Edinburgh miss repayment deadline

EDINBURGH Rugby have failed to meet the Scottish Rugby Union’s demand for repayment of £1.4m (€2.07m) in advance funding.

The SRU had told Edinburgh to find the money by the close of business last night, after claiming the professional club terminated their operating agreement with the union.

Edinburgh have also been ordered to leave Murrayfield and told they have no right to train or play matches at the stadium complex.

Last night, in a statement, the SRU said: “Scottish Rugby confirmed today that it had not received repayment of almost £1.4 million outstanding from Edinburgh Rugby.

“In conjunction with its legal advisers, Scottish Rugby will review its options over the weekend to determine its next step to recover the outstanding funds.”

SRU chief executive Gordon McKie said: “Our main focus now is to bring this matter to a speedy conclusion, in the best long-term interests of rugby in Scotland.”

As the SRU suggest, the matter could soon be passed into the hands of lawyers.

But officials from the union insist they would rather find a peaceful resolution to the dispute which began as a row over match fees which Edinburgh claimed they were due.

It escalated when Edinburgh, owned by businessman Bob Carruthers, pulled their 12 Scotland players out of training with Frank Hadden’s national squad for a week in early July.

Edinburgh were the first to raise the possibility of legal action, in their attempt to recoup the match fees Carruthers claims are outstanding, however the SRU maintain that the situation as it now stands means it is they who are owed money.

Under the terms of the franchise agreement which brothers Bob and Alex Carruthers struck with Edinburgh in July 2006, the SRU have provided partial funding for the club.

That supply has now been cut, but McKie is hoping to keep talking with Bob Carruthers over the weekend in what may be one final effort to resolve the row before it causes further harm to the Scottish game, with the World Cup approaching.