SALARY CHEATS FACE LIFE BANS
Review wants titles to be stripped
ENGLISH Premiership rugby clubs face being stripped of titles and suspended from the league for any future salary cap breaches.
Individual life bans have also been proposed in an explosive and damning report into the Saracens scandal, which was exposed last year by Sportsmail.
Saracens will be relegated at the end of this season after being docked a total of 105 points for cap breaches.
The controversy prompted Premiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs to order an independent review of the system by former Government minister Lord Myners — and his findings sent shockwaves around the game when they were published yesterday.
The review makes a series of recommendations designed to tighten regulations and increase scrutiny, accountability and transparency, as well as enhance the range of available punishments in order that everyone involved ‘fears the outcome of failure to comply’.
The clubs, along with the RFU, the RPA — the players’ union — and other stakeholders will now consider the proposals and decide whether they should be implemented.
Lord Myners has recommended that, for the first time, players and directors should be deemed accountable within the salary-cap framework. Players could be suspended for a year for failure to comply, while directors would be banned from the league for life for multiple offences. The report begins with a quote from a supporter who took part in the extensive consultation process, which states ‘this whole affair has dragged the sport and its reputation into the gutter’. Lord Myners delivers a scathing assessment of most areas of the existing regulations. Among his recommendations are that clubs who breach the spending limit should face being stripped of trophies and relegated.
He backs suspension from the league and the return of any prize money accrued. Saracens were punished for breaches which primarily related to co-investments between then chairman Nigel Wray and leading players such as England captain Owen Farrell, the Vunipola brothers and Maro Itoje.
Wray invested in companies and properties and, despite the club insisting this activity was not contrary to the regulations, Saracens were found guilty.
In the report published yesterday, Lord Myners states: ‘Advocates of allowing arrangements such as the property arrangements in the Saracens case have pointed out that this is important for player welfare and protecting a player’s future after rugby. I am not convinced that any such scheme would be used to protect the welfare of all players equally.
‘I consider it likely that the more extravagant schemes with a significant administrative burden, such as the property co-ownership arrangements, would be reserved for those who need it the least; namely the best and highest-paid players. For these reasons, my view is that these types of arrangements should not be allowed.’
The proposal for players to be held to account for the legitimacy of their own earnings within the cap is explained as a means of ensuring that the regulations have ‘real teeth’. Lord Myners adds: ‘A meaningful sanctions regime must be introduced in relation to players, agents, employees and club officials. It seems only sensible to tie players into the regulation obligations.’
The men in charge of rugby operations at each club would share responsibility for ensuring compliance with the cap — if the proposals are approved by ten or more of the 13 shareholding clubs.
Lord Myners states: ‘The CEO, chair, FD, director of rugby should be asked to sign a declaration statement confirming they have read the regulations and agree to abide by them. Any club official who knew, or should have known, about the breach of the salary cap and who has signed a false declaration or certification or has unreasonably failed to cooperate with salary cap regulations should be subject to sanctions including a ban from PRL for up to two years (first offence) or up to lifetime (subsequent offence).’
Lord Myners also recommends a ‘fit and proper’ test for owners.