Hearts owner Ann Budge is defiant on court threat over relegation

Ann Budge last night reiterated her readiness to take the SPFL to court if Hearts are relegated based on an incomplete league campaign.

Meetings between the ruling body and all clubs this week could bring a decision on whether or not the rest of the 2019-20 campaign will be cancelled.

There has been renewed speculation that will lead both to Celtic being crowned champions and Hearts – who occupy the bottom spot, but only four points behind Hamilton Accies – being demoted to the Championship.

The Tynecastle club’s owner, though, insisted that she would not accept such an outcome.

“If it happens, I will seek legal advice. I haven’t at the minute because no decision has been made,” said Budge

“I made it very clear to the SPFL that if we they did go down this route, then there would be a number of areas I would be contesting.

“We have had no further conversations about that over the last two or three weeks,.

“But I did read that it seems to be that we will be relegated. You’ll forgive my cynicism when I say that I am not panicking quite yet.”

Budge was similarly combative in defending the club’s move to look for players to take wage cuts rather than deferrals.

“No player has been asked to take a cut of more than 30%,” she said.

“The issue isn’t about the cuts, it is more about the fact that I am asking for a cut and not asking for deferrals.

“A number of players have said they would be very willing to talk deferrals. But they are not prepared to talk cuts.

“As I’ve told them, no two clubs are run the same.

“We have different structures, different wage policies and different ownership models.

“When I took over six years ago and took the club out of administration, I was faced with a bill of £1-million of football debt.

“That doesn’t get written off, so I had to pay off the debts of the previous owners. I don’t want to put anybody else in that situation. Regardless of what we have in the bank this, in my opinion, is going to last for six months.

“Therefore we have to put in place a plan to make sure we can last those six months.”

Meanwhile Inverness Caley Thistle have put all of their players, and most members of staff, on the Government’s furlough scheme.

The club will pay the other 20% of their wages.