The RFL have said that no formal disciplinary action will be taken against its chief executive Ralph Rimmer for controversial comments about the Fiji national team.
At an awards dinner last week, Rimmer said: “Fiji have already arrived. We don’t think anybody has been arrested yet, do we? No, we’re all right, so we are going pretty well then.”
Following a formal complaint about the remarks, RFL chair Simon Johnson submitted a 21-page report to the RFL Board which involved gathering information from three independent experts, attendees at the dinner, a statement from Rimmer and the views of Fiji’s World Cup party.
The report concluded that the language fell within the wide definition of unacceptable language as defined in the RFL’s Operational Rules, and therefore could be considered to breach the Code of Conduct.
However, the RFL say that the report “noted that the comment was taken within the context of a wider discussion of the World Cup; that any insult of the Fiji National Team or of people from Fiji or of Fijian origin or heritage was unintended; and that the Fiji National Team, the Federation and the Confederation have accepted Ralph Rimmer’s apology for the comments.
“Noting the agreement of all consulted that there was no intent in the use of the unacceptable language; that a fulsome apology was issued and accepted; and taking into account relevant and applicable precedent, from other sports and previous RFL compliance investigations, the decision of the Chair is that no formal disciplinary action is appropriate.”
Instead Rimmer will undergo relevant “education” before his departure from the £167,000-a-year role at the end of the year.
