Premiership to publish report into salary cap breaches

NEWS: Premiership Rugby said on Wednesday it would release a report into Saracens' breaches of the league's salary cap rules after the club said they were keen for it to be published in full.

The reigning English and European champions will be relegated from the English top flight at the end of this season after their failure to comply with salary cap regulations for the current campaign.

In November, they were docked 35 league points and fined more than £5 million ($6.5 million) for breaking the salary cap in the three previous seasons but the dossier of an investigation into those breaches has so far not been released.

Speaking on Tuesday, Premiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs said Saracens would need to agree for the report to be published.

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"It would take agreement with Saracens, which they've withheld, for us to publish," Childs said. "We can't publish it without their approval."

In a message to supporters published on Saracens' official website on Wednesday, the club's chairman, Neil Golding, said: "With regards to the publication of the disciplinary panel's full report, I am surprised by the suggestion that Saracens are objecting to the publication of the report.

"Since my appointment on January 9, I have spent considerable time in discussions with PRL [Premiership Rugby Limited] and nobody has asked me what my position is on the matter.

"To confirm, we are keen for the report to be published in full, and I made PRL aware of this earlier today. It will provide much-needed context and clarity."

A Premiership Rugby spokesman said preparations would now begin to release the report.

"Premiership Rugby welcomes Saracens' decision to withdraw its previous objection to publication of Lord Dyson's decision," the spokesman said.

"These objections were stated in the strongest terms and in writing on behalf of the club by its lawyers.

"We believe that publication of the decision in respect of Saracens' past breaches of the salary cap is an important step towards upholding trust in our enforcement of the regulations and the disciplinary process.

"We will now begin preparations for release of the decision. Further details will be provided in the coming days."