Unpaid £400k Rugby League World Cup bill sees RFL issued stern sanction threat

The Rugby Football League (RFL) face the threat of international sanctions after the sport’s global governing body claimed they still owe £400,000 in unpaid debts connecting to the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

Having been delayed until 2022 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the tournament saw England play host to the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions in what was the biggest Rugby League World Cup to date.

Australia came out on top in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, with the Kangaroos and Jillaroos crowned kings and queens of the world respectively.

England meanwhile won the wheelchair tournament, and will defend their crown in next year’s World Cup, which takes place Down Under between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

But over three years on from the delayed 2021 edition taking place, Troy Grant – the chairman of International Rugby League (IRL) has now publicly alleged that the debt of £400,000 remains unpaid by the RFL.

‘They need to get their heads out of the sand like ostriches and honour their debt and commitment to the game globally’

Speaking to Australian outlet The Daily Telegraph, Grant has confirmed that if the debt is not settled, the IRL may investigate sanctions which could include preventing England players earning international caps by stripping Test matches involving them of official status.

Those sanctions could also see prize money withheld along with appearance fees, but as things stand currently, the RFL deny owing any money.

Instead, the British game’s governing body argue that the debt belongs to a committee named ‘World Cup ’21’, the event organisers. The IRL maintain that committee was created by the RFL, and that the debt was recorded in the RFL’s own accounts.

Blasting the RFL for their handling of the situation, IRL chairman Grant said: “They need to get their heads out of the sand like ostriches and honour their debt and commitment to the game globally.

“They need to pay up or the IRL would have no alternative but to investigate sanctions. That’s the decent and right thing to do and it’s the only thing we will accept.

“We are still chasing England for a debt from 2021, around 400,000 pounds – not an insignificant amount of money. They set up a body called the ‘World Cup ’21’ board and some of their commercial arrangements fell over after the tournament.

“They got heavily subsidised by the Government and they basically let costs overrun the budget. They didn’t closely manage it that well.

“The RFL, who set up the ‘World Cup ’21’ board, inherited the debt and liabilities because they are the funder of last resorts so we’re in dispute with them at the moment.”

‘We have offered them a dispute resolution process and a repayment schedule, but they are not taking that up at the moment’

Australian politician Grant was appointed as the IRL’s chairman back in March 2021. Alongside that role, he remains the Inspector-General of Water Compliance (IGWC), a job he landed later in the same year.

In his interview with The Daily Telegraph, the 55-year-old has also revealed that the IRL had offered the RFL a repayment schedule for their unpaid debt, but that offer was allegedly rejected.

Grant explained: “We (IRL) have offered them (RFL) a dispute resolution process and a repayment schedule, but they are not taking that up at the moment, which is frustrating us.

“They say they don’t owe the debt, yet they have put it in their own financial accounts. They have recorded it to their auditors as a financial liability, but they are not prepared to work out a way forward.

“So they are either lying to the auditors or lying to us, and I suspect I know which one it is.”

Since this article was originally published, the RFL have now issued a stern response to both the IRL’s threat of sanctions or Grant’s comments. That response can be seen HERE.