Hearts players consider action against club as wages remain unpaid

HEARTS players are weighing up the possibility of a formal complaint against the club after another delay in the payment of their wages, that could lead to the matter being discussed at SPL board level. Players are also said to be exploring legal avenues.

The players met club director Sergejus Fedetovas on Friday in a bid to get to the bottom of the non-appearance of their monthly wage on 16 October but were left unimpressed when no reason was offered and no concrete date was given as to when they could expect the money to be in their bank accounts.

The club have since paid some of the younger players but the majority of senior first-team players have had a week of uncertainty and their sense of frustration was merely fuelled by Friday’s meeting when they failed to receive confirmation that the matter would be resolved by tomorrow, taking it into a second week.

Players, who do not want to be named for fear of reprisals, have said that they are nearing the end of their patience and, while they know the professional perils of standing up to club majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov, they plan to discuss the matter after this afternoon’s SPL match with Rangers, with the preferred option at this stage being a collective grievance.

Based on the hope that there will be safety in numbers, the formal complaint would initially be lodged with the club, before being sent to the SPL. The matter would then be discussed at the next SPL board meeting, with Hearts being called to account for the discrepancy.

But with tensions growing – along with the threat of dressing room disharmony as some rail against the club’s non-payment while one or two of the higher-paid stars seem prepared to hold firm in the belief that the money will eventually be forthcoming – the situation is having a destabilising impact, according to regular first-team players.

They would prefer the club to simply pay up but, if they don’t see the money in their accounts tomorrow, the consensus seems to be that enough is enough.

The issue of late payment of wages is a habitual one at Tynecastle but the length of the current delay has prompted concern in the playing ranks, with several squad members contacting players’ union PFA Scotland to seek advice.

Andrew Driver, a player prepared to discuss the issue in public, said on Thursday: “The days between getting paid are getting longer. That’s the biggest worry. Some boys get more frustrated than others, put it that way.”

Several other senior players have subsequently confirmed their annoyance under a cloak of anonymity. Speaking to Scotland on Sunday, they said that, as the salaries are supposed to be paid on the same date every month and cover only their basic wage, there should not be the ongoing problems. They confirmed that they are planning to take action if the money is not forthcoming in the next few days.

“The wages are supposed to be paid on the Friday and we usually ask questions on the Saturday and they have them in by Monday,” added Driver. “When Monday comes and you’ve not been paid, that’s when you really start asking questions, and a lot of the boys still haven’t been paid. All we can do is put a bit of pressure on to try and get it sorted as soon as possible.”

But, having made the matter public, Driver’s team-mates were disappointed that it did not nudge the club into some concrete action. This is the first time that a club director has had to meet with the players in an attempt to appease them regarding non-payment of wages but, with bank managers complaining about a lack of funds to cover direct debits, the players were irate when Fedetovas, when asked a direct question about when they could expect the wages, was unable to give them a direct answer.

In a statement released to the public on Friday the club said: “We have spoken with the players and made them aware of the situation. We are grateful for their patience and they know they will be paid in the near future.”

It appears the club has misinterpreted the players’ mood. A first-team regular said numerous players are alarmed and seeking an end to the unsettling monthly pantomimes.

“We are aware of the situation with late payments and have spoken to a number of our members who are unhappy,” said PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart. “They do have access to Margaret Gribbon, our employment law specialist.”

If the players take action it would be further bad news for the club who are already embroiled in a battle with the SFA over the decision by referee Iain Brines to disallow a goal in the recent League Cup encounter with Ayr United, which Hearts ultimately lost in a penalty shoot-out. The Hearts manager Paulo Sergio was outspoken in his criticism of the official, expressing surprise that despite writing to the authorities about his performance at Somerset Park, he was named as fourth official at last weekend’s home match against Dunfermline.

Hearts issued a statement saying: “The club believes there has been a huge injustice carried out on the field in the first place in relation to our exit in the cup. To compound this, with a further off-field investigation into comments made by our manager in relation to the original injustice raises major questions about the game in this country.

“Paulo was quizzed at length in a pre-match media conference prior to the Dunfermline game. The manager provided honest, legitimate, measured and transparent answers to the questions raised. The media then immediately raised Paulo’s comments directly with the SFA to seek a reaction… the manager and, by association the team and the club, now face quite severe sanctions.

“For this reason, the club feels that, in addition to defending the manager’s position, the club will also suspend all general media activity – including pre- and post-match media conferences – until, at the earliest, the date of the hearing on 3 November.”