Premiership to go closed shop ?

[MightyRearranger]

There's a report in the times this morning saying that the PRL clubs have voted to suspend the current investigations into salary cap breaches by a margin of 10 to 2 (Wasps and Quins voted nay). Ignoring the blizzard of PRL bullshit the insinuation is that they were worried about the negative publicity it might create when they're renegotiating deals with the RFU and sponsors.

[Russ]

There's a report in the times this morning saying that the PRL clubs have voted to suspend the current investigations into salary cap breaches by a margin of 10 to 2 (Wasps and Quins voted nay). Ignoring the blizzard of PRL bullshit the insinuation is that they were worried about the negative publicity it might create when they're renegotiating deals with the RFU and sponsors.

Hahahaha

"We've all breached the cap, so let's stop investigating ourselves"

[MightyRearranger]

In theory the penalty for a breach of more than £250,000 is a deduction of 40 points as well as a fine. They wouldn't want Saracens to be relegated instead of London welsh when they're trying to set up a 14 team closed shop.

[Rovi Snave]

There's a report in the times this morning saying that the PRL clubs have voted to suspend the current investigations into salary cap breaches by a margin of 10 to 2 (Wasps and Quins voted nay). Ignoring the blizzard of PRL bullshit the insinuation is that they were worried about the negative publicity it might create when they're renegotiating deals with the RFU and sponsors.

What a joke

So those that play by the rules are at a disadvantage and those that don't throw away the rule book when it suits them - just about sums up PRL

[BaggyTrousers]

There's a report in the times this morning saying that the PRL clubs have voted to suspend the current investigations into salary cap breaches by a margin of 10 to 2 (Wasps and Quins voted nay). Ignoring the blizzard of PRL bullshit the insinuation is that they were worried about the negative publicity it might create when they're renegotiating deals with the RFU and sponsors.

What a joke

So those that play by the rules are at a disadvantage and those that don't throw away the rule book when it suits them - just about sums up PRL

Yeah seems like only Wassups and Quins play the white man.

[mikerob]

It looks like they are just going to sweep the salary cap breaches under the carpet as the system is set to change anyway.

Everyone starts with a clean slate, move along nothing to see here.

There is talk about a cap with credits for numbers of players representing England or even no cap at all but a "luxury" tax and teams pay a "tax" for exceeding a wage threshold and this goes to teams under the threshold. Apparently US baseball does this.

[namron]

I wouldn't worry too much about them as the IRFU provinces (especially Ulster) are in rude health Well, as long as they don't decide to link up with the French in a closed shop Euro Cup

[Rooster]

Big meltdown ? Looks like McTwattery, Wray and Craig are back to the old "lets go to court" move again

The wording varies slightly, but the angry sentiment remains consistent. Those infuriated by alleged flouting of the Aviva Premiership salary cap condemn it as ‘financial doping’ or ‘financial steroid abuse’.

Those are phrases heard by this column in recent months – from a prominent player and a leading club official – amid simmering unrest about an explosive issue, which is seen by many as cheating on a par with use of illegal substances. This week’s revelations that investigations into alleged breaches have been suspended after a deal was struck by the leading clubs have re-opened raw wounds.

Sportsmail has learned that certain clubs under suspicion threatened to go to the European Courts to legally challenge the legitimacy of the salary cap and potentially sue the competition’s organisers – and even their own rivals. This, along with a threat to block the agreement of a new TV deal led to those clubs wishing to expose sharp practice being bullied into line.

It is understood that a shareholders meeting late last month was beset by acrimonious exchanges between the faction deemed to be sweeping the matter under the carpet and the larger group striving to ensure that abuse of the cap was suitably punished. Yet, with the threats of legal action and a block on all significant business requiring a majority vote, the up-shot was that any wrong-doing is now unlikely to ever come to light.

This has become farcical. It is no way to run a sport – an administrative and governance approach which amounts to eyes being closed and fingers being shoved in ears. See no evil, hear no evil. There may soon be a move to end the secrecy surrounding this thorny issue. Not before time.

Players, coaches and officials at the clubs who spend within the limits are incensed at the uphill struggle they face to compete. They have every right to be. Signing a participation agreement should act as a legally-binding acceptance of the rules.

