Championship side Wigan placed in administration

London (AFP) – Championship club Wigan Athletic have gone into administration following the “significant impact” of the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced on Wednesday.

Paul Stanley, Gerald Krasner and Dean Watson of insolvency firm Begbies Traynor have been appointed as joint administrators.

“Our immediate objectives are to ensure the club completes all its fixtures this season and to urgently find interested parties to save Wigan Athletic FC and the jobs of the people who work for the club,” said Krasner.

“Obviously the suspension of the Championship season due to COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the recent fortunes of the club.”

Krasner added: “Wigan Athletic has been a focal point and source of pride for the town since 1932 and anyone who is interested in buying this historic sporting institution should contact the joint administrators directly.”

The Latics are 14th in the Championship, with six games left to play. The second-tier season restarted on June 20.

The club were in the Premier League as recently as 2013, winning the FA Cup in the same year.

Wigan dropped down into League One in 2015 but made an immediate return to the Championship.

The club recorded a net loss of £9.2 million ($11.4 million) in their most recent annual accounts for the year ending June 30, 2019.

That was an increase of £1.5 million on the previous year.