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Premiership clubs unanimously support Myners' salary cap recommendations

Nacho Monreal and Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal celebrate victory at full-time after the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC at St. James Park on August 11, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Nacho Monreal and Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal celebrate victory at full-time after the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC at St. James Park on August 11, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Premiership clubs are unanimous in their support of the independent Myners Report that recommended stronger regulations to restore the integrity of the salary cap system, Premiership Rugby said on Tuesday.

The review was carried out by former government minister and member of Britain's House of Lords Paul Myners on behalf of the Premiership after defending champions Saracens were found to have breached salary cap rules for three seasons.

Saracens, winners of four Premiership titles in the past five years, were sanctioned for spending above the league's 7 million pounds ($8.78 million) salary cap, docked points and will be relegated from the top flight this season.

Myners had recommended that teams that breach salary cap rules in the future should be stripped of their titles while other sporting sanctions included relegation, suspension and return of prize money won in the breaching seasons.

"All 13 Premiership Rugby clubs have united to support the recommendations and agreed to move to the next stage of developing these recommendations into detailed regulation," Premiership Rugby said in a statement.

The next stage involves further consultation with clubs, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Rugby Players' Association (RPA) before the regulations are presented to the Premiership Rugby board for approval.

Myners had warned in his 55-page review that the recommendations must be viewed as a "package of measures" and not as a "menu of options" to cherry-pick from.

"It's a credit to our clubs that they have acted so quickly to support these recommendations and take the Premiership Rugby salary cap into a new era," Premiership Rugby's chief executive Darren Childs said.

"The next stage is for us to consult with our clubs, RFU and RPA and to enshrine these new regulations for the start of the 2020-21 season."