Edinburgh chief vows to root out 'disloyal' players
BILL LOTHIAN ([email protected])
BOB CARRUTHERS has warned that there will be no hiding place for any Edinburgh Rugby player he finds has been negotiating an alternative contract with Murrayfield chiefs during the current club versus country dispute.

Edinburgh owner Carruthers is alarmed by what he terms "secret meetings" which have allegedly been taking place between the Scottish Rugby Union and Capital contractees.

The gatherings are suspected to have occurred within the past week at a time when the SRU was threatening to close Edinburgh down if a row over alleged competition payments ended up in the courts.

It was suggested that players had received official assurances that they would be transferred to the Murrayfield payroll.

Carruthers says: "I need to find out who has been at these meetings and what was discussed.

"If I find out people are taking huge salaries from Edinburgh and being disloyal they are absolutely finished.

"Of course, we'd have to go through the proper procedures.

"What's certain is that if some happened to be Scotland players that would not stop Edinburgh taking action we deem appropriate."

Carruthers is adamant Scottish rugby is at a crossroads and the authorities can either embrace professional rugby or continue to resist input from entrepreneurs like himself intent on driving the game forward. But he insists that positives can arise from the past ten days and that, should he succeed in setting the template for private ownership of professional teams with Edinburgh free from SRU obstruction, then other businessmen will follow.

Music/film impressario Carruthers, who previously played for Kirkcaldy, says: "I am convinced there are potential investors keeping a close watch on developments with a view to helping expand the number of professional teams in Scotland.

"Believe it or not owning a rugby club can be great fun, especially when the season starts.

"The trouble is that the SRU have already p***** off Borders Council when they were looking to assist and that doesn't help.

"But if the Irish can maintain four pro teams in the face of sporting opposition from Gaelic Games, amongst others, then why not Scotland? What isn't needed is all the secrecy that the SRU seems to favour.

"If what they really want is for Scotland to adopt the so-called Argentinian model where the top players join clubs overseas and link up with the international side for matches then fair enough.

"But that has already been rejected so why are there all these hassles attached to trying to move things forward. Getting rid of the secrecy is a must. It is only by getting information into the public domain that debate can be stimulated that will help create the market for a professional game.

"What we are about at Edinburgh Rugby is getting all this cleared up and putting the focus back on playing the game but it would be easier with SRU assistance."

This article was posted on 13-Jul-2007, 12:01 by Hugh Barrow.