Worcester Warriors players and staff remain 'in the dark' over future

Worcester Warriors' non-playing staff have been told not to come into work

Worcester Warriors players and staff remain in a "state of limbo" with a pre-season fixture just over a week away.

Earlier this month, HMRC hit the Premiership club with a winding-up petition over unpaid tax, believed to be in excess of £6m.

While the coaches and playing group have continued to train, the non-playing staff have been told not to come into work.

It is understood the club's bank accounts have also been frozen.

On Monday, co-owners Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring released a statement saying they were "working through a number of options with our advisors", adding "these include solutions for keeping rugby at Sixways".

Club staff have had little direct dialogue with the owners, only seeing the statement shortly before it was released, however Whittingham and Goldring have now sent a detailed letter to those connected with the club.

In the statement, which has been obtained by BBC Hereford & Worcester, they said reports the club's Sixways stadium and land had been "taken out of the club" as part of so-called "asset stripping" were "absolutely not true".

BBC Hereford and Worcester reported some of the areas around Sixways were sold off last week to another business run by the club's owners, Mq Property Ltd.

"If a buyer offered to fund and continue the club only if we sold the whole site then we would," Whittingham and Goldring added.

"Timing is tight and we are running multiple solutions to this situation simultaneously to resolve it as fast as possible.

"We can't guarantee the outcome yet but we can guarantee we will have done everything possible to save this club and your livelihoods."

The pair also said Worcester had been suffering losses of "almost £400,000 a month" since the first coronavirus lockdown.

'Diamond crucial in keeping squad united'

Sources have told the BBC staff wages have been paid sporadically for the past few months, and that they are not expecting to receive their wages on time next week.

One source said players and staff had been "in limbo for a week" and were "in the dark" over what happens next.

The role of director of rugby Steve Diamond is said to have been crucial in keeping the squad united, with many players posting on their social media accounts this week with the hashtag "TOGETHER".

Meanwhile a number of parties have declared their interest in buying the struggling club, including a consortium led by former Warriors chief executive Jim O'Toole.

As well as the money owed to HMRC, Worcester were also given a £14m loan by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) during the Covid pandemic.

Worcester are due to start the Premiership season away to London Irish on Saturday, 10 September, but have a pre-season friendly against Glasgow in Inverness on Friday, 2 September. As it stands, they will struggle to fulfil that fixture.

Premiership Rugby continues to work through contingency plans in case the Warriors are unable to take their place in the league for the 2022-23 season, but a league spokesman said they were reluctant to impose a deadline on the beleaguered club.

If Worcester enter administration, Rugby Football Union regulations state they will receive a 35-point penalty, although there is no relegation from the Premiership to the Championship in the forthcoming campaign.