Hearts and the Scottish Premier League are on collision course over the payment of player wages after the Edinburgh club insisted they have "documentary evidence" to confirm January salaries were delivered on schedule.
Hearts face the prospect of unlimited sanctions after the SPL announced the club had failed to pay their players and some members of staff on time for a fourth successive month. January's wages were due on Monday with Hearts set a midnight deadline for delivery of salaries.
The SPL on Tuesday afternoon announced Hearts missed the deadline and the SPL board will meet this evening to determine how to proceed. However, Hearts contend they met the deadline.
A statement on the club's official website, www.heartsfc.co.uk, read: "On January 4, 2012, a sub-committee of the SPL board made various orders relating to late payment of wages due to 14 Heart of Midlothian players.
"One of those orders was that Heart of Midlothian should make full payment of January salaries due to the 14 players by the due date of January 16, 2012.
"The club totally refutes the suggestion made in today's statement from the SPL that it failed to comply with this order.
"The club has made payment of the remuneration to each of the players on January 16, 2012 and has documentary evidence to this effect."
Source: PA
