English Rugby Premiership - Saracens fined £5 million and deducted 35 points for salary cap irregularities

[TheLocalYokel]

Following an enquiry by the independent Sports Resolutions Disputes service Saracens have been fined over £5 million and deducted 35 points for breaches of salary cap regulations. They say they will appeal the decision.

Part of the judgement revolved around the club's chairman providing money to partner some players in investment opportunities which the chairman maintains is not salary and thus outside the scope of the salary cap.

The alleged breaches go back over a number of seasons and the CEO of Exeter Chiefs says that Saracens should be relegated. Exeter lost the Premiership title to Saracens in June.

In football some club owners have circumnavigated football's financial fair play (FFP) regulations by buying the club's stadium and then leasing it back to the club thus increasing the club's turnover which is directly related to the permitted level of money that they can spend. Other club owners who say their clubs have played by the rules want action taken and there has been talk of legal action.

If Saracens lose their appeal they will do exceptionally well to escape relegation anyway having seen 35 points taken from them.

 

[Jerry]

If Saracens lose their appeal they will do exceptionally well to escape relegation anyway having seen 35 points taken from them.

Based on their form they'd most likely escape it but they would be out of the Champions cup.
The Exeter CEO has called for them to be relegated completely. It also begs the question of whether they should be stripped of their titles as well.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Based on their form they'd most likely escape it but they would be out of the Champions cup.
The Exeter CEO has called for them to be relegated completely. It also begs the question of whether they should be stripped of their titles as well.

If they were relegated they'd be straight back up the following season. Happens all the time with the relegated Prem club from the previous season, such is the gulf between the Premiership and the Championship.