Bolton Wanderers will have to play their next two league matches behind closed doors after the club's safety advisory group decided the Championship strugglers could not guarantee fans at the University of Bolton Stadium would be safe.
This news comes on the heels of a players' decision to go on strike after their wages were not paid on time for a second successive month.
The safety group, which is comprised of representatives the local council, police and emergency services, informed the English Football League on Tuesday that it has placed a prohibition notice on the club under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975.
The club are due in the High Court on Wednesday, facing a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs for £1.2million in unpaid tax and other debts.
Owners of the club told the group it could not address its concerns until after the court hearing, which gave the safety experts little choice but to rule that all supporters will be prevented from entering the ground for the home games against Ipswich on Saturday, April 6, and Middlesbrough on Tuesday, April 9.
Meanwhile club chairman Ken Anderson has expressed his disappointment at the players' decision to go on strike.
Anderson, who claims he is close to selling the club, addressed the issue in a message to supporters on the club's official website.
He said: "Obviously, the players' decision to go on strike is very disappointing and once again, I would reiterate that in my three years at the club, the staff have only been paid late once and yesterday was only the second time.
"Likewise, the players have also only been paid late three times. The reality is that they have always been paid.
"We are not the only club to have paid players late and there are many precedents of this happening.
