SALFORD RED DEVILS will field a team made up mostly of reserves players for their Super League opener at St Helens after confirming that they remain subject to a sustainability cap.
Under the special measures imposed by the RFL after the club asked for an advance on their central distribution, their salary cap has been reduced to £1.2m.
Salford were taken over by a consortium led by Swiss investment banker Dario Berta last week but the deal has yet to be approved by the governing body.
As a result, the Red Devils are unable to name a full-strength squad for Saturday’s game.
Instead they have named a group of only 17 players, most of whom are not part of their first-team squad, to play in a match which will be televised on BBC Two.
“The club will be fielding a team featuring predominantly reserve squad players this weekend,” said Salford in a statement.
“Following the change of ownership, all documents have been submitted to the RFL for final approval, which is still ongoing.
“Although the club is disappointed to still be under the restriction, there is an understanding that the process requires the appropriate time to be completed and we are complying with each request as it is provided.
“It is hoped this will be completed in time for the first home fixture of the season against Leeds Rhinos on Saturday 22 February.”
The governing body have said: “The RFL have been working with the new ownership group at Salford Red Devils since their takeover was confirmed last week to satisfy the necessary conditions to lift the sustainability cap that was attached to the club in December.
“This is a thorough and robust process to protect the Super League and its shareholders, and that work is ongoing. The sustainability cap therefore remains in place for this weekend’s fixture at St Helens.”
Salford 17-man squad: Bardyel Wells, Ben Hellewell, Charlie McCurrie, Ethan Fitzgerald, Finley Yates, Harrison Hope, Jack Ratcliffe, Jimmy Shields, Joe Bullock, John Hutchings, Josh Wagstaffe, Kai Morgan, Logan Lagar, Lucas Con, Nathan Connell, Sean Murray, Tiaki Chan.