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      Wigan administrators claim Spanish bidder has agreed to buy cash-strapped League One outfit

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      WIGAN’S administrators say a Spanish bidder has agreed to buy the beleaguered League One outfit.
      The Latics were relegated last season after being deducted 12 points for going into administration – just weeks after a takeover.

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      The Latics could land a takeover from Spain after being relegated due to a 12-point penalty for entering administrationCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The development shocked football as the International Entertainment Corporation (IEC) had only handed over control to fellow Hong Kong-based company Next Leader Fund on May 29.
      The resulting EFL penalty sent a Wigan side who had risen to mid-table plummeting back down – ending in demotion on the final day of the delayed campaign.
      Fans raised nearly £700,000 to support the club and now an unnamed bidder has stumped up a “substantial” deposit, as well as agreeing to pay non-football creditors.
      ‘BIDDER HAS EXPERIENCE IN FOOTBALL’
      That means Wigan avoiding an extra 15-point penalty.

      A statement from the Latics’ administrators read: “We are now working with our lawyers and the bidder to produce all of the necessary paperwork to submit to the EFL so that successful transfer of the football share can be made at the earliest opportunity.
      “The preferred bidder who has experience in football has made it plain that they do not wish for their details to be made public until such time as the sale is completed and we are respecting this anonymity.”
      Paul Cook resigned at the end of last season after three years as manager, with John Sheridan taking charge for this term.

      Administrators Begbies Traynor set an August 31 deadline for the club to be sold – but that date passed without a takeover.

      So the Latics needed permission from EFL chiefs to even start this league season.
      But they won 2-1 at Portsmouth last Saturday for their first points from their three league games.

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      Premier League clubs vow NOT to bail out EFL after filling Championship sides’ coffers with £170m in transfer fees

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      FURIOUS Premier League sides have vowed NOT to bail out the cash-strapped EFL.
      The 20 top-flight clubs snubbed Government pleas to fund a £250million rescue package being demanded by EFL chairman Rick Parry.

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      Rick Parry issued a dire alert over the future of EFL teams but Prem clubs feel they have already given a huge amount of financial helpCredit: PA:Press Association

      As football battles against the financial cost of the coronavirus pandemic, top-flight clubs claim they have bailed out Championship teams enough

      Parry warns his 72 sides face going to the wall without   Government   help.
      But SunSport can reveal top-flight giants feel they have ALREADY given Championship clubs in particular plenty of cash.
      And at yesterday’s virtual meeting of  Prem clubs there was only a brief chat over the bailout plea due to growing anger.
      The clubs were told that Championship sides have banked some £200m in transfer fees this summer.

      And £170m,  two-thirds of the amount Parry wants, has come from Prem clubs.

      They do not need any more from us and we have our own businesses to protect.
      Premier League club source

      A senior club executive also claimed he knew of some 11 situations in which Championship clubs were offered multi-million pound transfer fees.
      These offers had either been rejected — or were still being discussed.
      One leading club told SunSport: “The numbers tell the truth and the facts.

      “We have already given plenty of help to the Championship.

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      “They do not need any more from us — and we have our own businesses to protect.”
      The Prem clubs remain furious at Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden’s comments over the weekend.
      Asked if they should be saving the EFL rather than spending on new strikers, he replied: “That’s exactly what we’re saying.”
      Prem chiefs also say they  were “led down the garden path” by the  Government over the issue of getting fans  back into grounds.

      Ministers scrapped  plans for reduced capacities, from October 1 without warning — after clubs  spent  time and money working out how to do it.
      That would have meant some £7.5m in weekly gate income  for the 20 clubs.
      Unless there is a Government U-turn over this, Prem clubs are unlikely to  reach out to the  EFL.

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      How Premier League and Government can work together to give EFL £250m bailout and save it from decimation

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      TO BAILOUT or not to bailout — that is the question.
      As the Government flip-flops (go, don’t go, stop, no, start… no, I meant stop!), there’s now two football landscapes: BC (Before Covid) and AD (After Disease).

