Salary cap breaches!?!

Premiership Rugby are set to officially halt their investigation into alleged salary cap breaches by Saracens and Bath, according to a report in the Rugby Paper.

The two Aviva Premiership clubs have been under investigation since December 2014 for breaching the cap, which has been increased to £5.5m for the upcoming season.

A report on the investigation was set to be presented to the clubs last season but it was postponed until June and then eventually delayed even further.

It will now be discussed on Wednesday when Premiership Rugby's stakeholders hold their yearly pre-season meeting.
But it is unlikely that any action will be taken against the two clubs, who competed in last season's Aviva Premiership Final, as a 100 percent agreement must be reached by the stakeholders.
According to the Rugby Paper, a source has revealed that several deals have been taking place behind the scenes.

There are various sanction levels for salary cap breaches. These range from from a four-point deduction for a small breach to 40 points for a breach in excess of £250,000.

It is understood, however, that if these sanctions are implemented then they will be challenged in courts while a grievance would also be made to the European Union as the salary cap could be a restriction on fair trade.

The decision is set to spark an outcry from fans who have already demanded that action be taken against clubs in breach of the salary cap.

"Premier Rugby is run by a small cartel of clubs and the other clubs are being blackmailed and bullied into not voting against them," a source told the Rugby Paper.

"The whole thing stinks.

"They will get let off because clubs don’t want the bad publicity in case it upsets the sponsors and broadcasters.

Some of these clubs are run by very successful men who are used to getting their own way and this isn’t any different.
"It is no wonder that the club game in this country never moves forward.

"It’s a closed shop with a few clubs making the decisions."

Source: planetrugby.com

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