Bradford Bulls Chairman Marc Green insists that Wakefield, and any other Super League club, should be prepared to accept the decision of the independent panel set up to hear the Bulls’ appeal against their points deduction.
A decision is likely to be made early next month about a potential reprieve on some or all of the six points the Bulls were docked for entering administration.
The RFL is currently putting together a three-man panel that will be headed by a solicitor or barrister and will include an insolvency practitioner who can deliver an independent judgement in relation to the technicalities of the club going into administration.
And, after Wakefield Chairman Michael Carter spoke publicly over his disappointment at the process, threatening to walk away from the game if the Bulls’ appeal is successful, Green hit back.
“Michael Carter made whatever comment he chose to make for his own reasons, and I’m not going to get into a war of words with him,” Green adamantly claimed.
“I’ve never met him, but as part of one of the Super League clubs he acquiesces to buying into the concept of a panel, so he should be willing to stand by any decision they make, whether it is good, bad or indifferent.
“If you buy into the independent panel process then there has to be an acceptance by everyone that it is there for a reason. If you buy into the panel then you should buy into the fact that every single club has a right to use it.
“If the sport is to have any credibility at all then it has to have transparency. I don’t see the point in buying into an independent appeal process if you’re going to only want it there when it suits you.
“It’s there for the benefit of everybody. It is our right to use the panel and we are going to appeal. Whatever the result is, we will stand by it.”
When asked if he believed the appeal, the cost of which he is personally covering, would be successful, Green said: “I think we have to have a belief that we have a cause to get points back, otherwise what is the point in spending money on the appeal? We have to believe it is a worthwhile exercise.
“Whether we are successful or not is down to an independent panel that every other club supports the existence of. If every club supports the appeal panel then they have to be prepared to accept that a decision made by the panel is the correct one.”
