BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Exclusive: International Rugby League (IRL) has reported its issue with the Rugby Football League (RFL) over an alleged unpaid £400,000 World Cup debt to Sport England.
The IRL is chasing the RFL for money it says it is owed from the World Cup three years ago.
Despite the debt being acknowledged in the 2021 World Cup accounts, the RFL has said publicly this week that there is “no debt owed”. The IRL has threatened to deny England prize money and appearance fees from future tournaments and Test matches if the alleged debt is not paid back.
Now the IRL has notified Sport England of its dispute with the RFL. Sport England’s funding to the RFL had been under threat after changes to the RFL’s board and leadership breached the organisation’s Code for Sports Governance.
IRL chair Troy Grant told rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads: “We’ve been trying since 2023 to recoup monies on good faith.
“We have an obligation to our own members to recoup the money and to a key governance and funding agency in the UK, for the reputation of our sport globally, to advise them of our dispute, given the RFL are operating outside an acceptable governance framework.
“I understand Sport England has them on a restorative path/plan to proper ethical governance and Sport England, as they manage that transition, need transparency that any incoming board and or funding will be subject to a financial dispute, which incoming board members and the funders must be made aware of.
“We did not ask Sport England to intervene or act in any way; we just advised them of the dispute.
“The RFL objecting to this transparency – they were quite offended – doesn’t bode well for their governance mindset to avoid transparency.”
Sources have suggested to rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads that the RFL has postponed dealing with the debt because of their struggling financial position, with the IRL originally giving them time to repay the loan in one form or another. It appears now that the IRL’s patience has worn out.
According to Companies House, there is currently one director of Rugby League World Cup 2021 Limited left, and that is Rob Graham, the RFL’s Director of Finance, Facilities and Central Service.
Nigel Wood resigned as a director of the company in November 2020, with former RFL chief executive Tony Sutton resigning in September this year.