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      Simon Jordan reckons the Premier League and Government can work together to save EFL clubsCredit: PA:Press Association

      To get back to somewhere like life was in BC is going to require significant support for the game.
      Our national sport is bloated with overpaid players, the majority of which aren’t willing to help their own industry.
      Premier League clubs – irrespective of loss of gate receipts and broadcaster reclaims into the hundreds of millions – are still spending money like drunken sailors.
      Look at clubs like Chelsea ponying up £230million in transfer fees.

      The Government are under pressure to help, despite the pandemic only really condensing a problem into five months that would likely have arrived in five years anyway.
      So, should an industry that seemingly has self-harm hardwired into its governance be deserving of taxpayers’ money to bail it out?
      The Premier League can’t be entitled to any bailout but where the argument becomes critical is in the EFL.

      The 72 clubs, the runts of football’s litter, have no long-term future and some could be in real danger within months without a rescue package.

      Match-day revenue accounts for 30 per cent of Championship clubs’ turnover, while that figure rises to 40 per cent in League One and 60 per cent in League Two.
      That means £50m was lost last season, with a further £20m a month being lost every month this season.
      The EFL needs a £250m bailout or it will be decimated, with a slew of clubs going bust.
      The only beneficiaries will be ghastly administrators whose fees are often so extortionate and disproportionate to the work undertaken, it veers towards legalised larceny.
      The Government is resisting the idea because the feeling is that this is a sport awash with money.
      When the EFL proposes salary caps, the PFA’s response is to consider that unlawful, so perhaps that explains the Government’s rather ill-informed view.
      The insistence is the Premier League, as a result of Project Restart, now assumes the mantle of bailing out the EFL, rather than the taxpayer.
      If you’re in the Premier League, which is losing potentially £1.5BILLION, you now have £12m extra per club to give to leagues that, as far as your concerned, are little to do with you.

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      Simon Jordan has a plan to save EFL clubs from the financial woes of coronavirusCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      It’s unlikely they will receive this request well.
      I believe there is a simple solution to all this.
      The Government can become the bank of last resort, ensuring community assets are protected by underwriting funding that’s available.
      The Premier League can then pick up the interest tab for three years.
      That means they don’t have enormous money to cough up, yet honour their obligations.
      EFL clubs get interest-free loans, time to recover from the decimation and can introduce a raft of new controls ensuring sustainability going forward, as well as factoring in repayments.
      The ‘football family’ can  put up the image that it’s a caring one.
      And the Government gets to do more than simply pay lip service to the importance of sport in this country — and at no cost!
      While it may be argued that football isn’t the most deserving of causes, it is part of the social fabric of this country and must be preserved.
      *Listen to Simon Jordan and Jim White on talkSPORT at 10am, Monday to Thursday.

      Premier League’s social distancing could kill Football League clubs says Simon Jordan More

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      Macclesfield expelled from National League just four days before start of season after being hit with winding-up order

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      MACCLESFIELD TOWN have been expelled from the National League just four days before the start of the season after being hit with a winding-up order.
      It was revealed nearly two weeks ago the Silkmen owed debts of over £500,000.

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      Macclesfield Town have been expelled from the National LeagueCredit: PA:Press Association

      And after being relegated from League Two last season after a points deduction for failing to pay their players, Macclesfield now find themselves out of the National League as well.
      A statement from the National League read: “Further to the company owning Macclesfield Town Football Club (“The Club”) being the subject of a court winding-up order, the Board of The National League has passed a Resolution pursuant to its Articles of Association that a Notice of Expulsion be served on the Club taking effect on Monday 12th October 2020.”
      “The National League has served that Notice of Expulsion on the Official Receiver responsible for dealing with the Club’s affairs.
      “As the Club’s expulsion will be effective on Monday 12th October, in the meantime, the Club is suspended from The National League competition and its three fixtures during that period are postponed. 

