A leading Salford Red Devils supporters group has slammed the Rugby Football League’s “reckless” decision to postpone their selection of the club’s new owners.
After the club was wound up in court earlier this month, three parties submitted bids to try and secure the Red Devils’ playing licence and ensure they will compete in the Championship in 2026.
The governing body for domestic Rugby League had set itself a strict deadline of 17 December to reveal which of the consortia would lead Salford moving forward into the new season.
If the successful owners are awarded a playing license, they will have to scramble together a squad to compete in the second tier in time for the opening game of the season against Oldham RLFC on 16 January.
However, that tight turnaround has become even more constrained after the RFL pushed back the deadline for its decision on the owners to conduct further due diligence on each of the three expressions of interest.
In a statement available in full here, Salford Red Devils supporters group The 1873 condemned the RFL’s move to postpone decision day.
They said: “The 1873 is utterly dismayed by today’s RFL statement in delaying the selection of one of three consortia that submitted bids to take over the vacant Salford Red Devils membership.
“Let us be absolutely clear: this represents another staggering failure by the RFL.
“The bid process was launched with clearly defined timescales set by the RFL themselves. Those timescales were not imposed externally, nor were they unrealistic. They were the RFL’s own commitments and conceding that they may now be unable to adhere to them is a damning indictment of their competence as a governing body.
“We fully accept and support the need for due thorough diligence and for the right consortium to be selected. However, due diligence is not an excuse for the delay when it should have been built into the process from the outset.
“Any delay has a huge and tangible impact on the consortiums involved. It undermines confidence, disrupts planning, damages credibility and risks deterring serious, committed investment in the game. That is not just poor administration; it is reckless.
“Enough is enough. The RFL must stop moving the goalposts and deliver a decision within the framework it set. Anything less is a failure and Salford supporters will not quietly accept being let down again.”
Former Salford Red Devils CEO Chris Irwin is behind one of the three bids to set up a phoenix club in the city.
He was appointed in February after a consortium led by Swiss businessman Dario Berta completed a takeover of the club.
He resigned in May with the club rooted to the bottom of the Super League table, beset by problems and in the midst of a growing player exodus.
Salford Red Devils Rugby League Club were wound up in the High Court over outstanding debts owed to HMRC. Irwin described the club’s liquidation as an opportunity to “start again.”
Former Salford Red Devils winger Mason Caton-Brown is leading an opposition consortium working to save the liquidated club.
The 32-year-old rugby league player turned businessman is at the forefront of a new consortium operating under the name ‘The Phoenix Bid.’
A third, unnamed consortium is also understood to be in contention. The RFL has not indicated when a revised deadline for a decision will be announced.
