Saracens have dropped their appeal against heavy punishments for breaking the Premiership’s salary cap.
The English and European champions have decided not to contest the £5.4m fine and 35-point penalty imposed for infractions over the course of the past three seasons.
The decision marks a change of direction for the club, who had previously indicated they would appeal against the “heavy-handed” sanctions imposed earlier this month.
The news was confirmed on Monday, which was the deadline to serve notice of any appeal. The Premiership rugby table will be updated with immediate effect, taking Saracens to bottom place on -22 points.
Darren Childs, chief executive of Premiership Rugby, said: “We welcome Saracens’ decision to accept the verdict of the independent panel and are pleased the club has crucially reaffirmed its commitment to the Premiership Rugby Salary Cap.
“This is the right outcome for English club rugby. Bringing this process to a conclusion means that we can focus on working in partnership with all Clubs to continue to build a competitive and successful league.”
Nigel Wray, Saracens chairman, said: “We have made mistakes and so, with humility, we must accept these penalties. As a club, we will now pull together and meet the challenges that lie ahead.
“We confirm our commitment to the salary cap, and the underlying principle of a level playing field, and will continue to work transparently with Premiership Rugby in this regard.”
The charges against Saracens, which relate to the seasons 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19, were brought following a nine-month investigation by Premiership Rugby. In accordance with the salary cap regulations, the charges were referred to the independent dispute service, Sport Resolutions, which appointed a panel chaired by Lord Dyson.
The decision of the independent panel was to uphold all of the charges, finding that Saracens had both failed to disclose payments to players and exceeded the ceiling for payments to senior players in each of the three seasons.