Leading sports lawyer gives Wigan Athletic fans great hope

Nick De Marco QC, of Blackstone Chambers, 'literally wrote the book on football law' according to testimonials.

And his words will be of great comfort to Latics fans, with the club facing something on a uncertain future after a turbulent week.

"Careful to keep an open mind but, given serious allegations have been made that the administration of Wigan may be part of a greater fraud and league-fixing illegal betting scandal, I cannot see how the EFL can allow the 12-point deduction without further investigation," he tweeted.

"If previous owners connected with gambling arranged sale of club from one company to another, both owned by the same person, shortly before the club was put into administration, triggering a 12-point deduction, there will be serious questions about the EFL’s application of its Owners & Directors Test.

"If the EFL proceeds to relegate Wigan before an investigation into this has been resolved, it may not only cause irreparable financial harm to the club, its players, employees and fans, but may facilitate large scale corruption in sport.

"If the EFL fails to put in place an urgent independent investigation into this before sanctioning the club, the FA, as ultimate regulator, has a duty to step in and the club, its players and others may have a strong legal case against the EFL."