SARRIES ACES GRILLED OVER SALARY CAP
PREMIERSHIP Rugby are understood to be interrogating current and former Saracens players about their financial arrangements with the club and owner Nigel Wray, in light of serious concerns about whether salary-cap rules have been broken.
An investigation is said to have been launched following Sportsmail’s expose about the business and property arrangements between Saracens’ multimillionaire owner Wray and top players, including England captain Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje.
The matter is expected to be high on the agenda of today’s Premiership Rugby Ltd ( PRL) board meeting, which could become lively as clubs demand answers over what action is being taken.
Given this is the first time all the clubs have gathered since
Sportsmail revealed that Wray has gone into business with five members of Saracens’ star-studded squad, PRL bosses are expected to come under significant pressure to demonstrate they are taking the issue seriously.
Many of the 12 Premiership clubs feel they are no longer operating on a level playing field, despite the £7million salary cap having been introduced for that reason. Last night, sources told
Sportsmail that salary- cap manager Andrew Rogers — who is employed by PRL to monitor and regulate the cap — has been arranging meetings with current and former Saracens players, asking about their individual deals with the club and Wray, a property entrepreneur worth £315m.
This afternoon’s meeting is likely to be the first time that many club representatives have met with PRL chief executive Mark McCafferty and chairman Ian Ritchie since this newspaper published the outcome of a four-month investigation into Saracens.
It found that Wray has struck up businesses with star players including Farrell, Itoje, Mako and Billy Vunipola and Richard Wigglesworth in the last three years. He has entered into property-sharing arrangements with other players.
Wray has defended such arrangements, saying they are all above board and have been declared to Rogers. However, he has also insisted that investment property schemes with players should not be considered as salary and are investments.
Rival club chairmen and chief executives will today respond to those views and the revelations of the last month.
In 2014, Saracens were investigated by PRL for an alleged breach of the salary cap, yet the member clubs came to an agreement at a board meeting in 2015 to suspend that investigation until the end of the season. The matter was closed after several months when an out- of- court settlement was reached in late 2015. Sources have indicated to
Sportsmail that clubs will now take a stronger stance, seeking tough action and potentially a change to the rules if they are no longer deemed fit for purpose.