LONDON (AP) — Bill Beaumont was named interim chairman of the England Rugby Football Union on Friday, hours after Tom Ilube resigned because of an outcry over executive payouts.
Beaumont, who finished leading World Rugby last month, was considered a steadying presence at a time when grassroots supporters were in uproar at the pay and bonuses of RFU leaders while the union was reporting unprecedented losses and laying off employees.
“I am honoured to be taking on the role on an interim basis,” Beaumont said. “We now must look forward and I hope I can help to unite the game and drive forward the game of rugby in England at both an international level and in the community game.”
Ilube was the main target of a grassroots revolt led by the Rugby Football Referees' Union that had sufficient support to trigger a special general meeting, and he was also facing pressure from the RFU council, which said the union suffered “reputational damage” because of the pay scandal.
The clubs criticised Ilube's role in rubber-stamping chief executive Bill Sweeney receiving 1.1 million pounds ($1.4 million) for the 2023-24 financial year, including a bonus of 358,000 pounds ($448,000). Plus, five other executives received bonuses totalling almost 1 million pounds ($1.2 million).
That came after the RFU announced in September it was cutting 42 jobs, and in November said it suffered a record operating loss of 37.9 million pounds in the year to last June.
Beside the resignation of Ilube, who was appointed in 2021, the RFU also announced an independent review of its executive pay scheme.
"I have decided to step down from my role as chair of the RFU as recent events have become a distraction from the game,” Ilube said in an RFU statement.
Beaumont is a junior vice president of the RFU council and served as RFU chairman from 2012-16. He was a former captain of England and the British and Irish Lions.
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The Associated Press
