Harlequins have escaped a ban from the lucrative European Cup despite the fake blood scandal that has seen the English Premiership club hit with a massive fine and former rugby director Dean Richards banned for three years.

The Cup's organisers, European Rugby Cup (ERC), ruled on Wednesday that there was "no reason to interfere with the participation of Harlequins in the 2009-10 European Cup".

But they also warned that there could be further action against individuals at Quins when they meet again next week.

The ERC said in its appeal hearing of Richards that the 46-year-old former Leicester and England No.8 had been central to the blood cheating scandal.

Quins winger Tom Williams faked a blood injury to allow a substitution to be made in last April's European Cup quarter-final against Leinster.

He was given a fake blood capsule in an attempt to get goal-kicker Nick Evans, who had earlier left the field injured, back into the action with the score at 6-5 in Leinster's favour - the Irish province went on to win the game.

Quins were hit with a STG260,000 ($A507,860) fine, while Richards was forced to resign after being banned from rugby for three years and Williams was also given a four-month ban.

"Richards was the directing mind and had central control over everything that happened in relation to the fabrication of the blood injury on the pitch, and the cover-up in the days after the match," the ERC said on Wednesday.

" ... It was Mr Richards who had instigated and directed arrangements which enabled the fabrication of blood injuries as and when that was convenient and would assist the club during matches.

"In one of the highest profile matches in which the club had ever been involved, he was prepared to try to cheat Leinster out of a victory by bringing on a player at a crucial stage in the match when that player was not entitled to return to the field of play.

"He was quite disinterested in the consideration that by acting the way he did the club which deserved to win the match might be deprived of its victory."

The ERC will meet next week to decide if there could be further action against individuals at Quins given that Richards had encouraged others to deliberately mislead the investigating bodies.

"Mr Richards arranged matters so that those who were charged with misconduct complaints would lie to the legal team and would then lie to the disciplinary hearing," the ERC said.

"Mr Richards was by far and away the most experienced and senior individual involved.

"It was open to him at any stage to have said that 'enough is enough' and that the reputation of rugby and Harlequins had been sufficiently damaged.

"If he had admitted at any stage prior to the conclusion of the disciplinary hearing the truth of what had happened then the damage to individuals, the club and the game of rugby union would have been very much reduced."

The RFU later announced they would take no further action until the ERC had made its final decisions.

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