Bitcoin Entrepreneur May Bail Out Ailing UK Soccer Club

Struggling British soccer club Wigan Athletic may have a new investor to save the day, as banker and bitcoin magnate Jonathan Rowland is named the latest bidder, according to a Monday report from The Sun.

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Wigan went into administration in July 2020, only four weeks after a Hong Kong-based consortium took over the club. The coronavirus pandemic is said to have had a significant impact on the football club's finances.
The estimated cost for taking the club out of administration is around £3 million ($4.02 million) and a further £5 million ($6.69 million) is needed to convince the English Football League (EFL) of its long-term plans.
According to the report, Rowland is “willing to fund" a bid proposed by former professional soccer player Ray Ranson and former Wigan Chairman Darren Royle.
Rowland is the founder of bitcoin finance app Mode and online investment company Jellyworks, launched at the height of the dot-com boom.
He is reportedly close friends with Prince Andrew and worth an estimated £600 million ($803 million). In 2005, Prince Andrew unveiled a life-size bronze statue of Rowland smoking a cigar in Guernsey.
Two unnamed Spanish investors are also bidding for the soccer club, with meetings taking place in November, reports Wigan Today.

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