BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Exclusive: A push from a clutch of clubs for an independent inquiry into the RFL’s handling of the Bradford Bulls has fallen flat.
Member clubs met yesterday for a meeting of the RFL Council at Emerald Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
At the meeting it is believed four clubs spoke in support of an inquiry into the RFL’s decisions concerning Bradford, including the purchase of Odsal and then the appointment of Andrew Chalmers to take over the club in 2017.
It is understood that Wakefield, Hull KR, St Helens and Hunslet were the clubs pushing for an inquiry, while the likes of Batley and Leeds argued against it.
The RFL Board is meeting today to reflect on yesterday’s events, but at this stage it appears unlikely that any inquiry has enough support to go ahead.
“There’s not enough clubs willing to speak up,” one attendee told Rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads.
“The clubs just don’t seem bothered. I think the RFL will ride it out.”
Fans from across the sport, along with many sections of the media, have called for an independent investigation into how the RFL has dealt with the Bulls’ many issues over the past seven years.
RFL chief executive Ralph Rimmer rejected demands for an inquiry last month.
“The independent board is there to govern and if we have inquiries  into them, where does it end? It could paralyse the sport completely,” he said.
“You either trust the independent board or you don’t. They make  decisions in the best interests of the sport, that’s what their job is.”
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