Worcester Warriors: Premiership club to face Exeter after avoiding suspension
- Published
Worcester's total debts are reported to be £25m
Financially troubled Worcester Warriors have been given permission to play this weekend after proving they can safely host matches at Sixways.
Sunday's Premiership game against Exeter can go ahead after they showed the Rugby Football Union (RFU) they had obtained a general safety certificate.
The club met Friday's midday deadline, to allow the match to be played.
Saturday's Allianz Cup tie between Worcester and Harlequins Women will also be staged as originally scheduled.
In a post on social media,, external Warriors director of rugby Steve Diamond said attendance at the men's game would be limited to "around 5,000" at the 11,500 capacity stadium.
He added that there had been "a lot of hard work from people behind the scenes under difficult circumstances".
Both Worcester and Exeter delayed the announcement of their teams for Sunday while the issue around safety was being resolved, with the RFU having threatened to suspended Warriors from all competitions had they failed to be issued the relevant certificate.
The RFU said they are "pleased the matter has been resolved" and "recognise this has been a difficult and uncertain time" for those at Worcester, as well as their opponents this weekend.
Questions about the up-for-sale club's future, however, remain unanswered.
Shortly after the announcement, staff at Worcester - who have received, at most, 65% of their August wages - released a statement saying they "remain angry" at "continual broken promises and lack of communication from those above".
They added: "We hope for new ownership to come in with a clean break from those currently in position.
"Recent events have added more stress to an already frustrating and uncertain situation for us all and we cannot promise this goodwill will continue indefinitely."
On Tuesday Warriors' owners said they had agreed the terms of the sale of the beleaguered club, which was served with a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs in August over an unpaid £6m tax bill.
The sale to unidentified interested buyers is yet to be completed, leaving the club in danger of entering administration.
The game's governing body said they are still working with the club on the situation.
"The RFU, Premiership Rugby and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will continue to work with Worcester Warriors owners regarding funding and potential new ownership proposals in the coming days," a statement from the RFU said.