BILL SWEENEY WILL face a vote of no confidence on Thursday that could leave the Rugby Football Union chief executive fighting for his Twickenham future.
English rugby’s community game had gathered enough support by January to trigger a special general meeting on 27 March that will see a resolution tabled calling for Sweeney to be sacked by the board.
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While the RFU’s executives are not obligated to act if the motion is passed, Sweeney would be significantly weakened if the grassroots revolt succeeds with his critics viewing his position as untenable.
The uprising, which is being overseen by the Whole Game Union (WGU) and includes the referees’ union and clubs across the rugby pyramid, has been sparked by the bonus and pay scandal that has gripped Twickenham.
Sweeney has declined to apologise for the long-term incentive plan (LTIP) that resulted in him being paid a bonus of €428,000 (£358,000) on top of an increased salary of €887,000 (£742,000) for the last financial year.
Further bonuses totalling almost £1million were paid to five other executives despite the RFU reporting a record operating loss of €45.3 million (£37.9 million) and making 42 staff redundant.
Apart from anger over the RFU’s leadership, additional areas of frustration include the botched introduction of the new tackle height in the community game, governance failures, declining participation numbers and the defunding of the second-tier Championship.
Tom Ilube resigned as chairman in response to the crisis with Sir Bill Beaumont taking his place on an interim basis, but Sweeney indicated in January that he intends to stay on until the end of the 2027 World Cup cycle.
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RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney to face vote of no confidence
BILL SWEENEY WILL face a vote of no confidence on Thursday that could leave the Rugby Football Union chief executive fighting for his Twickenham future.
English rugby’s community game had gathered enough support by January to trigger a special general meeting on 27 March that will see a resolution tabled calling for Sweeney to be sacked by the board.
While the RFU’s executives are not obligated to act if the motion is passed, Sweeney would be significantly weakened if the grassroots revolt succeeds with his critics viewing his position as untenable.
The uprising, which is being overseen by the Whole Game Union (WGU) and includes the referees’ union and clubs across the rugby pyramid, has been sparked by the bonus and pay scandal that has gripped Twickenham.
Sweeney has declined to apologise for the long-term incentive plan (LTIP) that resulted in him being paid a bonus of €428,000 (£358,000) on top of an increased salary of €887,000 (£742,000) for the last financial year.
Further bonuses totalling almost £1million were paid to five other executives despite the RFU reporting a record operating loss of €45.3 million (£37.9 million) and making 42 staff redundant.
Apart from anger over the RFU’s leadership, additional areas of frustration include the botched introduction of the new tackle height in the community game, governance failures, declining participation numbers and the defunding of the second-tier Championship.
Tom Ilube resigned as chairman in response to the crisis with Sir Bill Beaumont taking his place on an interim basis, but Sweeney indicated in January that he intends to stay on until the end of the 2027 World Cup cycle.
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Bill Sweeney RFU Rugby Uncertain Future