‘Incensed’ Hearts to fight ban on training

THE SCOTTISH Government and the country’s footballing authorities were last night involved in an embarrassing row over the controversial decision to impose a training ban on Hearts. The ‘incensed’ Jambos have declared their intent to fight an SPFL-SFA Joint Response Group ruling which was announced yesterday ordering Robbie Neilson’s men to take an enforced break, with training for clubs outside the Premiership delayed until August 24.

Hearts players returned to training on August 3 as they prepare for the Championship season and since then have been tested twice weekly in line with the same guidelines applied to all 12 Premiership clubs. The Tynecastle club will argue that the suspension of their training rights makes them the only team in Scotland to be punished for lockdown breaches by Celtic and Aberdeen players.

Hearts last night issued a blistering statement attacking both the decision itself — and the fact that they had been given only 20 minutes’ notification before the

official announcement. And the JRG were pitched into a row over responsibility for the call when Scotland’s National Clinical Director, Professor Jason Leitch, backed the capital club’s right to carry on in their biosecure bubble at Oriam training complex. Leitch, who had represented the Scottish Government in talks with football’s ruling bodies following the ‘Aberdeen Eight’ scandal and Celtic defender Boli Bolingoli’s jaunt to Spain, told BBC Scotland: ‘My understanding is that no new clubs can start training until the 24th. ‘Hearts are already training because of the court case and the Premiership and the possibility they were up. My understanding is they won’t have to stop. ‘The SPFL have chosen the bullet point list of things to do, irrespective of what the government has said. That’s their choice. These are matters for the SPFL. We didn’t tell them what to do.’ That prompted a flat-out contradiction from a JRG spokesperson, who insisted: ‘The pause on all football training beneath Premiership and including all adult football over18 was part of the agreement with Scottish Government that culminated in today’s range of measures being announced and the majority of this week’s games going ahead as scheduled.’ The Scottish Government has expressed concern over whether part-time players in the lower leagues could be expected to follow the same restrictive rules as full-time professionals. Within the SPFL, there was then a concern that Hearts were gaining a sporting advantage as the only Championship side in training. Hearts delivered a withering response last night, pointing out they had been given the all-clear to begin training on August 3 — after spending fortunes to put a testing programme in place. ‘All other Championship clubs were given the same opportunity to return to training,’ said a club statement. ‘They chose not to return at that time, as was their right.’ Pointing out some of the ‘unnecessary costs’ incurred in order to create a Covid compliant training environment, the statement continued: ‘We have done nothing wrong and yet, once again, we are being disproportionately disadvantaged by a decision which has been described as “the fairest”. ‘This situation has come about, not because of Covid-19, but because of behavioural issues, not by our employees but by those of other clubs. ‘This delay reflects a lack of confidence that certain clubs will be able to comply and meet the required protocols. How can it possibly be “fair” that we should be penalised? Everyone at the club is incensed.’