The 23-year-old grandson of Dave Whelan is to replace him as the chairman of Wigan Athletic. Whelan resigned on Tuesday after 20 years at the helm, with David Sharpe set to take charge.
Whelan’s departure was announced in a statement on the Championship club’s website and came shortly after the 78-year-old had served a six-week ban from football for racist comments made in an interview with the Guardian.
Sharpe will be elected chairman by the board of directors at a date to be confirmed and will be assisted by the chief executive, Jonathan Jackson. While the Whelan family will remain as majority shareholders, Dave Whelan will no longer be a part of day-to-day operations.
Whelan said: “The time has come to hand over the reins. I am approaching 80 years old and spend an increasingly long time abroad, and cannot make it to games. It is a decision I have been mulling over for some years and I believe David is now ready.
“Contrary to some suggestions, there are no plans to sell the club, which will remain in family hands and I have every confidence that David, along with chief executive Jonathan Jackson, will lead us forwards with wisdom.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to the board of directors, all the staff at the club, and of course the wonderful supporters of Wigan Athletic, who have helped make the journey over the past 20 years such an exciting and memorable one.”
Whelan, who played for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final, bought Wigan in February 1995 when they were in the fourth tier of English football. He presided over the most successful period in the club’s history as they rose to the Premier League in 2005 and won the FA Cup in 2013 before being relegated at the end of the same season. They are second bottom of the Championship.
He also oversaw Wigan’s move from Springfield Park to a new ground, initially known as the JJB Stadium, in 1999.