The receiver responsible for winding up Coventry rugby club’s affairs today answered criticisms levelled by the club’s chairman Keith Fairbrother.

Fairbrother is refusing to hand over £10,500 owed from the purchase of the club claiming the receiver owes £25,000 to the club.

Now the receiver John Kelly of the Birmingham firm Buchler Phillips has started bankruptcy proceedings against the rugby club.

He said today:

"When we sold the former Coventry rugby club we agreed to defer £10,500 of the selling price on the understanding that Keith Fairbrother personally guaranteed it. He agreed to do that.

"That money became due for payment on February 26^th but Mr Fairbrother says we cannot have it because he is claiming £25,000 which was received from the English Rugby Partnership. All clubs receive money from the Partnership.

"The former club had no money and the Partnership paid it to us to pay court costs and to secure the receivers and to secure the club.

"All that was before we entered into negotiations with Mr Fairbrother. He is not entitled to it and the English Partnership has told him he is not entitled to it. We have no case to answer."

On the matter of the £10,500 Kelly said:

"Mr Fairbrother personally guaranteed the money to us. We told him please pay because failure to do so will involve bankruptcy proceedings.

"My responsibility is to collect monies due to the former Coventry rugby club and in due course distribute that money to creditors. He owes £10,500 which it is my statutory duty to collect."