Salford Red Devils formally wound up after HMRC hearing
Salford Red Devils have been formally wound up following an HMRC hearing, ending 152 years of the club’s existence in its current form and drawing a decisive line under a prolonged financial crisis, reports BritPanorama.
The company that owned the team, Salford City Reds (2013) Ltd, was ordered into liquidation after failing to secure the funding required to settle debts believed to total around £4 million.
HM Revenue & Customs first issued a winding-up petition in May, and the club was granted four adjournments while it attempted to provide proof of incoming investment. During an October hearing, counsel Alexander Bunzl stated “more than adequate” funding was due to become available and that the matter would be “settled promptly.”
No such funds materialised, and the court subsequently ended proceedings, placing the company into compulsory liquidation. The decision erases the outstanding debts and concludes the tenure of Curtiz Brown and Sire Kailahi, who had led the takeover effort but were unable to stabilise the club.
Focus will now shift to establishing a phoenix club capable of entering the 2026 Championship season. Salford was scheduled to begin its Championship campaign in January against Oldham, but the ruling leaves the immediate future of professional rugby league in the city uncertain.
At the time of liquidation, only full-back Jack Walker remained contracted to the club. Supporters’ group The 1873 noted the gravity of the moment, stating, “Let us be honest with ourselves. This outcome has been coming. It is long overdue.”
The group expressed concerns over unpaid debts and the crumbling trust between ownership and fans. They added, “The writing was on the wall, and today – it was finally read aloud in court. It is, without question, a dark day.”
This collapse caps an extended period of instability for Salford. For more than a year, the club has faced significant financial constraints, operating under salary-cap restrictions after repeated late payments to players and staff. Their decline was evident last season, culminating in a bottom finish in the Betfred Super League table.
In October, Salford was removed from next year’s expanded Super League after receiving a low club grading, and the club was provisionally assigned to the Championship for 2026. The turbulent campaign followed a takeover in February by a consortium led by Swiss businessman Dario Berta, which resulted in wages being paid through WeDo Finance due to frozen accounts.
The Rugby Football League acknowledged the toll this situation has taken on the sport but defended its decision to facilitate the takeover earlier this year. They noted that Salford’s difficulties were “damaging and draining for the sport” but maintained that approving the rescue package was the “only alternative” to the “very probable and immediate demise of the club.” The demise has nonetheless arrived, ending one of rugby league’s foundational clubs and leaving supporters eager to see how a renewed Salford presence might emerge in the coming years.
