'Pay them': Salford Red Devils' dire financial situation called out as players and staff miss out on payments

Former Salford Red Devils star Jackson Hastings has described the club's current situation as "a joke" after players and staff were not paid on time for the second month in a row.

The Super League club is currently in crisis despite being bought by a consortium led by businessman Dario Berta eight days before the season started in mid-February.

The deal was thought to be a chance to clear the club's debts but problems have continued.

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Salford has been under salary cap sanctions and in January - before the new owners took over - were placed under a $2.46 million (AUD) sustainability salary cap and told to start selling players. The club could only register players to that limit.

That ruling culminated in the 82-0 loss against St Helens in round one. At the end of February, news broke players and staff had not been paid despite new ownership.

Following the club's round four match against Castleford, players were paid but questions lingered about who paid them.

Now the financial situation has reared its head again with the club releasing a statement on Thursday (AEDT), revealing payments hadn't been made.

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"As many will already know, our payroll wasn't delivered this morning as scheduled, despite assurances. It remains a difficult situation for everyone at Salford Red Devils," the club wrote.

"Irrespective of this, we, as players and staff have continued to uphold our commitments with professionalism, ensuring the club remains competitive on and off the field. Now, we await the same level of commitment from those responsible for ensuring the stability of our organisation.

"The unwavering support of our fans and partners during this challenging time, is both humbling and inspiring, it makes all the difference to players and staff."

Hastings, who played 41 games for Salford, took to X and said the situation was "hard to watch".

"Couldn't imagine what it is like especially for boys supporting multiple kids," he wrote.

"I don't know enough about the situation but it's becoming a joke for all players and staff. People's livelihoods are getting played with and people expect wins? Pay them!"

Earlier in March when there was confusion over the payments post the Castleford match, former England representative now Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin described the predicament as "rank".

"I think there's silence because it's bad ... I just think the full situation is rank. All of it's rank," he said.

"We can talk about how it's communicated (but) we've had a club that's whittled away, spent money and not been able to afford it for a long time. The fault lies with them."