Hearts poised to avoid sanctions

Hearts were on Tuesday awaiting confirmation they had avoided Scottish Premier League disciplinary action by paying their first-team squad on schedule for the first time in four months

The Edinburgh side, third in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, had until midnight on Monday to make the payment to their first-team squad and Press Association Sport understands the transactions were made from Lithuanian bank UBIG, controlled by Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov, on Monday afternoon.

By paying the first-team squad, Hearts will have adhered to all the orders issued by the SPL sub-committee on January 4.

After delayed wages in October and November, a further delay in December prompted 14 members of Hearts’ first-team squad to submit a complaint to the SPL via players’ union PFA Scotland.

Their December pay, which had been due on December 16, was received on January 4, the day an SPL sub-committee adjudicated over the dispute, ordering the club to comply to a number of orders – including timely delivery of January’s salaries.

Should Hearts be able to prove payment was made ahead of the midnight deadline, the club will likely avoid failing to comply to the SPL’s demands and the disciplinary action that would trigger.

A large fine, docked points and a transfer embargo with untold consequences for the capital club were all possible sanctions if Hearts had again been unable to deliver the players’ salaries on schedule.

Should Hearts now make delayed salary payments in future months, a fresh complaint would need to be made by the players, opening a new process of adjudication.

Hearts’ recent turmoil off the field has not been replicated on it. Since the first-team squad instructed PFA Scotland to make the formal complaint on December 16, Hearts have won five games in their recent six-match unbeaten run.

Source: http://www.itv.com/sport/football/news/hearts-poised-to-avoid-sanctions-02698/