Barnsley to address Wigan Athletic appeal hearing against 12-point deduction

Wigan were 13th in the Championship before their points deduction was applied following their final-day draw with Fulham

Barnsley will be allowed to make their views known in Wigan Athletic's appeal against their 12-point penalty for going into administration.

The Latics' hearing in front of an independent disciplinary commission is set to take place on Friday.

Wigan are appealing against the automatic punishment on the grounds of 'force majeure'.

Should Wigan win their case, it would relegate Barnsley, who finished fourth from bottom in the Championship.

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The Tykes were bottom of the table with two games to go but beat both Nottingham Forest and Brentford to finish above Wigan, who would have ended the season in mid-table but for their points deduction.

Force majeure events are usually defined as certain acts, events or circumstances beyond the control of the involved parties, such as natural disasters, war or a pandemic.

It is likely Barnsley will argue for the punishment to remain in place given co-chairman Paul Conway threatened litigation earlier this month after becoming frustrated at the number of serious disciplinary matters put before the EFL this season that are still awaiting resolution.

Even after their survival had been secured, Barnsley issued a statement in which they complained about the "blatant disregard for sporting/competitive integrity and the lack of governance in our division".

The final game of the Championship season is on 4 August, when the play-off final will be held at Wembley.

The expectation is a decision in the Wigan case will be made next week.