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Scunthorpe United chairman Peter Swann has put the boot in on Bolton Wanderers, suggesting the club is heading for liquidation.
The Irons chief accused the Whites in an interview with BBC Radio Humberside of “manipulating the system” to gain promotion last season.
Phil Parkinson’s team spent the entire campaign in special measures imposed by the EFL in December 2015 and were unable to pay transfer or loan fees. They finished four points ahead of third-placed Scunthorpe, sealing promotion on the final day of the season with a 3-0 win over Peterborough United.
Speaking on Thursday evening, Swann had been reflecting on the club’s near-miss on promotion when he voiced his frustration that Wanderers had not been given bigger punishments for the financial problems they had encountered.
“I don’t think Bolton should have gone up,” he said. “I think financially they were in a huge mess and I still think now that things will come up that show Bolton went up by manipulating the system, as a lot of teams do. We are seeing now the Financial Fair Play, teams that are being done for that – Forest and QPR.
“But you look at a team like that (Bolton) who struggled to pay their wages and we, on a third of their wages, were fighting in the league and doing so well, I think deserved that second spot because we did everything right. Why should a team that is run well, pays its taxes and does all the things it should do have a disadvantage over a team or teams that can go into hundreds of millions of pounds worth of debt and still get promoted?
“The whole system needs a good look at, it really does. And if they don’t do it now it’s only going to get worse because we have got more and more investment coming from outside UK – India, China, America, Russia, and they don’t understand our British game. I just get the feeling more clubs will spend and spend and spend, just fall to the wayside.
“We have got to get a grip of it now and I’m hoping the EFL, over the next season or two, will address that.
“Hopefully Bolton won’t go into liquidation and make it more annoying for all of us… But I bet they will.”
After the interviewer interjected to say he hoped Wanderers did not go bust in the future, Swann added: “I hope they don’t but I can see where they are coming from. They are great fans. I know a lot of people down there and they are distraught at what’s going on as well.”
It is not the first time Wanderers and Scunthorpe have clashed on points of principle, with Ken Anderson claiming back in March members of the EFL board – which included Irons chief executive Jim Rodwell - had a “vested interest” in preventing the club from extending their quota.
A request was made to the EFL to allow youngster Jeff King to be drafted from the Under-23s into Phil Parkinson’s senior set-up, but eventually refused.
The EFL later clarified Rodwell had not been a part of the voting process but Anderson was upset with the decision.
“Effectively it went to a vote and we lost on a split vote on the board,” Anderson said at the time.
“I wasn’t too happy. There were certain people at other clubs who probably didn’t want us to bring in other players.
“The words they used were ‘conflict of interest’ but I’d go something stronger and say they may have had a vested interest in him not joining us.”
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The Irons chief accused the Whites in an interview with BBC Radio Humberside of “manipulating the system” to gain promotion last season.
Phil Parkinson’s team spent the entire campaign in special measures imposed by the EFL in December 2015 and were unable to pay transfer or loan fees. They finished four points ahead of third-placed Scunthorpe, sealing promotion on the final day of the season with a 3-0 win over Peterborough United.
Speaking on Thursday evening, Swann had been reflecting on the club’s near-miss on promotion when he voiced his frustration that Wanderers had not been given bigger punishments for the financial problems they had encountered.
“I don’t think Bolton should have gone up,” he said. “I think financially they were in a huge mess and I still think now that things will come up that show Bolton went up by manipulating the system, as a lot of teams do. We are seeing now the Financial Fair Play, teams that are being done for that – Forest and QPR.
“But you look at a team like that (Bolton) who struggled to pay their wages and we, on a third of their wages, were fighting in the league and doing so well, I think deserved that second spot because we did everything right. Why should a team that is run well, pays its taxes and does all the things it should do have a disadvantage over a team or teams that can go into hundreds of millions of pounds worth of debt and still get promoted?
“The whole system needs a good look at, it really does. And if they don’t do it now it’s only going to get worse because we have got more and more investment coming from outside UK – India, China, America, Russia, and they don’t understand our British game. I just get the feeling more clubs will spend and spend and spend, just fall to the wayside.
“We have got to get a grip of it now and I’m hoping the EFL, over the next season or two, will address that.
“Hopefully Bolton won’t go into liquidation and make it more annoying for all of us… But I bet they will.”
After the interviewer interjected to say he hoped Wanderers did not go bust in the future, Swann added: “I hope they don’t but I can see where they are coming from. They are great fans. I know a lot of people down there and they are distraught at what’s going on as well.”
It is not the first time Wanderers and Scunthorpe have clashed on points of principle, with Ken Anderson claiming back in March members of the EFL board – which included Irons chief executive Jim Rodwell - had a “vested interest” in preventing the club from extending their quota.
A request was made to the EFL to allow youngster Jeff King to be drafted from the Under-23s into Phil Parkinson’s senior set-up, but eventually refused.
The EFL later clarified Rodwell had not been a part of the voting process but Anderson was upset with the decision.
“Effectively it went to a vote and we lost on a split vote on the board,” Anderson said at the time.
“I wasn’t too happy. There were certain people at other clubs who probably didn’t want us to bring in other players.
“The words they used were ‘conflict of interest’ but I’d go something stronger and say they may have had a vested interest in him not joining us.”
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