Regardless of whether or not the Australian – and New South Wales – Rugby League Chairman, Colin Love, takes legal action against the Sydney Daily Telegraph, serious issues are now in the public arena, and they won’t go away.

On Saturday the Telegraph – owned by News Limited with owns the National Rugby League in a 50/50 partnership with the Australian Rugby League – claimed that Love has been receiving substantial payments from the ARL and the NSWRL in his capacity as solicitor to both bodies (allegedly around $280,000 in 2005 and $180,000 in 2006).

The story said that when the $300,000 he is to be paid for organising the World Cup is included, his total payments since 2000 are around $1,918,000.

The most telling comment since the latest revelations came on Sunday from the South Sydney co-owner, Peter Holmes a Court, who said the Australian Rugby League would be delisted if it was a public company because of potential conflicts of interest.

As Holmes a Court said, it is “nowhere near best business practice” for the Chairman of the ARL to have his law firm involved and to be taking personal contracts as well. The position of Chairman is supposed to be a part time one as both bodies have a fulltime CEO, but he appears to receive Directors fees from the ARL and the NSWRL totalling $100,000 a year.

The payments do not cover what Love might earn from the NRL Board or International Rugby League Board.

The article also refers to another potential conflict of interest in that Love will have a major say in deciding the venues for the 2008 World Cup, but is also a Member of the Sydney Cricket and Football Stadium Trust – and the Football Stadium will be competing with Telstra Stadium for some of the matches.

The issues surrounding the many roles of Colin Love surely require all stakeholders in rugby league to agree the time has come to streamline board and administrative structures – the game is currently run by about eight boards, with over 70 board members.

But the wider issue is transparency and accountability. It may well be that Colin Love gives rugby league good value for money. But it should not have taken some investigative journalism from the Daily Telegraph to disclose his many interests. They should be declared up front, as is required for company directors and politicians.

This can only be guaranteed – and guaranteed for all major sports – and that is by the Australian Government making transparency in administration a condition of Australian Sports Commission funding.