THE RFL has released a statement today concerning Salford Red Devils’ squad selection against St Helens at the weekend.
Live on BBC Two, the Red Devils boss Paul Rowley fielded a 16-man team effectively made up of reserves players after the club failed to get its sustainability cap of £1.2 million lifted in time for Super League Round One.
Rowley explained his version of events to BBC Sport before the game, saying: “I found out an hour before we had to put the squad in, I had just come out of an MRI scan on my shoulder. It was a difficult moment to be honest.
“We had read the narrative, it was probably a miscommunication on many fronts.
“Our club was of the impression that we had a full team to select from and we trained as such.
“We had done our main session and squad declaration was on a day off so it became a very difficult process.”
It’s fair to say that the decision did not go down well with neutrals as Salford went down 82-0 on national television.
And now the RFL has released a statement.
A statement reads: “The RFL have today contacted Salford Red Devils to confirm that a compliance investigation will be launched to consider the circumstances around their squad selection for Saturday’s Betfred Super League fixture at St Helens, and whether they have brought the sport into disrepute.
“The club have seven days in which to respond.”