It is reasonable to discuss a further raising of the spending limit – especially on the back of a possible post-World Cup boom – but the status quo must be challenged. It is a sham. Either enforce the cap and impose the permitted sanctions of fines or points deductions, or scrap the whole system and allow an open free-for-all. The aggrieved are right; this financial doping is cheating and it must be eradicated, or the credibility of the English club game is in grave jeopardy.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyu ... e-jeopardy

[Rooster]

This is going to get messy, young Walkinshaw is not scared to speak
Give this a week or so and there will be a big fight

Gloucester are the first club to publicly support rigorous punishments for salary cap breaches following Premier Rugby’s controversial decision to suspend an investigation into alleged wrong-doing.

The Mail on Sunday revealed in December that Saracens were facing a probe, along with Bath, into alleged infringements of the code and faced points deductions and hefty fines if found guilty.

But it emerged last week that the league’s umbrella organisation had voted to suspend the investigation — following a threat by Saracens to challenge the legality of the ca

Premier Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty and leading figures from the 12 Premiership clubs had agreed to remain silent over the probe suspension.

But, when pressed following Gloucester’s Challenge Cup final win over Edinburgh, chairman Ryan Walkinshaw admitted his club wanted sanctions. ‘We are hugely in favour of the salary cap,’ he said. ‘We fought very hard to push for any salary punishments. I’d love to speak more but I can’t.’

There is growing anger over the decision to suspend the probe in order to avoid a messy legal fight after new rules were announced aimed at making any sanctions more transparent.

The limit will be increased to £5.5million next year, with each club permitted a second ‘marquee’ player whose salary will sit outside the cap, while discussions by the Professional Game Board over the future of promotion and relegation are also muddying the waters.

Clubs including Gloucester, Exeter and Leicester — who unlike Saracens and Bath are operating at a small profit and are not reliant on subsidies from wealthy benefactors — are in favour of raising the cap further.

‘As a club we can definitely live with an increase,’ Walkinshaw added. ‘There is an argument for pushing it up because all the clubs want to be competitive in Europe.’

Ryan Walkinshaw has declared Gloucester remain in favour of the salary cap and expects more details to emerge over the current furore over the policy in the coming weeks.

It was revealed last year that a number of Premiership clubs, allegedly Saracens and Bath, were under investigation for breaching the cap.

However reports last week suggested the investigations had been suspended following a vote of the Premiership clubs.

Those claims have now been denied but there remains a growing desire from the top clubs to further increase the cap which will be£5.1million plus two excluded marquee players next season

Walkinshaw remained tight-lipped but he revealed Gloucester support the cap and that more information will emerge in the weeks ahead.

Walkinshaw said: "I have got plenty of views, none of which I am going to share with you tonight. There is only so much I can say to the press at the moment in time. I would love to speak more but I can't.

"We are hugely in favour of the salary cap. We fought very hard to push any salary punishments that there were to be and we will have to wait and see what happens with that.

"There is an argument for pushing it up because all the clubs want to be competitive in Europe.

"You are competing against the French and if that (rise) is for the benefit of the league and the English game that is a different argument and probably from a different angle than pushing it up and bringing in new imports.

"The marquee player is a great thing for us at the moment but if you push it further and end up having three, four, five marquee players is that really going to be for the benefit of the English game?

"Probably not because they are going to be international players, it may be good for the two or three clubs who can afford to bring them in but is it good for the English game, I don't think so."

While Walkinshaw does not boast the financial might to compete with the likes of Saracens' and Bath's owners, he insists Gloucester's financial viability ensures they will remain competitive.

They currently pay to the cap and he does not envisage that changing unless an unrealistic increase is voted in.

"As a club we definitely can cope. We are a club which makes £500,000 profit, we have invested more money this year into the playing squad than we ever have previously and if the salary cap was to raise going forward we are a club that would be able to compete.

"If it raises by £5million it is going to be a bit tough but I don't see that happening."

[Russ]

I thought you got sued by sorries if you mention they breached the cap

[Snipe Watson]

This is going to get messy, young Walkinshaw is not scared to speak
Give this a week or so and there will be a big fight

Gloucester are the first club to publicly support rigorous punishments for salary cap breaches following Premier Rugby’s controversial decision to suspend an investigation into alleged wrong-doing.

The Mail on Sunday revealed in December that Saracens were facing a probe, along with Bath, into alleged infringements of the code and faced points deductions and hefty fines if found guilty.

But it emerged last week that the league’s umbrella organisation had voted to suspend the investigation — following a threat by Saracens to challenge the legality of the ca

Premier Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty and leading figures from the 12 Premiership clubs had agreed to remain silent over the probe suspension.

