Hopes high Wigan police row can be solved
Wigan owner Dave Whelan could reach a last-minute compromise to save his club from playing home games behind closed doors.
Greater Manchester Police have announced they will be withdrawing their services on match days at the JJB Stadium, claiming the Coca-Cola Championship leaders owe £300,000 (€435,000) in unpaid policing bills.
The withdrawal means the safety certificate for the 25,000-seater stadium might be revoked when Wigan council’s safety advisory group meet this morning.
If an agreement is not reached it is possible Saturday’s game against Millwall will be Wigan’s last in front of their home crowd before the police plan to close the stadium to spectators on April 2 – when Wigan host West Ham.
Games against Sunderland, QPR and Reading would also be affected as the countdown to the end of the season gathers pace.
Whelan, who owns the JJB Sports retail chain, does not believe his club should be liable for policing outside the stadium and also argues there is a disparity between the amounts Wigan and other Championship clubs are charged.
Whelan told Radio 5 Live: “It is not about money – it’s about the principle. “We are fighting to say ‘why are we being charged this?' We are fighting to be treated fairly like any other football club.”