      “The matches affected are 3rd October (home v Bromley), 6th October (away v Boreham Wood) and 10th October (away v Aldershot).”
      Macclesfield were slapped with a winding-up order at the High Court over their £500k debt on September 16.
      Judge Sebastian Prentis revealed the club owed £190k in tax during an Insolvency and Companies Court hearing.
      A former solicitor for ex-club boss John Askey and a financial lender were also told they were owed £173k apiece.

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      Macclesfield had only just been relegated from League Two after a points deductionCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Sadly for the Silkmen, that took the club’s debt to over half a million pounds as Covid-19 crippled the club.
      All-in-all, Macclesfield are now £536k in debt.
      Last season, Sol Campbell quit as Silkmen manager, while players were left furious after not being paid their wages.

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      Sol Campbell quit the Macclesfield hot seat last seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Macclesfield had endured financial strife for some time – even before the financial repercussions of the coronavirus lockdown.
      And after failing to pay their players, the club were immediately slapped with a six-point deduction by the EFL.
      They were relegated with the season just 37 games in after sitting 23rd out of 24 teams when the lockdown was enforced.

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      Furious Premier League clubs to reject Government demands for them to pay £250m bailout to keep EFL alive

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      FURIOUS Prem clubs are poised to today reject Government demands for them to pay a £250million bailout to keep the EFL alive.
      And the clubs are adamant they will not back down UNLESS they are allowed to open the turnstiles and let fans return to grounds.

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      Clubs are furious at Oliver Dowden’s attempts to make them pay upCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The 20 “shareholder” clubs will meet virtually to show a determined and united front after growing increasingly angry at the attempts by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to “railroad” them into stumping up the survival cash.
      And the clubs believe they have extra ammunition after a cross-party group of influential MPs plus two former FA chairmen said the Government, not the Prem, had an obligation to step in and prevent the imminent “collapse” of the English league system.
      Clubs at both ends of the Prem financial scale erupted in fury in the wake of Dowden’s suggestion they should “help poorer clubs rather than spend huge amounts hiring a new striker”.

      Why are we expected to bail out the EFL when the Government doesn’t ask Sainsbury’s to keep the corner shops going.
      One Prem chairman

      The publication of a new study which predicts Prem clubs will be responsible for 99 per cent of Europe’s entire international market transfer “losses” — of £698m this summer — will add weight to Dowden’s argument.

      But clubs and League chiefs privately accused Dowden and the Government of “hypocrisy” after three months of non-stop work towards the planned October 1 re-opening date, which was suddenly scrapped by PM Boris Johnson last week.
      They had begun to budget for some gate income but feel the U-turn left them stranded, while it also added to the outrage of seeing themselves made a scapegoat by the Government.
      One chairman pointedly said: “We had no advance notice of what was a completely ridiculous and wrong decision.
      “Why are we expected to bail out the EFL when the Government doesn’t ask Sainsbury’s to keep the corner shops going? Especially when we have got nothing back in return.”

      Prem chief executive Richard Masters has already stated the 20 clubs have seen £700m in income disappear.
      Now those same clubs are being ordered to help fill the £250m void in EFL finances, with chairman Rick Parry confirming his 72 clubs need £20m per month between them to survive.
      The Prem clubs argue that transfer fees to EFL sides have earned them some £100m this summer, with more money set to be spent before the window closes next Monday.
      League bosses already agreed to forward advance “solidarity” payments to the EFL, despite their own slashed incomes.
      As SunSport has revealed, the Prem clubs believe it would be wrong to simply write a cheque without cast-iron guarantees over how the money would be spent.
      Some are also concerned they are effectively being asked to give money to Championship clubs who will be strengthened as rivals as a result next season.
      The increasingly aggressive stance comes as the letter, co-signed by ten MPs, including former Tory Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green and ex-Wembley chiefs Lord Triesman and Greg Dyke, slammed the Government.
      They said: “Without any plans being made to rescue football, this could lead not only to the failure of many historic clubs, but the collapse of the national league structure we have known for over 100 years.
      “The Government needs to take responsibility.”

