THE interim CEO of the RFL, Abi Ekoku, has insisted the governing body owes no debt relating to the last World Cup.

International Rugby League (IRL) chief Troy Grant has claimed to Australian media that the RFL owe around £400,000 from the tournament, which was hosted by England in 2022.

Grant also threatened the possibility of sanctions, which could include the stripping of Test matches, if the debt is not settled.

That would mean players don’t officially gain international caps, whilst prize money and appearance fees could also be denied.

Ekoku has asked the international organising body for clarification on those threats and stressed confidence there is “no debt owed”.

Grant told The Daily Telegraph: “We are still chasing England for a debt from 2021 (the World Cup was postponed a year when Australia and New Zealand pulled out due to the coronavirus pandemic) of around £400,000 – not an insignificant amount of money.

“They set up a body called the World Cup ’21 board and some of their commercial arrangements fell over after the tournament.

“They got heavily subsidised by the Government and they basically let costs overrun the budget. They didn’t closely manage it that well.

“The RFL, who set up the World Cup ’21 board, inherited the debt and liabilities because they are the funder of last resorts so we’re in dispute with them at the moment.”

Grant said a repayment schedule had been offered to the RFL and rejected.

He continued: “They say they don’t owe the debt yet they have put it in their own financial accounts.

“They have recorded it to their auditors as a financial liability but they are not prepared to work out a way forward.

“So they are either lying to the auditors or lying to us, and I suspect I know which one it is.”

Ekoku said in response: “Statements attributed to Mr Grant are strange in their re-emergence.

“I have written to the IRL seeking clarification and very much hope reference to ‘sanctions’ can be backed up with evidence to substantiate claims.

“The matter of RLWC 2021 payments to the IRL has been reviewed by the new RFL Board, and our opinion is that there is no debt owed.

“We are upholding the position of the previous RFL Board, who did not consider there to be any liability.

“The RFL has provided circa £9 million to international rugby league over the past decade – by far the greatest sum delivered by any member nation.

“And, as the recent Ashes series amply demonstrates, our commitment to international rugby league has never been stronger.”