Wests Tigers launch appeal with NRL over Farah deal

The Wests Tigers have submitted a response to the NRL in a bid to lessen the severity of punishment they face for alleged salary cap breaches. CEO Justin Pascoe was sensationally deregistered and the club was hit with a $750,000 fine and a salary cap reduction of $639,000 for 2019 when a post-career deal with club legend Robbie Farah was deemed to be illegal. Since the breach notice was revealed on December 19, Pascoe has been unable to have any communication with the club. The Wests Tigers had until January 31 to respond to the proposed sanctions, but The Daily Telegraph has revealed the club has already filed their response to get a speedy resolution to the chaos. The NRL has alleged the club made an undisclosed deal with Farah to become an ambassador for Wests Tigers in retirement as an act of goodwill for the club legend who departed on bad terms. The salary cap reduction of $639,000 relates to the value of that four-year deal. There is no suggestion Farah has done anything wrong.

Robbie Farah has offered to retire to help Wests Tigers out of their salary cap mess

Robbie Farah is a Wests Tigers man through and through. And he’s ready to prove it with the ultimate act of selflessness.The veteran hooker says he is ready to walk away from the club before any of his teammates are forced out in the wake of the huge salary cap fine imposed on the Tigers by the NRL.The Tigers were fined $750,000 on Wednesday for failing to disclose to the NRL that Farah had been offered a post-career ambassador role at the club worth $639,000. “I don’t want to cost somebody their contract or playing career,” Farah told The Daily Telegraph.“It doesn’t mean as much to me as a young kid or something who is on a big contract. If it means I have to take a bullet I would rather do it then the guilt of
someone being forced out leaving.“Even though I know it’s not my fault I would still feel guilty. I’m struggling to deal with it. People will jump to conclusions and think I’m causing trouble. It was disappointing my name was mentioned. I didn’t think there was a need for it.”Not only has Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe been deregistered by the NRL and hit with a huge fine but the total of the ambassador deal has been deducted from the club’s 2019 salary cap.“It’s hurtful, mate,” Farah told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I don’t know why I’ve been dragged into it. I am at a point now where I am thinking about walking away. I don’t want to play. Things were going good. I was in a good headspace back at the club. But now it’s another drama. Robbie’s caused all the drama again …”

What’s the problem with Robbie Farah’s Tigers arrangement?

Post-career arrangements between clubs and players must be declared and approved by the NRL, otherwise they go on the salary cap.The agreement between Farah and the club which was signed in September 2016 only recently became apparent to the NRL. The NRL said they made enquiries and looked into the contract.“We have obtained documents which showed the club entered an agreement to pay Robbie Farah to act as an ambassador at the club when he retired from playing,” Greenberg said.“The games rules are very, very clear on these arrangements. Any commitment to make such a payment should have been disclosed and it should have been included in the salary cap.“The club failed to do this. The club then compounded its conduct by submitting a misleading application to the NRL in relation to the
salary cap treatment of money paid to Robbie when he left the club.“We feel like the club and Justin have misled the NRL around this ambassador agreement and we have to provide consistent sanctions on individuals and clubs throughout. We’ve done that through other clubs and we have to do it again.” NRL chief operating officer Nick Weeks said there was a provision in the rules which enabled clubs to have money excluded from the salary cap where players were moved on due to “reputational reasons”.“When Robbie left, the club paid him money that he was owed under his contract and they aproached us to exclude some of those payments on the basis he was a destablising influence on the club,” Weeks said.“What they didn’t disclose when they made that application was the fact the club had earlier entered into ambassador agreement to bring him back.”Greenberg stressed there is no suggestion that Farah has done anything wrong.