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      Southampton keeper Angus Gunn eyed by Stoke in loan transfer… but only if Jack Butland leaves with year left on deal

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      ANGUS GUNN has emerged as a loan target for Stoke – if Jack Butland leaves.
      Stopper Gunn, 24, is hungry for game-time after falling down the pecking order at Southampton.

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      Stoke are targeting a loan move for Southampton keeper Angus GunnCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      The Potters will only move for the Saints stopper if Jack Butland leaves firstCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      He was replaced as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first-choice by Alex McCarthy after shipping nine goals against Leicester last October.
      And with the return from loan of Fraser Forster, Saints are looking to offload one of their back-up keepers.
      That looks most likely to be former England Under-21 star Gunn, who is attracting interest from both home and abroad.

      Stoke are keen but may have to offload Butland first.
      The former Three Lions star, 27, is keen to leave the Potters after a difficult few years and only has 12 months remaining on his contract.
      Last month it emerged Stoke would let Butland leave for £8m after previously slapping a £30m price tag on his head.
      The Championship club were chasing mega-money less than two years ago after Butland travelled with England to the 2018 World Cup.

      Stoke have already received enquiries for the nine-cap ace.

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      Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace were linked with moves last summer but were put off by the Potters’ price-tag.
      Butland was Stoke’s Player of the Year in his breakthrough Premier League season back in 2015/16.
      But slow-recovery from a complicated ankle fracture while on England duty derailed his progress.
      Butland was in the news for a series of blunders last season as Stoke eventually finished mid-table.
      Michael O’Neill’s side are desperate to stop him walking away for nothing next year.
      Butland’s agent Paul Stretford recently admitted a deal could happen sooner rather than later.
      He told Sky Sports: “Talks have been ongoing with Stoke City for the past two years since Jack made it clear his preference was not to extend his existing contract.
      “Last season there were some very interesting opportunities for Jack but, due to differing reasons, they did not materialise. 
      “Relations between Jack, the manager and the club remain in a good place and if we are able to find the right fit for Jack then I am confident that conditions are right for a deal to happen.” 
      He added: “[If no move materialises] either in the summer or next January’s window – Jack will stay with Stoke City until the end of his current contract at the end of next season.”

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      Jose Mourinho claims Tottenham have no chance of beating Chelsea in Carabao Cup with bigger game just 48 hours later

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      JOSE MOURINHO says Tottenham have no chance of beating Chelsea.
      The Spurs boss hinted he will have to rest some of his top stars for their Carabao Cup fourth round clash against his former club.

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      Jose Mourinho says Tottenham have no chance of beating ChelseaCredit: AFP

      The North Londoners face Maccabi Haifa at home in a Europa League play-off just 48 hours later.
      And Mourinho blames the EFL for his club’s punishing fixture schedule.
      Mourinho said: “I would like to fight for the Carabao but I don’t think I can.

      “We have a game on Thursday that gives us not as much money as the Champions League but the group phase of the Europa League gives us a certain amount that for a club like us is very important. 
      “It’s a competition with a possible group phase that gives us a good chance to go through to the next knockout stage so this game on Thursday is very important for us.”
      After a journalist pointed out that Chelsea have not made a great start to the campaign and Spurs still have a chance of beating them, Mourinho scoffed: “You’re joking or you’re serious?”
      When the journalist said she was serious and asked to know why he thought Spurs could not win, he replied: “Because Chelsea played Saturday, they have Sunday and Monday then they play Tuesday and then they play again on the weekend.

      “So their fantastic squad, if the manager decides not to rotate he can perfectly play with the players that he wants.
      “As you know and forget the past Thursday, we played on the Sunday, now we play on the Tuesday, we play on the Thursday, we play on the Sunday again. 
      “And I think Sonny was just the first injury. More will come. So was the first, but more will come.”
      Son Heung-min could be sidelined for at least a month after going at half-time of yesterday’s 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle with a hamstring injury. 

