Marwan Koukash has insisted he will not give up trying to prove the innocence of Salford Red Devils despite losing their appeal against the six-point deduction imposed upon the club for breaching the Super League salary cap.
The Salford owner, who had promised “all-out war” if his side were docked any points for a breach of the £1.825m cap, was present at an independent hearing on Wednesday, which upheld the result of a tribunal held in April by the Rugby Football League.
The hearing, held by Sport Resolutions, also upheld a fine of £5,000 after finding the club guilty of avoiding the declaration of payments to a former player, Tony Puletua. They were also found guilty of non-declaration of benefits to two other ex-Salford players, Lama Tasi and Theo Fages. The ruling means Salford are confirmed as being ninth in the Super League table, five points behind Castleford, and must win their next three games to stand any chance of finishing in the top eight.
Koukash is understood to have already signalled his next move to his fellow Super League clubs as his battle with the RFL shows no signs of ending, which includes reportedly pursuing evidence he has acquired that allegedly shows another Super League side have breached the salary cap in recent years.
In an interview with Sky Sports News, Koukash said: “The RFL will have questions to answer because this is not going to end. Right now I feel it’s unjust. OK, we’ve done something wrong in not declaring the payments to players but is that really worth a six-point deduction?
“Once I get a written judgment I’ll run it past my QC. The RFL have questions to answer. This is not the end.”
Koukash did concede that his quest to have the six-point deduction overturned has probably reached its conclusion and said: “My fight with the RFL is not over. They will be exposed for what they are.”
Salford were initially charged by the RFL in March and shortly after that decision was made public Koukash vowed to take the club’s case all the way to the top to prove their innocence, but whether he now pursues taking the matter to the court of arbitration for sport is as yet unclear.
He said then: “If necessary, I will go to the highest court in the land. I have the means to do so in order to protect the interests of my club, its fans and our players. If they start deducting points from us, I’ll press the red button and go for all-out war. I’m not a follower and I will speak my mind. If it gets me into trouble, so what?”
In a brief statement, the RFL said that it believed the decision justified the strength of its own disciplinary system after Koukash became the first person to make use of a change in the RFL’s operational rules to push the case through to an independent body.
“The decision today from Sport Resolutions clearly shows that the RFL disciplinary process is robust and fair,” the RFL said. “It is of utmost importance that clubs adhere to the salary cap and that if they are found to have broken it they are held to account.
“As we have previously stated and agreed we see this decision as final and binding and hope all parties involved can now focus on the rest of the season.”
The RFL’s findings from the tribunal are expected to be published in the coming weeks.
