Jason Taylor, Wigan Athletic Supporters Club: "This points deduction should be stopped and postponed until every avenue has been investigated."
Sunday 5 July 2020 19:47, UK
The EFL has been urged to suspend Wigan's points deduction until the events leading up to the club entering administration have been investigated further.
The Sky Bet Championship club called in the administrators on Wednesday, with a 12-point deduction imposed as a result.
Questions remain as to how Wigan can have reached that stage so soon after its change of ownership on May 29 of this year, when Hong Kong-based International Entertainment Corporation (IEC) divested its ownership to Next Leader Fund.
That has led to Jason Taylor of the Wigan Athletic Supporters Club asking the EFL to suspend the points deduction, with the administrators brought in to take control of the club having instructed their lawyers to begin an investigation into the events that led up to the move into administration.
"Our aim is to get the EFL to suspend this 12-point deduction until it is 100 per cent certain Wigan are at fault because there are far too many irregularities that are cropping up, not least with the EFL's due diligence with the new owner who came in," Taylor told Sky Sports News.
"We want to be fully involved with securing the future of the club, by making sure that whoever the administrators put forward to take over the club are suitable and right for Wigan Athletic Football Club.
"This points deduction should be stopped and postponed until every avenue has been investigated before we get this deduction put in place.
"We will put our hands up if it's our fault. The administrators have said is a well-run, financially viable football club with no creditors.
"This club should not be in administration."
The Supporters Club has also launched a crowdfunding page - given to them for free by a director at Cheltenham Town - as the football community rallies around Wigan.
"As I speak now, we are very close to hitting £117,000, which is a monumental effort from the fans of the football club," added Taylor.
"We need to pay for the fixtures to get finished; we've got the coach company billing us directly so the club doesn't have to pay for the coach travel for the players; and any accommodation is also getting paid through this fund as well.
"We are also trying to contribute to the running costs of the stadium, the staff and that side of things as well. They obviously need paying, as well as the players and everyone else."
Emotions may be running high among Latics' supporters but Taylor also asked them not to do anything foolish that could get the club into further trouble.
"The fans have been fantastic and they will continue to be fantastic but I have to ask them to please resist that urge to go down to the ground," he said.
"We know you want to clap the players in but you do not need to go near that stadium.
"The last thing we want is any more financial problems or points deductions by you being at that ground, so please stay away."
