs.

"In January, the club was charged with misconduct after it paid its players late on three occasions in June, July and October 2022. Accordingly, it was sanctioned with a suspended three-point deduction and entered an Agreed Decision with the League.

"The suspended sanction was activated in March when the club failed to meet its contractual obligations with its players and breached the terms of the Agreed Decision when Mr Al Jasmi failed to deposit 125% of the club’s forecast of its monthly wage bill into a designated account.”