Wednesday 25 May 2016 13:33, UK
Salford owner Marwan Koukash has succeeded in having his club's appeal against their points deduction heard by an independent body.
The Red Devils are appealing the six points docked by the Rugby Football League for allegedly breaching the Super League salary cap.
Salford's request would normally go before an independent tribunal appointed by the game's governing body, but the RFL has acceded to Koukash's request to refer the matter to London-based Sport Resolutions (UK).
It is a first for rugby league, with Koukash making use of a change in the RFL operational rules introduced this year.
An RFL spokesman said: "It is one of a raft of new provisions that were brought up in 2015 and introduced into the operational rules this year."
Sport Resolutions was established in 1997 in the wake of Diane Modahl's dispute with the British Athletics Federation over a failed drugs test which resulted in her going bankrupt.
No date has yet been set but Koukash confirmed the appeal must be heard before July 24 which is the last round of Super League before the split for the Super 8s.
"I'm delighted with the news," Koukash said. "I believe it is in the best interests of the sport for the appeal to be heard independently.
"We contacted Sport Resolutions recently and they said they would be willing to help by hearing the appeal but it was always going to be subject to the RFL agreeing to it.
"We can now move forward with fixing a date and venue."
Salford were fined £5,000 and docked six points on April 25 after being found guilty by an independent tribunal chaired by His Honour Judge Peter Charlesworth of breaching the £1.825m salary cap in 2014.
Koukash believes the club did not receive a fair hearing and at a recent press conference he insisted the RFL's over-spend sum of £94,200 was out by more than £40,000 and that Salford went over the cap for just eight days and not 109, as alleged by the governing body.
A tribunal appointed by the RFL would have the power to increase the punishment to as much as a 20-point penalty but Koukash is hoping to reclaim all six points.
"It could go up but ideally I'd like it to be dismissed because I've always said there's a difference between making a mistake and doing something wrong," Koukash said.
"As the evidence will show, we didn't do anything wrong. If we did breach the cap, it was because of what we consider was a technical error by the RFL.
"For me, what is most important is that the current team had nothing to do with 2014 and every point they earned on the field was earned the hard way.
"I have to do everything I can for them. The cost is irrelevant. I would even have gone to the High Court for a hearing to be heard by an independent body."
