NEW Salford Red Devils chief executive Chris Irwin has apologised to the club’s players, coaches and staff in an open letter to fans.
The Super League club has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, with Salford’s takeover by a consortium led by Swiss businessman Dario Berta incurring financial issues, leading to delays in pay for players and staff.
That has since led to the reimposition of the £1.2 million sustainability cap, meaning that head coach Paul Rowley has only been able to select 17 players for this weekend’s fixture against Castleford Tigers.
Some players, however, are refusing to train and play before they get paid, with Irwin giving an update on the issue at hand.
Irwin said, in a latter to fans: “To our fans, I know the last few months haven’t been an easy time for you and for that I sincerely apologise.
“I imagine there are a lot of questions so I hope this gives you some clarity to what has been happening with regards to the takeover, payroll and team selection.
“With respect to the takeover, the complexity of the acquisition of the Club with the Stadium has led to a more protracted process. Concurrently, we have had unexpected delays with the banking regulatory clearance required for international transactions of this size. The impact of this has meant the Club haven’t been able to move forward with plans as I’d previously suggested. Myself, the owners and the RFL are working tirelessly to get the finance-side on track as quickly as possible.
“We owe an apology to our players, coaches and staff for the delay in processing our February payroll. There is no excuse for that. I can reassure you that our new owners are working as hard as they can to rectify the issue to ensure all employees of the Club are paid in the coming days.
“On team selection, our squad for Friday’s game against Castleford Tigers is within the sustainability cap, The RFL today gave the Club permission to make a limited number of changes from the previous sustainability cap due to player suspensions and injuries.
“Despite this turbulent period, myself and everybody at the Club are hopeful that we can build the exciting future we all believe in.
“Thank you for your continued patience and support.”