COWBOYS

HEARTS were last night branded the cowboys of European football - after raging Racing Genk accused them of treating players like cattle.

The Belgians blew their tops as Hearts' record £850,000 move for Bosnian international Mirsad Beslija collapsed in dramatic fashion.

Beslija, below, was back in Belgium last night as his club bosses threatened to report Hearts to UEFA for going back on an agreement to pay 1.2million euros for the player.

The Tynecastle club also released a statement confirming Beslija's proposed transfer has been scrapped.

Genk's sports director Ariel Jacobs said: "We have a contract with a signature on it but now all of a sudden Hearts don't want to pay it.

"We are considering what action we will take next but we have all the evidence we need.

"This is the transfer market - not a cattle market. You don't agree something and then change your mind. Apparently the given word in football is not worth much any more - not even when it's in writing."

Hearts are adamant they have not reneged on a written deal and believe threats of UEFA probes or possible legal action are empty.

A club statement said: "Hearts have confirmed that we will not pursue our interest in Mirsad Beslija.

"We would also state that no financial agreement had been reached in relation to any potential signing of the player and we have now closed the position with the appointment of Nerijus Barasa."

Beslija arrived in Edinburgh last week to thrash out personal terms, after chosing Hearts in front of Premiership strugglers Sunderland, and then returned to his homeland to fix up a work permit.

But he has been left stunned by the sudden collapse of the transfer.

Yesterday, after training with his Genk team-mates, he said: "All I can do is wait to see what happens next.

"It would be agreat disappointment if the transfer does not go through but it's between the two clubs."

But his bosses were seething at the collapse of the deal.

Genk deputy general manager Erik Gerits said: "Hearts told us they accepted the agreement but then they came back and said they only wanted to pay 800,000 euros.

"We said the agreement was for 1.2m but they said they didn't want to pay it.

"We are very disappointed. If that's the way a top team in Scotland handles such matters then we can't understand it.

"Why do they send us a fax with an offer of 1.2m and then change their minds?

"They say they have to pay this agent and that agent but that's not our problem.

"We had an agreement between the two clubs but that's business and now the player comes back to Genk.

"But it's disappointing because you don't do business this way

"You don't make an agreement and then come back a few days later and say you want to pay less and less. At this moment our president is deciding wha further steps we can take."

Taken from the Daily Record