Worcester owners hit back at local MPs amid threat of automatic relegation

Worcester’s owners have hit back at calls from four MPs urging the government to put the club into administration – a move that would condemn the Warriors to automatic relegation from the Premiership, the Guardian understands.

Co-owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham claimed a deal with one set of buyers is “moving at an especially rapid pace” after the MPs called for administration as soon as possible. That would likely result in relegation because according to the Rugby Football Union’s regulations, the new season started last Saturday even though the Premiership does not kick off until Friday.

On Monday morning, the four Worcestershire MPs – Robin Walker, Harriett Baldwin, Rachel Maclean and Mark Garnier – urged the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to trigger administration and called on rugby authorities to “facilitate any option which allows the club to stay and play in the top-flight”, seemingly in the belief that the RFU’s deadline for the start of the season had not passed. The strongly worded statement declared that “enough is enough”.

Goldring and Whittingham insisted on Monday night that they have three interested buyers and claimed none of them want the club to be put into administration. The former chief executive Jim O’Toole was said to be involved in a consortium which has expressed an interest in buying the club on the condition it was put into administration.

“We are disappointed to read the statement made by four local MPs which calls for the [DCMS] to force Worcester Warriors into administration,” they said. “We would like to make it clear that we have kept the DCMS fully informed about the financial situation at Worcester Warriors. They are aware of the options which are