Hearts face possible signing ban as SPL board meets on wage delay

Hearts failed to pay the salaries of some of their first team squad.© SNS Group

The board of the Scottish Premier League will meet on Friday to consider imposing a temporary signing embargo on Hearts.

The Edinburgh side announced on Monday they were unable to pay the wages of a “small number” of their current squad because a “guaranteed income”, reported to be TV money from the league, had not yet been received.

In line with new SPL regulations, Hearts reported the payment failure to the league within 48 hours of the delay.

STV understands the SPL will consider the matter when the board convenes for its monthly meeting at Hampden on Friday.

The board will have to decide whether to enforce a rule which says the club should now be prohibited from registering new players.

As Hearts are now subject to a “Remuneration Default”, rule A6.23 states a club can not, without board permission, “Register any professional player with the league… until the Board is satisfied that such Remuneration Default shall no longer continue or subsist.”

With the transfer window closed, only players who were unattached before August 31 are available to be signed by John McGlynn.

The Hearts boss has repeatedly stated his desire to bring in a striker to his squad, having scored five times in their six SPL fixtures this term.

Speaking last week, McGlynn said: “From the moment I came in it would have been nice to get another striker in.

“There are still players out there who are free agents and it’s not to say nothing can be done or won’t be done.

“We’ve got a solid back four. Three of them – Marius Zaliukas, Ryan McGowan and Andy Webster – were involved international football so we’re vastly experienced.

“With Danny Grainger and Kevin McHattie too we’re well equipped across the back.

“In the middle of the park we’ve got a number of options, especially in wide players, so it’s really just a matter of clicking through the middle.

“It’s hard on John Sutton to have all the pressure put on him and he’s worked extremely hard up there. We get a lot of bodies in the box so we just need to work on that wee bit in front of goal.”

McGlynn had also refused to rule out a return for Czech forward Rudi Skacel, who is still without a club having left Hearts in the summer at the end of his contract.

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