Bradford Bulls deducted 6 points by the RFL
and

BRADFORD BULLS chairman Mark Moore has announced that Bradford Bulls 2014 Ltd, the holding company which had a bid to purchase the club accepted last week, has today withdrawn its offer.

On Thursday, Leeds-based administrator David Wilson accepted an offer from Bradford Bulls 2014 Ltd, which took initial control of the club after its former holding company, OK Bulls Ltd, entered administration last month, as the strongest.

However, commenting on behalf of the board of directors, Mr Moore has spoken of how he and his colleagues were left with little choice but to withdraw their proposal due to impending sanctions from the sport's governing body.

In a statement, the Bulls chairman said: “It is with great sadness and frustration that we have been led to this point.

total farce again, take it they expected no deduction just because it is the bulls.

Its sad that its the case but I am actually happy about this. They will finally be punished for outright lies and fraud during the license application process when they are relegated at the end of the season.

there was nothing wrong with their submission. It is perfectly reasonable to project season ticket sales will double when you increase the price from £100 to £250

I must say after reading this there needs to be some kind of investigation into the whole affair from truly independent auditors. It is clear that the people charged with running the game are not only corrupt and incompetent but devious and twisted to an unfathomable level.

Agreed Nat but we all know that the RFL hierarchy, though seemingly incompetent, are untouchable.

On another point, I don't wish further ills on Bradford but I think we at Fax need to get our own house in order before somebody decides to call in the RFL, which would be a disaster.

Who is saying our house is not in order, who is going to call in the RFL, the Luddites forum?

I think the Bradford situation is very sad, it's also a no win situation for the RFL, ignore administration, don't deduct points so the new owners can take over and they will get criticised, deduct points and they get criticism. Either way it's a mess mostly of the clubs own doing.
I for one hope it gets sorted and Bradford Northern return.

Of course they are untouchable, like FIFA, EUFA and every governing body in sport, who in those organisations are going to vote for a change. Take FIFA, Jack Warner, Blatters second in command, wanted changes, result dirty tricks brigade moves in, career destroyed.
As I say who in any organisation is going to risk falling of their gravy train?
Nigel is head of the table with his acolytes feeding, and offering crumbs to the minions below them.
So who will vote for a change?

Its not good for the game but whilst I am no fan of the RFL what are the new owners of Bradford Bulls wanting special dispensation because it is Bradford Bulls?
Any governing body should stick to the rules of the sport it governs in my opinion, people seem to forget back in 2003 we copped for a points deduction in the year we won one game so ended up on Nil points which looked terrible, I would have liked some special dispensation as we were relegated anyway!

Any one buying a business would want assurances that they will get a return on their investment, Bulls in Super League would give them that, Bulls in a lower League would not.
It's that simple.
On this occasion the RFL are right, the potential investors were wrong/greedy, incidentally don't the RFL own Odsal?

The RFL have a different slant on the goings on:
[i
RFL Chief Operating Officer Ralph Rimmer has issued the following statement in response to criticism of the governing body’s action during the most recent insolvency event at Bradford Bulls:

“It is disappointing and disingenuous for Bradford Bulls to suggest that the RFL has acted in any manner other than fairly and properly throughout a crisis which is entirely of the club’s own making.

“The root cause of the current situation is the failed attempt by Mark Moore and Ryan Whitcut to use the club’s own money to purchase Bradford Bulls from Omar Khan, who had left the club in a parlous state.

“Had Mr Moore not refused to honour the agreement he signed to buy the club from Mr Khan, Bradford Bulls would not be where they are today.

“Throughout our dealings with them, the club’s directors were unable to provide any evidence of new capital investment into Bradford Bulls and consequently, the RFL Executive had no confidence in the business plan that was presented.

“At no stage was there a firm written commitment from the directors to meet the liabilities: in particular, HMRC would have been left with an unpaid liability of almost £170,000.

“In the last six months two other clubs have had to restructure their businesses, introduce new investment from owners and release players to avoid administration. For Bradford to effectively drop off debt as a result of the administration without a points deduction would have significantly impaired the integrity of the competition.

“At a meeting with the club’s directors on February 7 they informed the RFL that they needed a further £500,000 of investment or advances of broadcast monies in order to continue to trade.

“We have seen nothing further from the directors to suggest that situation has improved. Indeed their business plan revealed yet another attempt to buy the club with its own money.

“We will continue to work with the administrator to find a solvent and viable solution for the club and will provide an update to the other First Utility Super League clubs at their scheduled meeting tomorrow.”[/i

Remember most of the SL fans Poo Pooing our bid for a place in SL. It couldn't have happened to a more Iconic team for me.

It looks a very factual response by Rimmer, don't think they had any other option really

Blimey that is some statement the gloves are off well and truly, the big thing in that is the debt to the HMRC. That is a big chunk of money and the thing is they are bringing the game of RL into disrepute. I have to say again WE took our medicine in 1999, 2003 and 2006 when we were skint and begged and borrowed to stay alive. Football clubs like Leeds Utd, Rangers and Portsmouth have taken a hit so what is so special about Bradford Bulls?

They are "iconic" doncha know?

I have been reading the comments on the Bulls page. They are slating the RFL something rotten. Its a sad satate of affairs anf feel for them, I really do. The RFL tried to help them over the last copule of seasons and all the fans were not berating the RFL then. What should have happened is when they first went into adin several years ago they should have done the honourable thing as the Crusaders did. Say they can not keepto thier business plan and gone into Champ1. We as Fax fans know only too well what its like to have your club go under and struggle. but if their true supporters are as good as ours they will keep going not in SL or in our league. They have accept thier club has been screwed by people who were not fully committed to the Bulls and indeed were proper business men and only wanted to take out as much from the club as they could with putting as little as possible.

The thing is, the normal people/fans could see where all this was going, yet the powers that be couldn't/wouldn't. Time to put them in C1, start afresh and get some pride back. Bye bye Bully, bye bye.

Great response Ralph, good to see RFL on the front foot

HMMM where dose this leave their smug CEO The Blessed Wobbie Hunter Paul, who left a good job to join them LOL

Can we get the RFL to buy the Shay and ask if we can play there rent free?

According to the Luddites we do.
Thought I would get that in as a light hearted comment, before they come on with their vitriol.

It just gets worse for them: www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/n ... ulls_loan/

It just gets worse for them: www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/n ... ulls_loan/

I don't think 6 point is enough of a punishment. Didn't we get docked 12 points in our relegation season ? The punishment must halve each time you go bust nowadays...

Only 2 pts. I think Colin. Weren't 2 other teams deducted more points the same season?