Fan Buyout At Scottish Premier League Heart Of Midlothian Looking Increasingly Unlikely

The prospect of Scottish Premier League Heart of Midlothian coming under the ownership of supporters "appeared to recede" over the weekend when Dir Sergejus Fedotovas declared that the club "could be sold before the end of the season," according to Stephen Halliday of the SCOTSMAN. Fedotovas’ comments, which indicated that talks "have been ongoing with more than one interested party, came as a surprise" to the Foundation of Hearts non-profit group of business people and fans. The Foundation already "had an initial offer for the club rejected" last November. Since the Foundation "has not been involved in any substantive further discussions" with Fedotovas recently, it seems Hearts Owner Vladimir Romanov is "looking at alternative options." Unnamed consortiums in Scandinavia and the U.S. "have been speculated upon in the past few weeks." Foundation of Hearts Chair Alex Mackie "just returned from a break in the Middle East and will meet with his colleagues this week to assess where they now stand" (SCOTSMAN, 2/18).