THE mayor of Greater Manchester has requested a meeting with Salford Red Devils’ owners amid the club’s ongoing crisis.
Andy Burnham is taking a keen interest in events at the troubled Super League outfit, who cancelled their fixture last weekend against Wakefield Trinity citing player welfare.
Sixteen first-team players have departed Salford since the beginning of the season amid their financial difficulties.
The Red Devils have failed to pay players and staff on time on multiple occasions since a takeover of the club by a consortium in February and are relying on external funding from a business finance firm.
A winding-up petition brought by HMRC over an unpaid tax bill of more than £600,000 is due to be heard on September 3.
RFL chief executive Tony Sutton met with Burnham and the mayor of Salford City Council, Paul Dennett, on Monday.
In a joint-statement, the mayors said: “We have requested a meeting this Friday with the Jacobsen Management Group, the current owners, to discuss our serious concerns over the future of the club.
“The impending HMRC court hearing, the failure to meet tax obligations, the delay in payment of wages, and the lack of financial investment have results in a complete loss of confidence in the ownership among fans and the wider Salford and rugby community.
“Salford Red Devils face an uncertain future. Following discussions between the parties involved, there is clear agreement that Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Salford City Council and the Rugby Football League are resolute in their commitment to safeguard the club.
“We are committed to working together to secure the long- term future of the club, to implement a city-wide rugby strategy, and to honour the generations of players, supporters, and communities who have carried its spirit through more than 150 years of rugby league.”
In a statement at the beginning of last week, the owners said they were tackling more than £3 million in inherited debt but insisted the club “will not close”.
Hundreds of Salford fans staged a protest against the ownership group on Sunday.
One member of the ownership group, Curtiz Brown, and director Paul King met with the supporters group which organised that protest, called The 1873, on Monday.
Salford are still awaiting a verdict from the RFL board on their cancelled fixture, but have said their next match, away at Leigh Leopards this Friday, will go ahead.