But, when pressed following Gloucester’s Challenge Cup final win over Edinburgh, chairman Ryan Walkinshaw admitted his club wanted sanctions. ‘We are hugely in favour of the salary cap,’ he said. ‘We fought very hard to push for any salary punishments. I’d love to speak more but I can’t.’

There is growing anger over the decision to suspend the probe in order to avoid a messy legal fight after new rules were announced aimed at making any sanctions more transparent.

The limit will be increased to £5.5million next year, with each club permitted a second ‘marquee’ player whose salary will sit outside the cap, while discussions by the Professional Game Board over the future of promotion and relegation are also muddying the waters.

Clubs including Gloucester, Exeter and Leicester — who unlike Saracens and Bath are operating at a small profit and are not reliant on subsidies from wealthy benefactors — are in favour of raising the cap further.

‘As a club we can definitely live with an increase,’ Walkinshaw added. ‘There is an argument for pushing it up because all the clubs want to be competitive in Europe.’

Ryan Walkinshaw has declared Gloucester remain in favour of the salary cap and expects more details to emerge over the current furore over the policy in the coming weeks.

It was revealed last year that a number of Premiership clubs, allegedly Saracens and Bath, were under investigation for breaching the cap.

However reports last week suggested the investigations had been suspended following a vote of the Premiership clubs.

Those claims have now been denied but there remains a growing desire from the top clubs to further increase the cap which will be£5.1million plus two excluded marquee players next season

Walkinshaw remained tight-lipped but he revealed Gloucester support the cap and that more information will emerge in the weeks ahead.

Walkinshaw said: "I have got plenty of views, none of which I am going to share with you tonight. There is only so much I can say to the press at the moment in time. I would love to speak more but I can't.

"We are hugely in favour of the salary cap. We fought very hard to push any salary punishments that there were to be and we will have to wait and see what happens with that.

"There is an argument for pushing it up because all the clubs want to be competitive in Europe.

"You are competing against the French and if that (rise) is for the benefit of the league and the English game that is a different argument and probably from a different angle than pushing it up and bringing in new imports.

"The marquee player is a great thing for us at the moment but if you push it further and end up having three, four, five marquee players is that really going to be for the benefit of the English game?

"Probably not because they are going to be international players, it may be good for the two or three clubs who can afford to bring them in but is it good for the English game, I don't think so."

While Walkinshaw does not boast the financial might to compete with the likes of Saracens' and Bath's owners, he insists Gloucester's financial viability ensures they will remain competitive.

They currently pay to the cap and he does not envisage that changing unless an unrealistic increase is voted in.

"As a club we definitely can cope. We are a club which makes £500,000 profit, we have invested more money this year into the playing squad than we ever have previously and if the salary cap was to raise going forward we are a club that would be able to compete.

"If it raises by £5million it is going to be a bit tough but I don't see that happening."

Sarries show again what a malignant shower they really are. I'm convinced the unholy alliance that is the PRL will eventually fracture. Actual rugby clubs like Glaws or Tigers are going to bite back eventually.

[Rooster]

Sorries reckon it is restriction of trade under EU laws as their wage bill is less than they can afford and as thus they are prevented from employing more or better players than they have at present.
The whole debate hinges on whether a competition rule by the PRL is legally binding or do EU employment laws over rule it.

It could get very costly and very messy and if Sorries took it to court could the PRL continue to run the competition while the mess is sorted, or can they chuck Sorries out as not being eligible or would that lead to yet another legal wrangle?
The entire thing started last season when the ERC was dismantled by similar types of threats etc and now they are reaping the rewards from that, I wonder has McTwat a secret company hidden somewhere and is on a payroll in addition to the PRL or was he just sucked into the thoughts of being Mr Big who reformed Euro rugby ?

[Russ]

Do Sorries have an EU employment law graduate in their admin team?
This hotshot has decided everyone is against the theories he has been taught

[Rooster]

Do Sorries have an EU employment law graduate in their admin team?
This hotshot has decided everyone is against the theories he has been taught

No idea Russ that was just what I heard today but I would reckon source is pretty reliable.

[Deraless]

Sorries attitude stinks to high heaven. If the rules are against us they're unjust and illegal. Therefore we should break them.

Financial Fair Play rules in fruitball seem to be legal so how could this be different? The restrictions are in place to protect the clubs from vain assholes who see them as their playthings.