Salford Red Devils fans can now breathe a sigh of relief as the club and the RFL announced today that the takeover by a Dario Berta-led consortium has received the rubber stamp of approval from the governing body. As well as the takeover now being confirmed, the RFL has lifted the salary cap restrictions, which were placed on the club last month.

This follows last weeks controversial first round match against St Helens, where a majority reserve side was fielded by Salford, and was duly routed by the largest winning margin in Super League history, 82-0. Bothe the club and the RFL have come under fire in the following days, and an investigation has been launched into whether Salford brought the game into disrepute with their team selection.

An RFL statement on the takeover said: “The RFL has today approved the change of control and all owners and directors tests whilst also lifting the sustainability cap that has applied to Salford Red Devils since they were given an advance on their central distribution in December.”

“The club’s new ownership group have met the conditions that were necessary. All Salford’s first team squad are therefore available for selection for Saturday’s Betfred Super League Round Two fixture against Leeds Rhinos.”

This confirmation will hopefully bring to an end months of turmoil for the Manchester-based club, whose finances hit the rocks in the aftermath of the 2024 season. The new consortium has promised significant investment into the club both on and off the pitch, which will come as welcome news to their beleaguered fans. The Red Devils will host the Leeds Rhinos in their next Super League game on Saturday afternoon, which will be showing on Sky Sports+ and Super League+.

Written by Nathan Major-Kershaw (Site editor & Hull KR fan)

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/cz9np5gnj9go