Scottish Premier League Heart Of Midlothian Plays Down SPL Finance Scrutiny

Scottish Premier League Heart of Midlothian "responded calmly to renewed scrutiny" of its finances from other SPL clubs, along with suggestions that it "may have been in breach of league rules, by stressing the Tynecastle club is neither owned nor operated by Ukio Bankas, the bank that has collapsed in Lithuania" with debts of more than £300M ($459M), according to Alan Pattullo of the SCOTSMAN. Hearts "have been told that there has been no breach of rule A6.12 which applies to any 'group undertaking' of an owner and operator of a club suffering insolvency." Two clubs did make "informal" approaches to the SPL, asking the governing body "to investigate the true extent of Hearts' financial crisis." However, Hearts "played down the need for rival clubs to call for a probe by the SPL" (SCOTSMAN, 5/16).