The RFL have launched a compliance investigation against the Salford Red Devils after fielding a reserve squad in their record-breaking defeat to St Helens.
The record-breaking defeat on Saturday (February 15) saw the Red Devils denied the use of a number of senior players due to salary cap restrictions.
Despite the restrictions, head coach Paul Rowley still chose to name three of those who had been available on the bench.
During the fixture, the Red Devils were demolished, conceding 15 tries resulting in the largest winning margin in Super League history.
However, the result has drawn criticism from rivals including Warrington head coach Sam Burgess who suggested that the result has compromised the integrity of the competition.
To make matters worse, the match was broadcast live on BBC2 and blighted an otherwise superb opening weekend which saw the first 0-0 draw between Wigan and Leigh, and Wakefield’s stunning win at Leeds.
Following the result the RFL chiefs have met today (February 17) to determine whether Salford will be the subject of a compliance investigation that could result in a charge of breaching operational rules.
Those rules include the requirement that each club “has at all times a squad of players sufficient to meet its obligations in all competitions.”
If charged and subsequently found guilty, the club could face a range of sanctions, although it is not thought a points deduction would be one of them.
Following the meeting an RFL spokesperson said: “The RFL have today contacted Salford Red Devils to confirm that a compliance investigation will be launched to consider the circumstances around their squad selection for Saturday’s Betfred Super League fixture at St Helens, and whether they have brought the sport into disrepute.”
The Red Devils announced the completion of a takeover on Friday 7 February, ending a period of financial turmoil that required them to name a restricted squad for last week’s Challenge Cup third-round win at Midlands Hurricanes.
Due to the timing of the takeover, the salary cap remained in place for Round One of the Super League season, and Rowley said after the Saints defeat that he had been told he could not use any of the players who had featured against Midlands.
He added that his decision not to start with any of the remaining senior players at his disposal against St Helens was due to issues of familiarity.
He said: “I can’t put half a team out made of the reserves (and first-team) and introduce them all on the bus because I don’t think it’s the right thing to do.”
However, following the defeat the club have face criticism from multiple clubs including Leigh chairman Derek Beaumont, who accused them of “complete disrespect” for the competition in a strongly-worded social media post.
The criticism also came from Warrington head coach Sam Burgess, who also said that the episode had blighted an otherwise excellent first weekend of the new campaign.
Burgess said: “I think the weekend has been brilliant. The games have been fantastic, barring the debacle in the case that we all know about.
“I think that’s been handled poorly and a lack of leadership from everyone. It’s a kind of black mark on the competition.
“It takes away from the integrity of the table. You look how tight it finished last year and the year before, it’s going to have a direct impact on the end of the year.
“The integrity of the league is affected. I’m just telling the truth about it, so how we’ve got to that stage I don’t know.”
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