Leicester Tigers hit with another fine for breaching, exceeding Gallagher Premiership salary cap again

Leicester Tigers have received another fine for exceeding the Gallagher Premiership salary cap, two years after receiving punishment for the same offence.

The club have been given a £47,000 overrun tax for going over the set salary limit during the 2019-20 season.

In 2022, Leicester were fined almost £310,000 in relation to breaches between 2016 and 2021.

A Premiership Rugby statement said: “Premiership Rugby can confirm that additional payments of £47,136.91 have been identified relating to the Salary Cap spend of Leicester Tigers in the 2019-20 Salary Cap Year.

“These payments relate to salary during the COVID-19 period, which had not been included in the club’s certification for the 2019-20 Salary Cap Year.

“As announced in March 2022, which was a separate matter, there was an over-spend by Leicester Tigers of £98,586.32.

“In accordance with the Regulations, for this level of additional overrun, the club is required to pay £1 for every £1 overspend, being £47,136.91.

“Leicester Tigers has paid the overrun tax in full.”

In response to the fine, Leicester chief executive Andrea Pinchen said: "While disappointed to again have historic salary cap spending relating to 2019/20 season result in this overrun tax, as was the case in March 2022, we accept the findings of Premiership Rugby.

“As was the case in March 2022, this in no way relates to any of the most recent four seasons and we are grateful to Premiership Rugby for the cooperative approach in bringing this matter to a close.

"We have accepted and paid the overrun tax and, as stated in March 2022, the current club management – who inherited this issue – have a great respect for the Salary Cap regulations and remain committed to ensuring Leicester Tigers is compliant every season.”

This is the latest fine for a club breaching the salary cap after Saracens felt the full force of the law and were docked 105 league points which resulted in their relegation in 2020 for exceeding the cap by up to £1.1m in the 2016-17 campaign.

If it wasn’t for Saracens’ punishment, Leicester would have been relegated that season.

As for this season, Leicester are currently competing for a play-off place and sit seventh in the table, three points adrift of Harlequins in fourth spot.

They next face Leinster in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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