LEIGH LEOPARDS could have faced a £1 million fine for withdrawing from their Super League semi-final clash against Wigan Warriors.
Leigh owner Derek Beaumont had threatened to pull the Leopards from tonight’s (Friday’s) clash after citing ticketing grievances with Wigan.
The Warriors went public with Beaumont’s threat to withdraw on Wednesday, with the Leigh owner explaining his stance in response that evening.
With both sides having since released their 21-man squads for the clash, fears over the fixture not going ahead have been quelled.
But The Daily Star has reported that failing to show up for the game would have meant that Leigh had breached the broadcasting contract Super League clubs have with Sky Sports.
Under the terms of the current deal – which ends in 2026 – all 12 top flight clubs receive a combined £21.5m from the broadcaster, in return for the games being shown live.
With that in mind, The Daily Star claims that Sky would have considered legal action against the governing body, the RFL, if Leigh had indeed withdrawn.
At a time when the future of rugby league is very much in the balance, a new and improved Sky TV deal could prove priceless.