Hearts boss Paulo Sergio confident of avoiding SPL wage sanction

Published on Friday 6 January 2012 11:16

Hearts manager Paulo Sergio says he fully expectes the Tynecastle club’s owners to pay their players in January and avoid SPL sanctions.

Owner Vladimir Romanov has put the club, which is more than £30million in debt, up for sale, while December’s wages were paid to the first-team squad on Wednesday on the day the SPL issued a series of orders in a bid to end an impasse after three months of salary delays.

Should January 16 go by without salaries being delivered to players on schedule, SPL disciplinary proceedings would be triggered with an unlimited punishment possible.

Sergio said: “I don’t believe that is going to happen, because I believe they are going to be paid.

“I feel people are fighting to put the club in order.”

Romanov yesterday hit back at his critics in a statement and insisted the SPL knew the sale of Eggert Jonsson to Wolves would enable the players’ December wages to be paid.

And the Lithuanian businessman reiterated he will not plough more money into the club, leading to fears over Hearts’ future, with further transfers now seemingly inevitable.

Sergio added: “I believe a man like Romanov who has lots of businesses, he chooses people to find solutions for problems.

“In each business he has a board to find a solution.

“I’m sure we are not going to let die a club like this one.”

Sergio was speaking ahead of tomorrow’s William Hill Scottish Cup fourth-round clash with Ayrshire junior side Auchinleck Talbot as Hearts held their first press conference since adopting a media blackout on October 22, days after problems with wages first emerged.

Since the first wage delay in October, Hearts have four wins from 11 matches - three of which have come in the current four-match unbeaten run.

Taken from the Scotsman