Supporters Direct talks

Hearts this afternoon can reveal the club continued discussions with Supporters Direct at the weekend in relation to increased supporter involvement in its future.

Despite certain media reporting to the contrary, the prospect of increased supporter involvement in the future of the club remains a priority for the Board of directors, provided such involvement is productive and can demonstrate a secure path for the club's future wellbeing.

Director Sergejus Fedotovas said: "We have a responsibility to protect the business and ensure that we give Hearts the best prospects for the future, even once the club has been sold.

"Our aim is to secure a solid and stable future for the club and we do believe that the supporters should play an integral part in this process. We must, however, not allow emotion to cloud sound business sense as our decision on who the club should be passed over to is a very important one when we are dealing with an institution as prestigious as this.

"Supporters can be assured that we will not rush this decision and we will maintain our positive communications with Supporters Direct, who have been integral in the overall discussions regarding possible supporter-control models."

Supporters Direct Scotland met with Sergejus to explore whether a credible fans bid could indeed still be considered given recent events in Lithuania.

SDS has been working for many months with the club to develop a suitable model that could be considered as a route to community ownership and given the recent developments, SDS felt it was essential that it understood if this option was still a route that could be considered given other parties had intimated an interest in buying the club.

Head of Supporters Direct Scotland Paul Goodwin commented: "The meeting with Sergejus Fedotovas was productive and we agreed that the community ownership model was still an option that would be considered alongside any other offers that the club might attract.

"With that in mind we agreed to embark on a series of planning meetings over the coming weeks, working to see if a viable plan could be presented before the end of the season. The first of these meetings is scheduled for later this week."

Hearts World