Fiasco, farce, omnishambles, call it what you like – even Malcolm Tucker would struggle to put a gloss on events at Salford Red Devils and the RFL in the last few months. With their new owners repeatedly failing to lodge the funds that would guarantee the club can get through the season, Salford remain in special measures, administered by a governing body that has seen the majority of its board resign, other senior staff leave under black clouds and a former deposed leader return in a remarkable coup. As Salford and the RFL battle to see who can look the most shambolic, we answer the questions you might be asking.
How can Salford finish fourth last season and lose their first four games this time? Winning the battle of the pointless against Huddersfield on Thursday night was a rare moment of joy for Salford since bowing out of the Super League playoffs six months ago. On paper, Paul Rowley’s side should challenge for silverware. Instead, they have played like relegation fodder, their star players totally undermined by not being paid and their employers in disarray.
What has happened? Salford appeared to have finally secured ownership of the Salford Community Stadium – better known as the AJ Bell – thanks to a takeover last month, only for the deal to stall. It seems the club’s new owners don’t so much want the Red Devils as the stadium – which is shared with union club Sale Sharks – and the considerable land surrounding it, which is all ripe for development. The council will only allow the land deal to go through if the club is safe.
Why has this been dragging on since the end of last year? One high-profile employee of the club says the consortium headed up by Dario Berta, CEO of Swiss investment bank Matandel, and fronted by former Exeter City executive Chris Irwin, are actually in talks with the RFL to buy Super League itself in a £200m deal. But their failure to pay Salford’s bills – reportedly £12m is required in total – is drastically undermining the seriousness of that offer, while the leadership change at the RFL has probably ended any possibility of a controversial whole league sale.
Did Salford sign players they can’t afford? Yes. So do other clubs but the Red Devils kept signing them with no wealthy owner to plug the hole. Just as Toronto Wolfpack found themselves politically isolated when the pandemic struck, Salford – having had an advance of their Sky money and yet still require the RFL to pay much of February’s wages – are looking around for friends.
Didn’t Salford sell their top players a year or so ago? Yes. Under the previous owners, Tyler Dupree went to Wigan, and Andy Ackers and Brodie Croft went to Leeds, but that was just a plaster over their gaping financial wounds. While other clubs invested in infrastructure – redevelopment of stadiums, new training grounds, academies, staffing – Salford, despite begging their fans for further financial gifts last year, built a squad that competed for silverware but was totally unsustainable.
How can a successful Super League club be skint? Without owning their stadium, Salford run a small-scale operation relying almost entirely on the central distribution, which has shrunk considerably. Although they broke the 10,000 mark for a home game for the first time in the playoffs last season, attendances averaged just 4,646. Most Super League clubs lose at least £1m per season, with total club wage bills of between £5m and £6m, dwarfing Salford’s overall expenditure.
Why hasn’t the takeover solved their problems? The money hasn’t arrived. While the RFL saw proof of funds before approving the buyout, only five-figure instalments have been transferred when Salford need money counted in seven figures. The RFL has kept them to a sustainability cap, which limits them to using players who would only cost £1.2m for the season. In other words, the RFL could continue to pay Salford’s £170,000 monthly wage bill from their broadcast share, to ensure they complete their commitment to six live Sky games a week.
Why have Salford named fewer than 18 players in matchday squads? As ridiculous as it sounds, given the supposed importance of player welfare, there is no rule forcing clubs to take 18 players to a game. Salford coach Paul Rowley took 16 reserves to St Helens on the opening night of the season (a game they lost 82-0). He only fielded 16 in the Challenge Cup win over Bradford last Friday. Sustainability rules mean Salford can only remove a player from their squad due to injury. Marc Sneyd’s hamstring injury accelerated his £75,000 move to Warrington as he couldn’t play anyway. Other injured players are likely to be sold.
What happens when March’s payroll is due next week? Failure to deposit the monthly payroll in advance will edge the club further towards administration and almost-certain demotion at the end of the season. With an open revolt of clubs forcing a coup that returned previously derided leader Nigel Wood on a temporary basis – a move seen by many as akin to voting Boris Johnson back as prime minister – the new RFL leadership are unlikely to allow Salford to keep fielding a team of top talent. With some players willing to play if they get paid, others wanting to play regardless, and many wanting to leave as soon as possible, wage-dumping seems inevitable. Selling injured senior players and fielding cheap young reserves seems the obvious next step.
Who will be out the door next? Brad Singleton signed for Castleford on Wednesday and is expected to be joined there by more Salford teammates as six-month deals are being offered to many of their shrinking squad. The stars were wanted by other Super League clubs in winter but few have any space left under the salary cap for six-figure players such as Kallum Watkins and Ryan Brierley. Tim Lafai is heading back to Australia and Papua New Guinea centre Nene Macdonald being linked with ambitious Championship club Oldham.
What might be the consequences of this fiasco? Salford are losing IMG grading points on a weekly basis and at this rate are heading out of Super League regardless of their results. That’s good news for the likes of Toulouse, Bradford and London, all of whom need as much notice as possible if they have to step up in 2026. It is no coincidence that the long-mooted players’ union may finally get off the ground, with Salford royalty Adrian Morley – now working for the charity Rugby League Cares – and full-back Brierley working in tandem to launch it. We may also see clubs consider a rule forcing them to declare their budgets in advance and even deposit funds to secure a Super League licence, a system that operates in French rugby union and German football.
What do the RFL’s leaders have to say about this? Not much. It’s been a horrific few months for the governing body, with the sole senior figure left at the RFL – CEO Tony Sutton – missing in action. His public vanishing act and wall of silence – save for one public comment in January – has been yet another dreadful misreading of the room. The lack of transparency about Salford’s finances has been hugely damaging and the avoidance of communication has been staggering at a time when clarity and honesty have been needed. Heads should roll, if there were any left.
Does Super League need Salford? Only a strong one. Being in Greater Manchester and the home of the BBC isn’t enough. The best club in the country, one of the other usual contenders and the exciting disruptor are also firmly inside Manchester’s sphere of influence; Wigan, Warrington and Leigh share its media market and sit within 15 miles of the city. Super League needs buoyant clubs – if that’s Wakefield rather than Huddersfield or Castleford, and Leigh rather than Salford, so be it.
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