Saracens held talks with the entire squad about relegation prospects

Sportsmail understands the club have now accepted relegation

They have failed to bring their salaries under the required limit

Sarries face an automatic drop to the Championship regardless of their finish

The league champions were told to either hand their titles back or drop divisions

COMMENT: Saracens' fall from grace is sheer, unprecedented chaos

Owen Farrell and the rest of Saracens' England players face emergency meetings with the club hierarchy next week to work out their futures in light of looming relegation.

The Premiership and European champions gathered their squad together on Friday morning to confirm the seismic news that they will be automatically demoted to the Championship at the end this season as a result of another breach of the league's salary cap.

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Several stars of England's recent World Cup campaign - such as Farrell, Maro Itoje, the Vunipola brothers, Jamie George and Elliot Daly - are suddenly coming to terms with short-term career uncertainty.

Saracens' squad were called to a crisis meeting to discuss that they're on brink of relegation

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Saracens have been plunged into turmoil after Tuesday's meeting of the Premiership Rugby board, at which the north London club were issued with a stark ultimatum by their rivals. They were told they would have to slash £2million from their wage bill with immediate effect, hand back their trophies and give auditors full access to their accounts - or accept relegation.

It became apparent on Friday that Sarries had been unable to offload players to ensure they will come under the cap for the current season. It was also rumoured that they were reluctant to open their accounts. As a result, players gathered at the training base near St Albans at 8.30am and in a meeting which lasted barely half an hour, they were informed of their doomsday fate.

With PRL officials maintaining a low profile, it was unclear exactly how automatic relegation would be imposed, but sources suggested that the action may be separate from the salary cap regulations, which do not allow for such an eventuality.

It is thought the players were told there would be another deduction of 35 points, which would give Saracens no hope of survival, although that had not been confirmed on Friday night.

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Saracens coach Mark McCall has had a difficult job this season since the points deduction

THE SALARY CAP EXPLAINED The salary cap stands at £7million, which was increased from £6.5m in the 2016-17 season. Built into the cap is the ability for clubs to nominate two 'excluded players', whose salaries are not included, and claim £400,000 in injury credits. The identity of the excluded players is confidential. Within the £7m there is £600,000 of 'Homegrown senior player credits' (defined as relating to a senior player who was at the club before his 18th birthday and has been there for at least two complete salary cap years prior to the current salary cap year), at a rate of £50,000 maximum per individual player. Clubs receive credits for players unavailable while on international duty of up to £80,000 per player.

What did become clear was that Saracens face a two-year absence from the Heineken European Champions Cup - and one year out of Europe altogether. The holders of the primary continental title are seeking to defend their crown and can advance to the quarter-finals if they beat Racing 92 at Allianz Park on Saturday.

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However, even if they go on to be European champions for the fourth time in five years, there will be no defence next season as Saracens would not be eligible to participate if they are not in the Premiership.

That would have the additional impact of denying them a shot at reaching a home-town final in 2021 at Tottenham's new stadium. A five-year deal for Saracens to stage marquee league games at the futuristic football arena would be jeopardised by relegation.

There would be plenty of jeopardy on other levels, with jobs and careers at risk as a result of the club's wrongdoing being exposed and punished.

While staff roles may come under threat, the playing squad must also be cut urgently as the salary cap still applies to a PRL shareholder club down in the Championship. Finding £2m of savings will not be easy, especially if players refuse to consider pay cuts, a drastic measure that apparently was not discussed on Friday.

The RFU have reiterated that there is no policy that prevents an England head coach from selecting players who are operating below the elite domestic league, but such call-ups are a rarity. Sportsmail understands that the chaos gripping their club will not prevent Saracens players from being included in the England squad for the Six Nations, which is due to be announced by Eddie Jones on Monday.

But the international dimension would change if the club are dispatched to a league featuring teams including part-timers and students.

Sportsmail broke the news of Saracens' salary cap scandal following a 10-month investigation

Farrell, Itoje, the Vunipolas and Co will need to address a dilemma - whether or not to request release from their contracts to move elsewhere or at least go on loan for a season, as Mark Wilson has done in joining Sale after Newcastle went down.

There was some speculation on Friday that the RFU might be forced to suspend the policy of preventing players based abroad from being picked for England in order to allow Saracens players to seek contracts in France or in other home nations. But Sportsmail understands there is no prospect of the Union relenting.