      Dele Alli is likely to return to the Tottenham team after being axed for the Toon draw.
      Mourinho insisted: “Everybody is in contention. Apart from Sonny, everybody is in contention but I think you can imagine that with a game on Thursday that decides a very important thing for us. I think the EFL made a decision for us.
      “They didn’t even create a problem – they made a decision for us. So that’s the decision.”
      Tottenham received a third-round bye after opponents Leyton Orient had a large number of players test positive for Covid-19 – ironically after Spurs paid for them to be tested.
      The League Two club are furious at missing out on a lucrative live TV clash.
      Mourinho admitted: “I have total sympathy for them. I don’t think they did anything wrong.
      “They were tested. I think they deserved to play against us, no doubts about it.”

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      Government demands for Premier League to hand EFL £250m bail-out slammed by MPs and two ex-FA chairman

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      GOVERNMENT demands for Premier League clubs to pay the £250million EFL bail-out have been criticised by MPs and two former FA chairmen.
      Lord Triesman and Greg Dyke are among the signatories to the letter, written by Tory MP Damian Collins.

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      The Premier League are being called on by the Government to provide the £250m bail-out the EFL needsCredit: AP:Associated Press

      And in a stinging rebuke of Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, the group says it is the Government, and not Premier League clubs, who must be responsible for keeping the lower tiers of English football alive.
      They say: “We understand that you had hoped that the Premier League clubs might make a significant additional contribution to support the EFL.
      “Whilst this would be welcome, those clubs too face swingeing losses from lost ticketing receipts and falling revenues from broadcasting matches.
      “However, it cannot be the Premier League’s sole responsibility to sort out issues arising from Government policy.

      “The Government itself needs to take responsibility or many already-embattled towns – often in areas of the country which have suffered many hardships in recent decades – will lose their last focal point.”
      Triesman – Wembley head from 2008 to 2010 – and Dyke, who ran the FA between 2013 and 2016, are powerful voices with strong political connections.
      Along with Collins, recently deposed as chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, the other Westminster signatories featured four Tory MPs including former Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green as well as Labour’s Kevin Brennan and Clive Betts.
      Others signing the letter included National League vice-president Lord Faulkner, Malcolm Clarke of the Football Supporters Association and Robbie Savage.

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      Many EFL and non-league clubs are at risk of going out of business as a result of the coronavirus pandemic with no fans in groundsCredit: PA:Press Association

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      Former FA chairman Greg Dyke was among the signatories on a letter criticising the Government’s treatment of the EFL Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      Dowden further infuriated League chiefs by his weekend assertion that top-flight clubs should “help poorer clubs rather than spend huge amounts of money hiring a new striker”.
      Now, though, he has been put on the back foot by the letter, which will be welcomed by League bosses.
      The group added that it had previously advised the Government of the issues faced by the EFL as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.
      They added: “Clubs have been able to sustain themselves through advance season ticket sales, solidarity payments from the Premier League, and had agreed to start playing the new season in the belief that fans would be allowed to return to stadiums this autumn.
      “It’s now clear that spectators will not be back in EFL grounds, even in limited numbers, for the foreseeable future.
      “As a consequence clubs will not only lose this budgeted for income, but will also have to refund season tickets to fans who will now be prevented from attending matches.
      “It’s clear that the Government has no current proposals to provide financial support, and nor is it prepared to offer any guarantees for the future.
      “Without any plans being made to rescue football clubs, many in the EFL and others in the National League as well, are now actively preparing to make all but essential staff redundant, cease playing, close down their youth academies and community foundations, and put their business into administration.

      “This could lead not only to the failure of many historic community clubs, but the collapse of the national league structure that we have known for over one hundred years.
      “There is still time to act, but not long left.
      “The Government made £1.5billion available to rescue arts and cultural organisations across the country that faced closure because of the coronavirus.
      “We believe that football, like other well-loved professional sports in this country, is also a cultural activity.
      “We would ask that the government now make clear what financial support it’s prepared to give before it is too late.
      “In order for clubs to sustain themselves over the winter and keep playing, they would need to be compensated for the loss of match ticket sales.
      “The absence of this income is not a result of their actions, but the policies that have been put in place by the government in response to a public health emergency.”

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