Super League club Salford Red Devils have been liquidated, ending the club’s 152-year existence, amid debts of £4m.
The club was wound up at a hearing at the Insolvency and Companies Court of the Royal Court of Justice in London on Wednesday morning after four adjournments at previous hearings.
Salford Red Devils were taken over in February by a consortium led by investment bank Matanel chief executive Dario Berta but failed to pay players on time on multiple occasions and saw a number of senior figures resign.
The club’s debts are believed to be around £4m with unpaid taxes of around £700,000.
The liquidation does allow for an attempt at starting a phoenix club, where a new club can take the Salford Red Devils name into the Championship next year.
Salford Red Devils fan group, The 1873, said: “Let us be honest with ourselves. This outcome has been coming. It is long overdue.
“It is what the club needs to survive.
“For months, we have watched uncertainty grow around unpaid debts, unclear leadership, and crumbling trust between ownership and supporters.
“The writing was on the wall and today – it was finally read aloud in court”
“It is, without question, a dark day.”
Salford Red Devils liquidated
Rugby League Hub reported that the club’s controversial owners, Curtiz Brown and Sire Kailahi, wanted a fifth adjournment but chief executive Paul King did not approve the “appointment of a barrister to push for another adjournment”.
Salford Red Devils finished bottom of the Super League in 2025 with just three wins and did not apply for a spot in rugby league’s top tier ahead of IMG’s grading criteria, which decides which clubs operate in the Super League or Championship.
The club operated out of Salford Community Stadium, a council-owned arena they shared with Prem Rugby club Sale Sharks.