Halep’s harasser, rugby-football corruption scandal. Karen Moorhouse (pictured) is the CEO of the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency), the organisation that accused Simona Halep of doping without allowing her to defend herself. Moorhouse was appointed CEO of the ITIA in February this year. Previously, she was a member of the board of the UK Rugby Football League.
The Bradford Bulls scheme
In this capacity, Karen Moorhouse, along with the entire board of the Rugby Football League (RFL), engineered the takeover of the Bradford Bulls by a businessman connected to a former RFL boss, amid financial scandals that should have led to the team being severely sanctioned by the RFL.
In October 2019, when the scandal was at its height, an article was published in the Total Rugby League publication showing that Karen Moorhouse herself had publicly vouched for the toxic shareholding of the Brandford Bulls. The headline of the article was „Comment: If the RFL have nothing to hide on Bradford, it’s time to be transparent: 15 burning questions that need answering”.
An investigation called for, never done
„For nigh on a decade, rugby league in Bradford has been dragged through the mud by owners not fit for purpose, various financial scandals and a slow but steady alienation of the city’s fanbase. 2017 should have been a line in the sand moment, with a new company, no debts to inherit and the chance to move for sustainability.
But less than three years on, Bradford Bulls find themselves in the same situation once again. The news of a new consortium involving former RFL boss Nigel Wood taking charge will prompt more questions than answers, as has often been the case with Bradford.
Calls are rightly growing for the governing body to be subject to a full enquiry into every Bradford-related decision – which includes Odsal – from 2012 (when the head lease was purchased by the RFL) to the present day. That is now a must.”, Aaron Bower, author of the article, wrote.
Halep’s harasser, rugby-football corruption scandal
Bower continued: „Of course, if the RFL have nothing to hide, then they would co-operate with a full enquiry. They’d also be open, transparent and honest about everything that has happened. You may argue ‘why would they do such a thing’?
Well, the answer is that they supposedly care about their integrity as a governing body. With the pressure now on their shoulders greater than ever before, their integrity is now being called into question. So in that regard, here are 15 questions for the governing body to answer.”.
Among the 15 questions Bower asked was one addressed directly to Karen Moorhouse: ” (…) how can it be good for the sport’s integrity that a man who was involved in the process of appointing former owners – failed owners – in charge of this club is now involved in the ownership of it himself?
Do the RFL accept some level of accountability for the current situation of Bradford given they backed a consortium that has irrefutably proven to be a failure?
Karen Moorhouse said in 2017 that the RFL were confident the Andrew Chalmers consortium would ‘provide an exciting and stable future for rugby league in the city’. What does the governing body think of those comments now?”
Conflicts of interest clear as day
Karen Moorhouse, the current head of the ITIA, has not answered those questions. But in November 2019, the LRF’s (and her) boss at the time, Ralph Rimmer has.
„RFL boss Ralph Rimmer has dismissed calls for a public inquiry into Bradford Bulls’ change in ownership, insisting the last two years have not been a “disaster”.
Former RFL chief executive Nigel Wood is part of a consortium that has taken control of the four-time Super League champions. The change in ownership comes after a series of financial meltdowns that have included three administrations and a liquidation since 2012.
Also read: Simona Halep subjected to „unthinkable harassment” by ITIA, says former coach Patrick Mouratoglu
Accounts revealed the Bulls ran up over £1million of debt in the two years under previous owner, New Zealander Andrew Chalmers, a friend of Wood. Chalmers was handed control of the Bulls by the RFL in 2017, ahead of other prospective bidders, while Wood was in charge at rugby league’s governing body.
The issue is further complicated by the fact that Wood was also at the helm of the RFL when they bought the lease for Odsal stadium in 2011, something they still own (…)”, according to Mirror.
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