Martinez leads calls for probe into Wigan administration

Former Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is leading calls for an investigation into the controversial decision to place the struggling Championship club in administration.

Belgium boss Martinez does not believe the timing of the decision by Wigan’s owners to go into administration was “normal”.

Martinez is a revered figure among Wigan fans after managing them to FA Cup glory in 2013, having spent six years as a player at the club.

Wigan were put in administration on July 1, four weeks after they were sold from one Hong Kongbased company to another, both of which were until recently majority-owned by professional poker player Dr Choi Chiu Fai.

Wai Kay Au Yeung, a Chinese businessman, has since replaced

Chiu Fai as the majority shareholder of Next Leader Fund, which purchased Wigan from International Entertainment Corporation (IEC), a Hong Kong-based, Cayman Islandsregistered company.

Adding to the bizarre situation, British media reports claim English Football League chairman Rick Parry was secretly filmed telling a fan that Wigan’s administration was connected to “a bet in the

Philippines on them being relegated”.

Once their 12-point administration penalty is applied, 16th placed Wigan will drop to the bottom of the Championship table.

Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has written to the Government and the English Football League asking for an inquiry and Martinez agrees that the situation must be probed. — AFP