Hearts owner ‘may sell club’

richard winton

7 Nov 2011

DAYS after hinting at a dwindling commitment to Hearts, Vladmir Romanov has realised those claims by announcing that he is considering selling the Edinburgh club.

Just as a tumultuous week appeared to be concluding with some semblance of normality, with players finally receiving salaries overdue from mid October, the club’s owner yesterday made a further, unsettling contribution to the ongoing saga.

Repeating his alarming contention that it was now pointless to invest significant money in the debt-laden Tynecastle outfit, Romanov said he would consider two options – finding a partner or selling outright the controlling interest he has held since 2005.

Romanov also said that he may favour his other sporting investments – he owns a basketball team in Lithuania – as he distances himself from his previous level of involvement at Tynecastle.

“If I can find a decent buyer who would continue our fight with Hearts against the mafia and their press, why not?” he said.

“I now have another outlet where I can fulfil my ambitions in sport.

“I haven’t lost my interest in the club, but I have for football.

“I now have to consider finding a partner or selling the club.

“For seven years I keep hoping that in the country that is the cradle of football they will start respecting the game and stop taking the mickey out of the game itself and the people who are trying to fight for it, but it’s like asking the mafia for remorse. There is only one solution left – to turn our attention to the products of our football academy in the hope that this situation will at some point and somehow improve by itself.”

Those words will be interpreted as a tacit admission that Hearts are planning to shed several senior players during January, leaving manager Paulo Sergio to bolster his squad with youngsters. Romanov did admit that the club will have to cut costs, but denied reports that players would be allowed to leave for a fraction of their market value.

A club spokesperson explained: “The club has some of the best players in the country and no player will be transferred for a penny less than their true value. Hearts will address squad efficiency over the coming months as a normal course of business. We will continue to pursue our policy of focusing on youth development and it is likely that Hearts supporters will have an opportunity to also see some of the best young players in the country competing for a place in Hearts’ first team.”

Taken from the Herald