Rugby league club owner wants split with RFL
Quoted on the BBC Sport website he said: “I’m talking about a split.”
“Super League clubs need full control over their finances, referees, and the compliance unit, everything.”
Koukash made his announcement at media conference yesterday, only a day after he had released a statement in which he described the RFL as “not fit for purpose” and called for a vote of no confidence in the governing body.
Koukash’s is frustrated over the RFL’s inability to monitor the salary cap, a lack of commercial revenue, expansion at the expense of heartland clubs and its alleged tendency to look after “big clubs”.
“If we’re not careful we could end up becoming a feeder competition to the NRL,” Koukash said. “And it may threaten the status of the sport.
“We could become semi-professional. I look at the people leading us, and I look at what has gone on here and the lack of commercial income that they are generating – do I think they’re capable of taking us to the next level? I don’t think so.”
The RFL punished Salford for breaches of the salary cap back in 2014 which included exceeding the £1.825m ceiling, fining the club £5,000 in addition to the points deduction.
Salford, Koukash claimed, did not know the injured Jake Mullaney counted against the salary cap when he signed Kevin Locke as replacement, maintaining the former had been ‘de-registered’ with the RFL.
