Wigan are financially embarrassed

Rugby League

DAVE HADFIELD

Wigan are confident they will pull out of their current cash-flow crisis, despite an embarrassing error in failing to pass on World Cup gate money to the .

The chairman of the game's most powerful club, Jack Robinson, admitted that Wigan had failed to hand over pounds 125,000 from the England v Fiji match last October and that the League had witheld part of their prize-money for winning the Regal Trophy and Centenary Championship as a result.

"It was a genuine mistake and nothing sinister," Robinson said. "It was something that the board of directors was not even aware of and which has been put right now."

The money had been put into the club's account by error, he explained, although he did admit that Wigan were short of money at the moment.

Robinson said that part of the current problem was that the club has not been able to sell season tickets until it knew when it would be playing its matches in the Super League that starts in March.