After 14 seasons in Super Rugby, the Melbourne franchise was excluded from the competition at the end of last season.
The leaders of the Melbourne Rebels have sued the Australian Federation (Rugby Australia) to obtain 30 million Australian dollars (18.43 million euros) in damages as part of a complaint after the exclusion of the Super Rugby franchise at the end of last season. The Rebels went into voluntary administration in January, with debts of more than €12.3 million, and were closed at the end of the season in June after the RA rejected a rescue deal presented by the club administrators. The directors filed a complaint with the Federal Court of Australia on Wednesday.
They said in a statement that they wanted to be “authorized to regain control of the Rebels” so that the team can continue to play in Super Rugby. “The Rebels are members of Rugby Australia and had a legal expectation that they would be treated not only fairly, but equally to other members”indicates the press release. RA said it needed time to consider the request from Rebels directors before making further comments.
Rebels administrators had threatened RA with legal action in May when the governing body confirmed it was rejecting a rescue deal proposed by a consortium. The consortium was led by businessman Leigh Clifford, whose daughter Georgia Widdup sat on the Rebels’ board of directors. The RA can ill afford a costly legal battle, having declared a loss of AU$9 million in 2023 (€5.53 million) and spent more than AU$6 million (€3.69 million) to ensuring the Rebels can complete their 14th and final Super Rugby season this year.
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