Saturday 25 July 2020 18:32, UK
Toronto Wolfpack founder Eric Perez believes the difficulties faced by the club which led to them withdrawing from the rest of the 2020 Super League season are a result of the "inequalities" in their participation agreement.
The Wolfpack announced they were not going to take to the field for the rest of the year just under two weeks before they were due to play Hull Kingston Rovers in the first match since Super League was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Perez, who left the Canadian side at the end of 2017 due to a difference of opinion over the way some aspects of the club should be run, admitted on the Golden Point Vodcast he did not agree with the timing of the announcement.
However, he is in no doubt it is right for Toronto to sit out the rest of the year with a view to returning in 2021 and believes the financial issues caused by not being able to play home games this year have been exacerbated by them not taking a share of central funding - something Perez claims it was initially agreed they would be eligible for prior to entering League One.
"Eventually, the inequality of the Toronto deal was going to rear its head, but the pandemic kind of accelerated that," Perez told Sky Sports.
"I look at Toronto like a really juicy orange that rugby league has been squeezing to get every last bit of juice out of them, instead of taking the orange, plucking the seeds out of that and growing an orchard, which is what you want to see.
"When I started Toronto and brought them in and we did that deal, that deal was a last-minute change.
"I actually lost all of my investors and had to look for new ones, and that's when I found [current owner] David Argyle - after that central distribution was taken away from us very much at the last minute."
In response to Perez's claims, the RFL issued a statement underlining that all discussions regarding Toronto being accepted into the British professional game were on the understanding they would not receive central funding.
"All discussions with Toronto prior to their entry into League One were on the basis that the club did not receive central distributions save to the extent that they brought value into the competitions - through commercial revenues, participation fee or otherwise," the statement said.
Perez is now spearheading the entry of another Canadian club, Ottawa Aces, into League One next year. However, they will receive a share of central funding as, unlike the Wolfpack, they will be a member club of the RFL due to taking over the professional licence formerly held by Hemel Stags.
It [Toronto Wolfpack] is a popular team and that's a cut-through you don't see in other expansion markets, so right now I think is the time to rally around the club.
Toronto owner Argyle struck a positive tone when speaking to Sky Sports earlier this week, with him and chairman Bob Hunter making a presentation to Super League clubs underlining why they should be allowed back into the competition next year at a meeting on Thursday.
The matter has now been referred to the RFL and the Wolfpack must now wait to find out what, if any, sanctions they will face. However, Perez is in no doubt the club have proven themselves worthy by thriving despite the hurdles they have faced.
"To their credit, the club have been able to thrive and cut through in a market 6.5M people [in Toronto]," Perez said.
"There's mainstream media coverage...[and] you walk around to Toronto and you see people wearing Wolfpack hats and gear. It is a popular team and that's a cut-through you don't see in other expansion markets, so right now I think is the time to rally around the club.
"It's really important the Super League clubs recognise this is the time to rally the around the club as a rugby league family rather than saying 'If you can keep up with us you can run with us. If not, then we're not going to help you'.
"I get why they've had that attitude up to now, but now is a pivotal point to say: 'Do we believe in what is going on'?"
