Premiership Rugby have officially confirmed that defending champions Saracens will be relegated from the tournament at the end of the 2019-20 season.
The move follows discussions between the Premiership and Saracens over the club’s compliance with the competition’s Salary Cap Regulations.
Saracens had received an initial fine and 35-point deduction after found to have failed to comply with the regulations in a saga which eventually resulted in Nigel Wray stepping down as the club’s chairperson.
Followig this, the club accepted that they would not be able to come within the 7 million pound cap at the end of the season and decided to be relegated this season rather than wait a year.
‘Premiership Rugby is prepared to take strong action to enforce the regulations governing fair competition between our clubs,” said the organisation’s CEO, Darren Childs. ‘At the conclusion of dialogue with Saracens about their compliance with the salary cap regulations, it has been decided that Saracens will be relegated at the end of this season.
‘At the same as enforcing the existing regulations, we want to ensure a level playing field for all clubs in the future, which is why we have asked Lord Myners to carry out an independently-led review of the cap. As part of this process, we will soon be announcing an open consultation so that everyone involved in the game has the opportunity to contribute to its future.
‘The actions that we have taken – dealing with breaches of the current regulations and reviewing the system for the future – will help us to build a stronger league and uphold the confidence of supporters.’
Saracens will continue to play out the rest of the 2019-20 Premiership season and after competing in the Championship will have to present their books to Premiership Rugby before being considered for promotion.
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