|
Page 1 of 2 THE entire board of the WRU could be swept out of power after rebel clubs confirmed they WILL stage a no-confidence vote into the way Welsh rugby is run.
Official letters have been drawn up by member clubs calling for an extraordinary general meeting and will land on the desks of WRU bigwigs by Friday. The move is the inevitable twist as the fall-out continues from Ruddockgate, with many clubs remaining bewildered and angered at the WRU's handling of Mike Ruddock's controversial departure as coach. Club officials from throughout Wales have confirmed to the Western Mail that documentation has been sent out calling for the special meeting of the WRU's 245 rank-and-file clubs. The meeting must be held within 21 days of the motion being received by under-fire WRU chief executive Steve Lewis. It will conclude with an official no-confidence vote in the WRU's 17-man board of directors, which is headed by chairman David Pickering. If the no-confidence motion is passed, every member of the board will have no option but to resign. News of the clubs' rebellion comes just 48 hours after former WRU chief David Moffett urged the clubs to drop demands for an EGM. Moffett's plea failed to quell the revolt. And the WRU's much-publicised Red Zone Roadshow - where Lewis and Pickering toured Wales' clubs to give their own story of Ruddock-gate - has also failed to quieten the rebellion. Lewis and Pickering hoped to stave off the threat of an EGM and no-confidence vote by going around the districts, but many clubs remain unhappy with what the WRU told them. Questions may even be asked about the cost of the RedZone Roadshow, with the WRU already more than £40m in debt. The WRU's 245 member clubs will receive the EGM motion from officials behind the uprising, coupled with a covering letter outlining why it is being called. Four topics will be discussed at the EGM, issues which rebel clubs argue are in contradiction of the WRU's own rulebook. The matters up for debate are: The WRU's non-appointment of a group chief executive following Moffett's shock resignation last December; Queries surrounding the director's role performed by Millennium Stadium boss Paul Sergeant since Moffett's departure; Claims that the WRU's five-man executive board axed Ruddock as coach before telling the full board of directors; Unhappiness over how tickets have been distributed for Wales' home fixtures and anger at the WRU for publicly humiliating clubs after tickets found their way on to the black market. After those issues have been debated in detail, a vote of no confidence in the 17-strong board of the WRU will formally take place. The militant clubs will claim the WRU hierarchy has been acting in contravention of its limited company's memorandum of association. And they are adamant only bona-fide representatives of the clubs and the WRU will be permitted into the EGM. One of the organisers of the revolt, told us, "Apart from the Press, who watch the meeting from upstairs, and the president of the WRU, who chairs it, the only people permitted to partake in it will be board members and paid-up members representing their clubs. "There won't be any WRU spin-doctors, like we saw on the roadshow, because we aren't permitting it. This time we want the whole truth." The clubs maintain the WRU is breaking its constitution by not replacing Moffett with another group chief executive. The resolutions surrounding how the WRU should be run were passed at an EGM on May 26, 2002 ... and are explained in detail in the WRU's own handbook, which is distributed to the clubs. Resolution Four stipulates the full board appoint a group chief executive, who will be a member of the full board and the executive board. It also says the six-man paid executive should be made up of the group chief executive, the chief executive of the WRU, the group finance director, the group marketing director, the director of rugby and the Millennium Stadium chief executive. The resolutions specify the Millennium Stadium board should consist of the group chief executive and five other directors of the WRU. "They are acting wrongly in letting Sergeant sit on that because he is not, I stress, group chief executive of the WRU," said our source. And he went on, "This crisis highlights the need for a group chief executive to be appointed. "For Moffett, Pickering and Lewis to say there wasn't a need for one when Moffett left, was totally wrong and clearly in breach of the articles of association of the company. "The astonishing departure of Ruddock raises issues about the governance and management of the WRU. "We are claiming the executive board exceeded its power by not consulting the full board before taking a decision on Ruddock. It should have been the full board which took the decision." Grand Slam winner Ruddock was ordered to clear his desk and leave immediately after giving notice of his intention to quit at the end of the Six Nations. The decision followed the WRU's suspension of talks with him over a new contract until the end of the Six Nations, a move that effectively put Ruddock on trial.
 Add as favourites (26) |  Quote this article on your site | Views: 965
|
![BBCi: Javascript is not available on this browser](http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/bsp/hi/services/htmlsyndication/img/synd_js_error_js-inactive.gif")
