Ospreys: CMA case over Cardiff Rugby sale not yet live
Swansea Council’s call for the Competition and Markets Authority to look into the sale of Cardiff Rugby and the future of the Ospreys is yet to be made an active case.
The local government of Wales’ third-biggest city has called upon the CMA to “investigate the proposed takeover of Cardiff Rugby which could lead to the loss of professional men’s rugby in Swansea”.
The Welsh Rugby Union-owned Cardiff Rugby has entered into exclusive talks with Y11, which already owns the Ospreys.
It has led to questions surrounding the future of the most successful region in Wales amid plans for the WRU to cut the number of professional rugby teams in the country from four to three.
The council say its “concerns focus on the proposed reduction of professional teams from four to three, the process for allocating licences, and the potential for one ownership group to control two Welsh clubs”.
CMA involvement for Ospreys?
Morning Wire understands that the CMA have been in receipt of a letter from Swansea Council but that the case, at the time of reporting, is not a live one.
Swansea Council had pledged £1.5m as part of a deal to redevelop St Helens’, where the Ospreys plan on playing after leaving the city’s Championship football ground.
But it is not yet clear as to whether the Ospreys will continue as a professional club beyond the end of the 2026-27 season, and many see Y11’s willingness to purchase Cardiff as a potential nail in the coffin for the Swansea side.
Council leader Rob Stewart said: “We cannot accept a situation where decisions are made behind closed doors to remove one of Wales’ four professional teams and leave Swansea without top-level rugby.
“We are asking the CMA to step in urgently to protect competition and give our city and region the fair treatment it deserves.”