Bolton Wanderers - banned from allowing fans into matches - will face administration on Wednesday should a buyer for the club not be found.
The cash-strapped Championship outfit were hit with a prohibition notice amid concerns it cannot safely host fixtures at the University of Bolton Stadium, with match day staff refusing to work until they have been paid.
That means that Saturday's relegation battle with Ipswich Town and Tuesday's fixture with Middlesbrough are both under threat.
On Wednesday morning, Bolton are due at the High Court to face a winding up petition over an unpaid £1.2million tax bill and other debts.
They were given a two-week reprieve on March 20, after promising the court that a new buyer who would be able to pay their outstanding bills was close to taking over the club.
However, as of Tuesday a sale had not taken place, triggering grave concerns over Bolton's future. Earlier this week, the club's players went on a 48-hour strike in solidarity with staff after wages due to be paid on Friday did not materialise.
The decision to issue a prohibition notice, under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975, was taken by the local authority's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which includes the emergency services and the town's council, who issue the safety certificate for the stadium.
A spokesperson for SAG said: 'We recognise that Bolton Wanderers Football Club is at the heart of our community and this is a deeply regrettable situation. We have done everything we can over recent weeks to support the club at this difficult time.
'Every effort has been made to give the club enough time to put adequate match day operation standards in place, but regrettably the law gives us no alternative but to issue a prohibition notice.
'Safety and security remain our primary concern and while we recognise that spectators may be disappointed, we are not prepared to put the public at risk.'
The English Football League expressed regret over the decision and said it was 'currently engaged with the club in regard to how they intend to meet their fixture obligations'.
On Tuesday, in his now notorious column on the club's website published before news of the prohibition order broke, controversial owner Ken Anderson made no mention of the club's perilous financial plight until the fourth paragraph of another bizarre tirade.
In his message, Anderson took aim at Bolton's players and potential buyers before launching an impassioned defence of his own actions.
'The players' decision to go on strike is very disappointing,' he stated, '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.'
Anderson also hit out at time wasters, claimed that he accepted a bid for the club which was less than what he paid when he took over in, and claimed that 'legal reasons' were behind the delay of a takeover.
He added: 'I have read that the players and management staff have said that being paid late does not actually motivate them to go out and perform on the pitch. That is fully understandable, but perhaps they could also explain why the results up to Christmas were not exactly impressive either?'
An EFL spokesman said: 'While disappointed, the EFL understands the rationale for the position taken by the SAG at this time. However, we still hope the fixtures will take place as planned. We will work with the club and offer them any practical assistance that is available to us in an attempt to find a successful and timely resolution to the issue.'
EFL rules prohibit matches being played behind closed doors unless there are disciplinary reasons. Should the situation not be resolved, that rule may be relaxed although that is not a preferred outcome for the league.
With regards to playing elsewhere, the EFL would always seek to ensure a club plays all its home matches at the same stadium for integrity reasons. Bolton's neighbours Wigan Athletic, also of the Championship, are away from home on Saturday and have no game on Tuesday.