Three former RFU chairmen call for heads of Bill Sweeney and Tom Ilube

Three former chairmen of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) have called for the union’s executive to step down after doing “enormous and irreparable damage” to the organisation.

In a letter seen by Telegraph Sport, which has been signed off by Martyn Thomas, Graeme Cattermole and Brian Baister, the positions of chief executive Bill Sweeney and current chairman Tom Ilube were said to be “untenable” after almost two weeks of revelations regarding bonus payments and salary hikes.

According to the RFU’s latest financial report, Sweeney was paid £1.1 million last year, including an extra bonus of £358,000, and Telegraph Sport revealed last week the full extent of the remuneration of the salary and bonus payments made to its executive director team.

This expenditure rose from £2.8 million last year to £4.9 million and included “the pay-out of the long-term incentive plan which accounts for £1.3 million and the increase in executive directors”.

Additionally, Telegraph Sport learnt that up to 10 members of the RFU senior leadership team – below the executive directors who were awarded the controversial long-term incentive plan (LTIP) bonuses – were handed promotions to become directors. They were subsequently included on the directors’ bonus scheme that offers bonus payments of up to 25 per cent subject to targets being met.

This has all played out amid a backdrop of cost-cutting and redundancies at the RFU, which has caused widespread anger around the English game, from members of the national team to Premiership clubs and across lower leagues.

Thomas, who served as chairman between 2005-2011, Cattermole, who held that position between 2001-2005 and was chairman of the union’s finance committee prior to that, as well as Baister, Cattermole’s predecessor as chairman, have become the latest to call for change.

“The recent RFU announcement of a world record net financial loss to reserves for a sports NGB [national governing body] of £42 million accompanied by large pay increases and bonus payments being made to the Chairman, CEO and other executives, just a month after declaring 42 staff redundancies, has done enormous and irreparable damage to the reputation of the RFU with member clubs, employees and supporters of the game,” read their letter.

“We would respectfully suggest that the positions of the Chairman, CEO and the relevant RFU Board Members are now untenable. We believe a new leadership team is required to chart a new way forward, start the process of rebuilding trust and respect and therefore urge those officers responsible to do the honourable thing.”