Worcester Warriors have pulled out of their friendly against Glasgow Warriors in Inverness on Friday.
The future of Worcester Warriors has been in doubt since they defaulted on a tax payment last month, which led to a winding-up petition from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
They are reported to owe HMRC more than £6million as well as £14m to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport in the form of a Covid loan.
Worcester Warriors director of rugby Steve Diamond wrote in a statement that they had no option but to pull out of travelling to Inverness for the friendly at Caledonian Stadium.
TOGETHER pic.twitter.com/s2UG7gXwJL
— Steve Diamond (@Steve_Dimes) August 31, 2022
He wrote: “Together we have been forced to take the hugely frustrating and disappointing decision not to travel to Inverness tomorrow for our pre-season fixture against Glasgow Warriors on Friday as players and staff wages remain unpaid.
“The squad have worked hard throughout pre-season and are bitterly disappointed to be put in this position.
“We express our deep sorrow to our hosts Glasgow Warriors who we hope understand the unique and worrying situation we find ourselves in.
“We would like to thank Adam Hewitt for his overwhelming generosity in offering to fund the trip.
“It simply isn’t feasible to play when futures remain uncertain and a decision had to be taken today.
“It is unethical for professional players to play a full-on game with the risk of injury and the real possibility of no employment to follow.
“We thank everyone for their continued support and for uniting behind us all – together.”
Hours after announcing the cancellation of their pre-season match against Glasgow, the Press Association reported that Worcester Warriors met a 4pm deadline set by players for payment of their salaries for August.
However, staff will only be paid 65 per cent with the hope that the outstanding money owed will be cleared soon.
Despite this latest development, the fixture against Glasgow will still not be played, with Worcester’s squad due to train on Thursday and Friday instead.
Our squad have already made the trip north, and our community activations will continue including tomorrow’s Open Training Session at @HighlandRFC.
We are currently assessing if any alternative options are achievable and will be in touch with more info as soon as possible.
— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) August 31, 2022
Glasgow Warriors released their own statement saying they were assessing alternative options and confirmed an open training session at Highland Rugby Club’s Canal Park would go ahead as planned.
It read: “Friday night’s opening pre-season match against Worcester Warriors in Inverness has been cancelled.
“Due to their ongoing financial issues, the players and staff at Sixways have taken the decision not to travel to Inverness to fulfil the fixture.
“Our playing squad have already made the trip north, and our community activations will continue, including tomorrow’s open training session at Highland RFC.
“We are currently assessing if any alternative options are achievable and will be in touch with more information as soon as possible.
“Although we are disappointed by this outcome, we recognise the challenging situation Worcester currently find themselves in and wish them well.
“We thank you for your patience in the meantime.”