It will come down to whether Jones decides that a player based in the Championship - however professional he might be - can report for national service in the right condition and state of mental readiness if he is playing at a lower intensity week after week. There is unlikely to be a one-size-fits-all view, so some of Saracens' leading lights may be able to stay, whereas others may have to go to protect their Test selection hopes.

Chairman Nigel Wray retired from his role at the club amid the ongoing salary cap scandal

Saracens wanted to cut the wage bill to avoid another breach but appear to be unable to do it

The whole saga has turned ugly and bitter. One leading English rugby official on Friday claimed that many in the game have turned on Saracens and their former chairman Nigel Wray, who recently succumbed to pressure and resigned, like 'rabid dogs'. But anger and suspicion has not been dispelled by the initial cap-breach sanction - the loss of 35 points and a £5.4million fine.

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Life has already been uncomfortable in the eye of this raging storm, even before relegation became an inevitability. Speaking earlier this week, Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, said: 'We can't feel sorry for ourselves; we've brought some of this on ourselves, there is no question about that.'

The Ulsterman was speaking just hours before the PRL board meeting which has left his club in a state of disarray.

Asked if he had considered walking away, McCall - unaware that automatic relegation was looming - added: 'No, I have never thought that, because I love the club. The club's been brilliant to me and brilliant for my family. I have been here over a fifth of my life. This is my 11th year at the club and you're not going to run away at the first sign of... a bit of hardship. This is where we need a bit of leadership. We need people to fight and stick around.'

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Those words carry even greater resonance now. On Friday, McCall named a strong line-up for the clash with Racing on Saturday. It felt like business as usual. But it isn't. It really, really isn't.

Saracens are currently bottom of the Premiership table, sitting 18 points adrift of Leicester

New CEO Ed Griffiths has said that the Wray family will continue to be committed to Saracens

HOW IT HAS ALL UNFOLDED... March 4 - Sportsmail investigation sends ripples through sport with revelations about investment partnerships between Nigel Wray and Owen Farrell, Mako Vunipola and Billy Vunipola and property-sharing arrangements March 5 - Clubs and former players call for formal probe into Saracens March 6 - Sportsmail understands a rival club has hired forensic accountants to look into Saracens March 7 - Sportsmail reveals Maro Itoje has company linked to Nigel Wray March 11 - Nigel Wray releases a statement in response to Sportsmail's investigations, saying 'Investment is not salary' and 'The Club is open and transparent with the salary cap manager and we proactively disclose co-investments when they occur, even though we are under no obligation to do so. We respect the rules and the salary regulations that are in place.' March 13 - Premiership Rugby will not confirm whether Nigel Wray's understandings of the salary cap rules are correct April 9 - Sportsmail understands Premiership Rugby interrogating former Saracens players April 10 - Premiership Rugby announce formal review into Saracens after it is found the club did not disclose all details of co-investment partnerships August 3 - Rival clubs demand update on salary cap review, telling Sportsmail they are being 'kept in the dark' September 3 - Sportsmail reveals that the matter has been passed to specialist arbitrators Sport Resolutions September 24 - Clubs dismiss idea of an out-of-court settlement being made with Saracens at conclusion of disciplinary proceedings October 26 - Sportsmail reveals that Saracens's group head of finance Bernard Van Zyl - who had responsibility at the club for managing the salary cap - has left, along with fellow director Nick Leslau, who had been at the club for over 20 years November 5 - Saracens were docked 35 points and fined £5.3million after being found guilty of breaching the salary cap November 18 - Saracens decide they will not appeal their punishments with chairman Nigel Wray claiming: 'Perhaps we have done the wrong thing for the right reasons' December 19 - Premiership Rugby announce an independent review into salary cap regulations in light of the Saracens scandal, led by ex-government minister Lord Myners December 26 - Liam Williams agrees a deal to leave Saracens and join Scarlets on a £400,000 per year deal January 2 - Nigel Wray quits as Saracens chairman and admits 'it's time for a fresh start' at the club January 4 - New Saracens chief Edward Griffiths apologises 'unreservedly' for club's salary cap breaches January 16 - Saracens face the prospect of automatic relegation after other clubs turned on them