Stevo claims that IMG want “no promotion or relegation”

There has been some push back, especially from Keighley Cougars who have gotten political support in their stance, against IMG’s proposals.

Now former Sky Sports commentator Mike “Stevo” Stephenson has said that IMG are looking to emulate NRL and get rid of promotion and relegatiob.

He said on the Eddie and Stevo podcast: “It appears to me that IMG are trying to copy what occurred down under. They want to make sure that A; no promotion, B; no relegation. That’s been the case in Australia for quite some time.

“Now during a period, it was into the ’80s and ’90s, they had to get those clubs together that were not financially sound. Wests Balmain Tigers, they had to merge. St George, they had to merge with Illawarra.

“They spread their wings, but they didn’t allow them to come in straight away. They said ‘look we need a team in Melbourne, we’ll give you three years to sort it, all the finances, make sure you’ve got all the players, make sure you’ve got junior development’ and so forth.

“They gave them sort of open credit and said ‘if you can fit into what we want, finance, ensuring you get a good crowd, then we’ll allow you to expand the NRL’.

“That’s what they’ve been doing and I just think to myself IMG are trying to copy this.”