WHELAN IN SHOCK AT WIGAN COLLAPSE

DAVE WHELAN has pledged to help his old club Wigan after they went into administration – the first English professional side to do so since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Seven years since winning the FA Cup, the Championship club face a 12-point penalty which could see them relegated.

Whelan enjoyed

23 successful years running the club, culminating in their 2013

Wembley triumph, before selling up in

2018, and says he is shocked the administrators have been called in.

“It’s so sudden,” he said. “I just cannot understand what they have done.”

Whelan, 83, has offered to help, but he will stop short of pledging any financial assistance because he does not know what state the club’s

accounts are in. Whelan, below, added: “I built the stadium for them. I paid £60million to build that stadium so that Wigan Athletic and Wigan rugby had somewhere to play.

“When I sold the club it was in good condition, perfect. I’m in total shock.

“I’ll have to stick my nose in a little to see if I can find out what’s caused it. I’ll have to just try because the people of Wigan will be in absolute shock, because I am.

“Wigan is Wigan and I built the stadium, so I’m going to have to see if I can help in any way, shape or form.”

The club recorded a net loss of £9.2m in their most recent annual accounts for the year ending June 30, 2019. That was an increase of £1.5m on the previous year.

There was a change of ownership at the club on May 29 this year, when IEC divested its ownership to Next Leader Fund.

The Championship club have entered administration just a week after Hong Kong-based businessman Wai Kay Au Yeung was confirmed as their new owner.

They have 50 points, eight off the relegation zone. If they stay out of the bottom three, the 12-point deduction will be applied to their final tally this season. If they are relegated, they would be docked the points at the start of their 2020-21 League One campaign.

Joint administrator Gerald Krasner said: “Our immediate objectives are to ensure the club completes all its fixtures this season and to urgently find interested parties to save Wigan and the jobs of the people who work for the club.

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