Hearts pull in £2m from Euro exploits

DARREN JOHNSTONE

THE financial benefits of a sustained run in Europe were made clear yesterday when Hearts revealed that this season’s UEFA Cup run has netted them £2 million. The Tynecastle club’s debt, which has been underwritten by new owner Vladimir Romanov, now stands at approximately £17.6m.

Roughly half of the cash injection was provided by German TV, who paid around £1m to show the group match against Schalke 04. Playing that and two other games at Murrayfield also raised revenue, as attendances exceeded Tynecastle’s capacity each time.

A massive 27,272 turned out for the Schalke match, a gate of 26,182 was recorded for the visit of Ferencvaros, and 18,203 watched the qualifying-round tie against FC Braga.

George Foulkes, the Hearts chairman, said that, while the revenue generated from UEFA Cup participation was a huge step in the right direction, the club still had a lot of work to do to keep driving the debt down.

"We don’t have to worry about our debt, but we do still have to deal with it," he said. "We are now aiming to start making profits. It also shows we can play among the biggest teams in Europe. It was a double boost really, the financial rewards were great, but it was also great from the fans’ point of view as well that they could get the chance to go and watch their team in Europe."

Hearts manager John Robertson was also in optimistic mood yesterday, and said a massive cloud had been lifted when Romanov completed his takeover and halted the sale of the ground. "The future is looking bright. The club have been through a turbulent time but I’m looking forward to the future and finishing the season on a high.

"I’m happy with the way things are going. I will be holding meetings in the next two to three months over budgets and things like that and hopefully we will get it all sorted out.

"There is nothing we can do until the end of the season anyway because the transfer window has closed. At the moment, however, I am happy with the quality of players I have got here.

"We are getting closer with speaking to guys about new contracts but these things take time."

While developments away from the field have reached a positive conclusion, on the park Robertson’s injury worries show no sign of relenting. On-loan Manchester United midfielder Michael Stewart has returned to Old Trafford to have his groin problem assessed by specialists. He saw his move to his home-town club as a chance to kick-start a flagging career, but has been hampered by a groin injury for the past two months.

Meanwhile, teenage striker Tarmo Kink could be the next eastern European to join Robertson’s squad, according to reports in Lithuania. The Spartak Moscow player is understood to be a target for FBK Kaunas, who then want to move him on to Hearts.

Taken from the Scotsman