Scottish players union calls for Hearts surgery

Published: 08 Dec 2011 - 19:47:05

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Scottish players union calls for Hearts surgery

Scotland's Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has urged Scottish football chiefs to take action regarding the continual non-payment of players' salaries at Hearts.

The first-team squad at the Scottish Premier League club are awaiting delayed payment of their wages for the second successive month.

Wages are due on the 16th of each month, but October's salary was received on November 4 and last month's salary remains outstanding.

Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov, a Lithuanian businessman, is looking to sell the club and said last month he expected to make a Â£50 million ($78m) loss if he found a buyer for the Edinburgh-based side.

But for PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart there are more immediate concerns, and on Thursday he urged both the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the Scottish Premier League (SPL) to take action.

"The players have been exemplary in their professionalism. The current situation, however, is unacceptable and cannot continue, said Wishart, in a statement on the union's official website, pfascotland.co.uk.

"The expectation is that our members simply continue to turn up for training and games as normal without any sign of being paid.

"It is to their credit that they have done so in recent months and, rather than being weak, this takes strength and shows a care for the future of the club.

"Our members ask for the governing bodies to intervene and help resolve this matter.

"The governing bodies have an obligation to the integrity of the game in this country and it is imperative that from this aspect our members are paid."

The SPL are reportedly reluctant to intervene in the absence of an official complaint from the players who, despite all the financial uncertainty, have helped take Hearts into fifth place in the SPL table.

Wishart added: "The situation is that one of our top clubs is in a poor position. Our members' wish is quite simple: they want to be paid their wages."

Several Hearts players are looking to leave Tynecastle in the January transfer window and Wishart said they could invoke FIFA's article 14 (breach of contract) to seal their release.

"There is no wish to take legal action against the club and we agree that it is in everyone's interest that Hearts get to January and raise revenue by selling players," he said.

"It cannot be right, though, that a club can demand a transfer fee for a player who it cannot pay as there are no signs that the club can guarantee to fulfil the terms of the contract.

"The club is in clear breach of our members' contracts and players are now looking at their contractual position."

The SFA, via its Twitter official account, said it was powerless to take action at the present time, explaining: "Regarding PFA Scotland statement on Hearts: Scottish FA would be appeal body so cannot 'intervene'."