A “ghost vote” from a July meeting is now haunting the Super League, as the decision to expand to 14 teams faces a full-blown rebellion from clubs who question its legitimacy. The vote, conducted without supporting documents and with no subsequent minutes, has become a symbol of a flawed process that threatens to unravel.
The term “ghost vote” could be used to describe a decision whose supporting evidence seems to have vanished. Clubs claim they have never seen a written financial justification for the expansion they were asked to approve. This has allowed doubts to fester, turning what should have been a clear mandate into a contentious and disputed decision.
The ghost of this vote is now spooking the league’s finances. The decision has put the league on a collision course with its broadcaster, Sky Sports, which is against the plan. This has raised the spectre of a future with drastically reduced TV income, a terrifying prospect that has motivated clubs to challenge the original vote.
The rushed nature of the subsequent process has only made the ghost of that decision more menacing. With new clubs to be announced in October after a whirlwind review, there are fears that the league is being haunted by the consequences of a hasty and ill-informed choice.
The RFL is trying to exorcise this ghost by insisting the process was sound and the vote was “overwhelming.” But for a growing number of clubs, the vote lacks substance and legitimacy. They are now determined to revisit that decision, demanding a new process based on tangible evidence and transparent governance, rather than a ghost vote from a meeting shrouded in mystery.