SKY SPORTS pundit Jon Wilkin has blasted the new owners of Salford Red Devils following an unprecedented situation the club now finds itself in.
The Red Devils have had a £1.2 million sustainability cap reimposed by the RFL this week after Salford’s new owners failed to pay players and staff on time at the end of February.
That situation is yet to have been resolved, with players and staff still awaiting payment ahead of the Red Devils’ Friday night fixture against Castleford Tigers.
With head coach Paul Rowley naming just a 17-man squad for that clash – and receiving special dispensation to name a different side worth £1.2 million – there have been question marks raised far and wide throughout the sport.
The delay in payment is said to have been down to issues in transferring money from overseas, but Wilkin has taken aim at the new ownership – led by Swiss banker Dario Berta.
“It’s just a mess, the optics of it are bad,” Wilkin said on Sky Sports’ The Verdict.
“They started the year skint, they had no cash, and they needed to get bailed out by the game.
“New ownership has come in and they have said that they would sort out the historical debts, send them money, and that money’s not shown up for one reason or another.
“There are two sides to it. One is that the money’s coming, there’s been proof that the money is in the account and on the way, so it is a case of regulatory checks that will happen if you’re sending £1.9 million.
“The other side of that is: is it actually coming? The dog can only eat your homework so many times.
“I think, just for the optics of it, the new ownership need to get that money there ASAP.”