Canterbury chairman Ray Dib has indicated the Bulldogs won’t offer Des Hasler a payout after they sacked the veteran NRL coach.

In a move that is sure to infuriate Hasler and his management, Dib told Bulldogs members in a video on Wednesday that the club owed “no liabilities” to the sacked coach over his contract.

There is already a suggestion the two parties could be headed to the courts over the dispute, after the club announced Hasler had signed a two-year contract extension to keep him there until the end of 2019 as recently as April.

But Dib claimed that deal was only a “heads of agreement” and it was “non-binding”, allowing the board to opt against keeping him on in 2018.

“Des’ current contract expires in October 2017, the board has decided not to renew that contract and going forward there will be no liabilities on the club for the next two years,” Dib said.

“The board has made the decision with the best interests of the club with these changes.”

Dib’s claims come after club great Graeme Hughes savaged his former team on Wednesday, questioning how the current administration could be trusted in the future.

Ahead of a February board election where Dib is expected to face a rival ticket led by former player Paul Dunn, Hughes said there had to be change at the top.

“I’m trying to work out how the chairman can announce the signing of someone publicly on a non-binding agreement,” Hughes told Fox Sports News.

“You’ve got to turn around to player managers, players and potentially a coach now and say ‘you can trust us – you’ll see your contract out’.

“Well that trust is gone.”

Hughes’ beef with the Bulldogs’ board has been ongoing.

After winning a premiership with the club in 1980, he and his brothers handed in their life memberships in 2009 in protest against brother Garry’s previous sacking as football manager after the 2004 Coffs Harbour scandal.

He also reached an out-of-court settlement with the club in 2009 over a defamation case, and failed in a bid to be voted onto the club’s board the following season.

But he insisted his views were borne out of his passion for the club, not personal issues with the administration.

“This is the worst state I’ve ever seen our club in,” he said.

“You’ve got the club captain out the door, James Graham – and they’re going to be paying some of his contract to play at another club.

“I think it’s a disgraceful state and, when you’re talking about cleanouts, I think everyone knows it has to go further.”