Defiant Bill Sweeney refuses to apologise for RFU bonuses scandal and vows to stay until 2027
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The under-fire chief executive has insisted that the union is in good financial state despite reporting record losses last year. A defiant Bill Sweeney has vowed to continue as chief executive of England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) until the 2027 Rugby World Cup even as he faces revolt within the game over his position.
![[RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney is under fire]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/22/10/5c0763009e63cd735770646739ee5f0cY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM3NjI4NjMz-2.78763818.jpg)
Sweeney is facing a special general meeting (SGM) after uproar within English rugby union both over his accepting of a large bonus at the end of a financial year in which the RFU reported record losses, and what the rebels perceive as mismanagement of the sport.
![[Former England captain Sir Bill Beaumont has returned to the RFU as interim chair]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/20/11/191b8beb8232d4c273a8544e90d76f7dY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM0NzgwODM5-2.74289984.jpg)
With the SGM set for 27 March, the embattled executive insisted that he remains a force for good within rugby and expressed his belief that he is the right man to transform an organisation that he feels requires reshaping. Sweeney refused to apologise for accepting his £358,000 bonus as part of a Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) designed to keep key staff at the organisation, admitting that he knew it would cause uproar and explaining that he had asked to defer the payment.
![[The RFU reported record losses last year]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/08/05/18/48f796d01407e0f66256a0150c40f516Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzIyOTY0Mjc1-2.72375992.jpg)
Constitutionally, the RFU CEO cannot be directly removed from his role by the member clubs, but with chair Tom Ilube already having resigned amid the furore, the SGM is likely to further pile pressure on the under-fire chief. A vote can be taken to request that the RFU board terminate Sweeney’s contract.
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