ONE thing that has not been remarked upon in public, as far as I can see, is the role of IMG in relation to any proposed NRL takeover of Super League.
Two weeks ago IMG officials had a meeting with the NRL’s Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo two days after the Wembley Ashes Test, ostensibly to discuss having a role in the NRL’s next broadcast negotiations.
But given that V’landys and Abdo were meeting RFL officials the following day, along with three club representatives in Mike Danson (Wigan), Simon Moran (Warrington) and Andrew Thirkill (Hull FC), it is legitimate to ask what they might have told the NRL about their relationship with the RFL.
IMG are currently receiving around £450,000 per year for their consultancy role with the RFL.
In fulfilling that role, I’m sure that IMG would be a party to confidential information about the RFL and its commercial arm RL Commercial. One of its senior figures is also a director of RL Commercial, after all.
So it seems distinctly odd to me to see them meeting the NRL representatives 24 hours before the meeting between the RFL and the NRL.
Can we be sure that IMG didn’t arm the NRL with information that was useful to it in deciding what to offer the RFL?
I would certainly like to know.
