Sergejus Fedotovas planning to meet Hearts players

Published on Monday 26 December 2011 12:00

SERGEJUS FEDOTOVAS plans to fly to Edinburgh shortly after New Year to meet with Hearts players and explain the club's financial predicament. The Hearts director is keeping abreast of events from his Lithuanian base but will address the squad personally early next month.

Fedotovas said he cannot provide a definite date for when December's outstanding salaries will be processed, but insisted he and other club officials were doing everything possible to source funds quickly. Wages were due on the 16th of the month and Hearts players have already lodged an official complaint with the Scottish Premier League over the regular delays.

The SPL is due to adjudicate on the matter on January 4 and Fedotovas is attempting to ensure all payments are up to date before then. "We are working and we are confident we will get through this period," he told the Evening News. "I cannot tell you if it will take a few days or a bit longer, but we are really confident we will be past these difficulties in a short time."

Players are concerned about Hearts' long-term financial health after salaries ran several weeks late in both October and November. They are also irked by the lack of communication from the Lithuanian hierarchy and are likely to welcome any kind of appearance by Fedotovas, who works as right-hand man to majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov.

Hearts won for the second successive weekend against Motherwell on Saturday as goals from Ian Black and Stephen Elliott secured a 2-0 victory, propelling the club to fourth place in the SPL. They now travel to Aberdeen on Wednesday evening before the New Year Edinburgh derby at Easter Road.

Taken from the Scotsman