Prem Rugby could impose life bans and stripping of titles in future
Premiership Rugby could impose life bans and stripping of titles if salary cap is breached again with league, RFU and players set to vote on tougher sanctions after Saracens scandal
- Saracens will be relegated at the end of the season for breaching salary caps
- Their scandal led to Premiership Rugby holding an independent review
- The clubs, along with the RFU, the RPA – the players’ union and others will now consider the proposals and decide whether they should be implemented
Premiership clubs, players and officials face the threat of heavier sanctions for future salary cap breaches, including the stripping of titles and life bans from the league, following an in-depth review of the regulations.
Saracens will be relegated at the end of this disrupted season after being docked a total of 105 points for past cap breaches which were exposed last year by Sportsmail.
The controversy prompted Premiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs to order an independent review of the system, by former Government Minister Lord Myners CBE, which has been published on Thursday.
Premiership Rugby could impose tougher sanctions in light of the shocking Saracens scandal
Following Sportsmail’s investigation, Saracens will be relegated at the end of this disrupted season after being docked a total of 105 points for past salary cap breaches
The review makes a series of recommendations designed to tighten the regulations and increase scrutiny, accountability and transparency, as well as strengthen the range of available punishments. 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.
In the section of the review covering club accountability, Lord Myners recommends higher ‘entry level’ points sanctions, harsher penalties for failure to co-operate with salary cap officials and additional ‘sporting sanctions’.
These are outlined as relegation, suspension, stripping of titles – which could not be applied to the Saracens cases – and return of prize money, which has also not been an option before.
Former Government Minister Lord Myners CBE published his findings on Thursday after conducting an independent review
The reviews suggests a greater onus on players and their agents to accept accountability for their salary and related benefits, within the cap framework. Failure to co-operate could lead to fines or ‘sporting sanctions’, which are not specified.
However, club officials would face the threat of a two-year ban for a first offence -false declarations or a failure to co-operate – and the doomsday prospect of a lifetime Premiership ban for any subsequent offence.
Among a host of other recommendations, there are calls for all future cap breaches, disciplinary decisions and sanctions to be made public, along with guidelines relating to the regulations. There are also proposals for far greater access to club accounts and the option for PRL salary cap officials to conduct regular and detailed audits.
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