Players and staff at Salford Red Devils have demanded the owners show their commitment to the club after their wages were late for the second month running.
Despite assurances given by Salford CEO Chris Irwin last week, the Red Devils again missed payroll for March which was due to be met on Thursday morning.
That was followed by a joint statement being released which called on the ownership consortium led by Swiss investment banker Dario Berta to back up their promises after their takeover of the Betfred Super League club was approved by the RFL in February.
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“As many will already know, our payroll wasn’t delivered this morning as scheduled, despite assurances,” a statement posted on the club website on Thursday evening read.
“It remains a difficult situation for everyone at Salford Red Devils.
“Irrespective of this, we, as players and staff have continued to uphold our commitments with professionalism, ensuring the club remains competitive on and off the field.
“Now, we await the same level of commitment from those responsible for ensuring the stability of our organisation.”
Salford’s failure to pay February’s wages on time saw them placed back under a £1.2million sustainability cap which had been lifted following the RFL granting approval for the Berta-led consortium’s takeover.
Marc Sneyd and Brad Singleton have since moved to Super League rivals Warrington Wolves and Castleford Tigers respectively for undisclosed fees, while Tim Lafai has returned home to Australia for family reasons.
They have, however, been able to sign forwad George Hill on a one-month loan from Castleford and he is likely to be in the squad for the Red Devils’ next Super League fixture is away to Wigan Warriors on Sunday.
The RFL has been in contact with charity Rugby League Cares to support the players and staff at Salford, while the governing body have received assurances this is again a temporary situation.
Away from rugby league, the real estate investment company Berta, who has not made any public statement since a message posted on Salford’s website on February 21 soon after the takeover was approved, is CEO of is facing being struck off.
A filing under the entry for Matanel Ltd on the Companies House website dated March 18 showed a first Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off has been issued, which would occur no later than May 18 “unless cause is shown to the contrary”.
Matanel Ltd’s entry also shows its latest accounts up to April 2024, which were due to be filed by January 19, are overdue as of March 27.
